Robert Asprin – Tambu

He began in his best lecturer’s monotone; “The Defense Alliance is a collection of some forty ships fielded by the planets with the intent of forming an interstellar peacekeeping force. In this, they are not unlike our own force.”

There were mutters of disagreement.

“There are numerous differences, however, which separate the two fleets,” he added hastily. “The most obvious is the chain of command on board an individual ship. As you know, many of our ships joined the fleet with crews intact from their previous engagements. The captain and crew are used to working together, and any replacements are selected by the captain.”

The crowd was fidgeting, obviously bored by the oration.

“In contrast,” Tambu continued, “the Defense Alliance is composed of ships and crews donated by the various planets, and their captains are appointed by the Alliance’s High Command-a group which functions independently of any specific planet.”

He paused to emphasize his next point.

“This means that the captain and crew of an Alliance ship do not share a common origin, nor do they necessarily agree on methodologies, custom, or tactics. I personally feel this is a major flaw in their organizational logic.”

There were more interested faces listening now.

“To emphasize this for a moment, consider how the ships are run. Within our fleet, each ship and ship’s captain has autonomy as long as their actions do not go against established policies and guidelines. The High Council of the Defense Alliance, on the other hand, has laid down a strict set of rules as well as a code of conduct which every ship, captain, and crewmember must obey to the letter. Having seen copies of their rules, I can only say that if I tried to get this assembly to abide by them, there would be an armed revolt. The only way the High Council can realistically expect adherence to their rules is if they’ve crewed their ships with saints and angels.”