“I know that. That’s the price we pay for joining a group. Between you and me, though, in a lot of ways, it’s a plus, not a minus. I don’t mind at all passing the buck on some of the rougher decisions.”
“Exactly what are you expecting to get out of this?”
“You don’t buy the ‘noble cause’ bit, eh?” Blackjack grimaced.
“Let’s say I have limited faith in it. I think the best business relationships exist when both sides benefit from the arrangement. If you join, I get another ship complete with a trained crew. Now what are you seeing that you’ll get out of this?”
“Support. Both military and financial. Not only do we have allies we can call on if we get our ass in a sling, by sharing profits and losses, we stabilize our cash flow.”
“Now that’s the kind of selfish answer I can relate to. For the first time, Blackjack, I’m starting to believe you.”
Blackjack sighed. “Now that that’s settled, where do we go from here? Do we have to actually fight with your ship here, or can we just surrender and save wear and tear on everybody?”
“I think we can dispense with that in this case. Instead, why don’t you have your ship tag along with the Dreamer for awhile. I’ll instruct the captain to fill you in on our procedures and fleet policies. Then we can talk again.”
“Fine by me.” Blackjack smiled. “Anything else, boss?”
“Yes, start organizing the personnel records for your crew. I’ll want to go over them with you next time we talk.”
“Why?” Blackjack asked suspiciously. “I thought selection and assignment of the crew was my responsibility.”