“You and Jenner have pulled it off. I’ll admit I had some doubts about anybody being able to handle that job on such a short fuse. But Dagger was done under budget and met every spec, and all in fifteen months.” He considered his pipe rack and chose just the right pipe for this conversation. He offered his tobacco pouch to Sherwood who removed his own pipe from his pocket. “You both have fine futures at COPE, and I can recommend you highly for whatever positions you might want. Whatever you do, I’m sure COPE will benefit. I’d be very happy, of course, if you’d choose to stay on here in Dorsal Fin, however COPE encourages its brightest people to get exposure to diverse areas. There are other projects within Dorsal Fin …” He drew in a river of smoke and mixed it with the rest of his sentence. “… or even Shark Bait, where you would be most welcome. I talked with Jenner a few minutes ago, and she’s decided to stay with me for another year or so.” Sherwood held his pipe in his hand, not wishing to compete with the Asp.
