[Unperturbed to have the question lobbied back at him, Miles answers,] Not always. It depends, doesn't it? It does go much better if you all like each other. And unit cohesion is-- [a half shrug] something I'm good at. Or was.

[The past tense doesn't come easily to him, and it comes out as a grating afterthought. But okay, this isn't irreparable; maybe they're just more professional than personal in association. Miles isn't sure what to make of it yet.

Still, he continues, inward looking and more to himself,] If they could die for me, or even just next to me, I prefer to know their names, their dreams, if they had kids. [Miles is a romantic at heart, and it's not hard to tell why this had led to such loyal troops even from mercenaries; he took a very personal command style, often remembering hundreds of names and histories by their faces.]