While its deliberate here, it always amuses me that people who proclaim ’we’re going to [insert random quixotic goal here] or bust!’ seem unaware that they are explicitly acknowledging that they may fail, and rather badly at that.
Despite half the bosses I’ve worked for being nice, or at least pretty decent, I’m with Rat on this one. Though in his case, it may be having Rat as an employee that makes them a terrible boss.
In the Wileyverse, its usually safer to assume anything involving Danae and co is actually ‘real’ unless repeatedly stated otherwise. For instance, Cap’n Eddie’s adventures are often treated as tall tales, but at the same time he has occasionally taken other people with him on those adventures, including Kate, Danae, and even Joe.
Moments later, the bottom gave out.