“You know James?” Thomas asked, answering John’s question, and John raised an eyebrow. “Imagine him, but older and less impulsive.”

From To the Upper Air:

You know – every time I write Hennessey, I find myself thinking, “oh. so that’s where James gets this bit of his personality.” Hennessey may not be his actual father, but he was James’ mentor and the next best thing in James’ own words. James respected him, which is to say that he probably fit the pattern of the other people in James’ life that he treats as equals – stubborn, with a feisty temper, intelligent as hell, and willing to treat James like he matters. And yet, Hennessey is an admiral – that speaks of a level of self-control that James can only dream of. Still – I can very much see Hennessey having risen to a captain’s rank and later earning an admiral’s pennant through action, not through money exchanged, and James learned a lot from him, so yes, I do in a way see him as an older version of what James might have been, had things not gone the way they did. Thomas knows James enough to recognize that when James talks about Hennessey. James would deny it all to hell and back because he’s had ten years to think some very unflattering thoughts about Hennessey, but if he tells the truth, he probably knows that it’s more than a little bit accurate. Silver here is doing his usual thing, which is to say getting a mental map of a person before he meets them if possible, because if ever there was someone who emphatically did not like surprises when it comes to interactions with people, it’s Silver.