He always talked like that, so I wasn't particularly impressed till he had talked a few minutes more, expanding his point.
"—so on this planet we will have a one-party, autocratic rule. I will be the head of the government, and you will be my constituency."
"Huh?"
"It is perfectly clear. Dave," said Clive. "I have had experience in political matters, therefore I'm more suited to governing the planet. You follow my orders and do all the work, and I'll do the planning and thinking."
These might not have been his exact words, but that was what he said. I was mad enough to want to sock him right there. But I knew that we might get rescued someday and he could throw his weight around almost anywhere. The only time I had the authority to shove Clive Littlebrook around was when he was a passenger on my spaceship, which he certainly wasn't now.
"The first thing to do will be to find shelter, food and water," he said.
"Don't be silly," I said, "we've got all those things on our spaceship."
"We don't know how long we'll be here," said Clive. "Since the supplies on our ship are limited, we must try to be self-supporting."
I've always liked that fable about the oak and the willow trees. One was big and strong, the other wasn't, but the willow tree lasted longest because it bent and swayed before the wind. So with Senator Clive Littlebrook, I made like a willow tree. I humored him.