War Of Honor

'Of course it is,' the countess conceded. 'I think it's important we not be overly strident in telling everyone that the credit for this discovery belongs entirely to us, but someone is going to get the political capital that comes out of it, and that someone clearly ought to be us. I'm simply saying that even from a purely political perspective, it would be most unwise of us to push Admiral Reynaud into any exploratory activity he thinks would be premature. If we do, and if lives are lost, we'll get the 'credit' for that, too.'

'You certainly have a point there,' High Ridge agreed, and cocked an eyebrow at Descroix. 'Elaine?'

'Oh, certainly we don't need to be losing any lives unnecessarily,' the Foreign Secretary said peevishly. 'But by the same token, I don't see anything wrong with turning the pressure up a little bit on Reynaud and Kare. I'm not proposing that we override them, but knowing the Government is strongly committed to moving forward as quickly as possible could help to . . . focus their attention a bit more firmly on ways to expedite matters safely.'

New Kiev seemed to hover on the brink of yet another sharp reply, but she subsided after another glance from High Ridge.

'Excellent,' the Prime Minister said briskly. 'In that case, I think we're in agreement on how to proceed with exploration. For right now, however, we also need to consider precisely how—and when—we'll make the announcement. My own thought is that we need to announce it as quickly as possible. The question in my mind is whether we should do it through Clarence or through an RMAIA news conference. Opinions?'

'Clarence' was Sir Clarence Oglesby, High Ridge's long-time public relations director and currently the official press secretary for the High Ridge Government.

'We should release the news through Clarence,' Descroix said instantly.

'I don't know about that,' New Kiev said almost as promptly. 'The RMAIA would be the logical avenue for the initial announcement. Wouldn't it seem like we were making a blatant grab for publicity if the Government's press secretary 'stole their thunder'?'

'I do trust, Marisa,' Descroix said with a thin smile, 'that you don't object to our taking at least some small official notice of this insignificant little event?'

New Kiev opened her mouth angrily, but High Ridge intervened once more.

'Marisa never said that, Elaine,' he said firmly, and stared her down when she seemed disposed to reply sharply. He could do that with Descroix. Unlike New Kiev, she was unlikely ever to allow principle to conflict with ambition, and she understood the finer points of manipulation, whether of the electorate or her cabinet colleagues, in a way New Kiev never would.

'Personally,' he continued once he was certain his Foreign Secretary wasn't going to pour more hydrogen on his Chancellor of the Exchequer's anger, 'I think there's some merit to both suggestions. The fact that this is a scientific discovery certainly suggests that the scientific agency which made it ought to announce it. But it's also a major political event, with implications for the entire Star Kingdom, beginning with the financial sector, no doubt, but certainly not limited to it. So I think the proper way to proceed would be for Admiral Reynaud to announce a press conference, at which the news of his discovery would be made public, and which Clarence would also attend in the role of moderator. That would put him in position to address the political and economic implications of the discovery as well as being sure that the scientists who actually made it get full credit for their work.'

He smiled brightly around the conference table, pleased with his compromise, and New Kiev nodded. Descroix's agreement was a bit more grudging, but it came anyway, and his smile grew broader.

'Excellent!' he said once more. 'In that case, I'll have Clarence contact Admiral Reynaud immediately to arrange it. Now, about those new shipbuilding subsidies you wanted to recommend, Marisa. It seems to me . . .'

* * *

'It's good to see you home again, Honor!' Rear Admiral Alistair McKeon said feelingly as Honor walked into the flag briefing room aboard HMS Werewolf. He and Alice Truman had reached Honor's new flagship before the Paul Tankersley's shuttle made rendezvous with her. Mercedes Brigham had arrived with Honor, and Rafael Cardones and Captain Andrea Jaruwalski had met them in the boat bay and accompanied them to the briefing room.

'Rafe and Alice and I have managed to keep things moving, more or less,' McKeon went on as he reached out to grip her hand firmly. 'But no one at the Admiralty seems to have the least sense of urgency about all of this, and I think we need someone a little more senior to kick ass over there!'

'If it's all the same to you, Alistair,' she said mildly, squeezing his hand back, 'I'd prefer to spend at least—oh, an hour or two, perhaps—getting my bags unpacked before I go over to do battle with Admiral Draskovic and the First Space Lord.'

'Sorry.' He grimaced, then grinned lopsidedly. 'It's just that I've never been at my best dealing with bureaucrats. And to be completely honest, it seems to me that some of them are deliberately dragging their feet this time around.'

'I wouldn't be at all surprised if Alistair's suspicions are justified,' Dame Alice Truman put in, reaching out to shake Honor's hand in turn. Her own smile was genuine but carried a decidedly sour edge. 'I don't know exactly what you did to Draskovic to make her sign off on your staff and command selections, but I suspect we'd be getting considerably more—and prompter—cooperation out of the Admiralty if you'd picked a slate that was in somewhat better odor with the Powers That Be. Starting with your choice for your second in command.'

'Starting with the station commander herself, you mean, Ma'am,' Jaruwalski put in. The dark, hawk-faced captain had come a long way from the defensive, half-defeated woman who'd once been branded with responsibility for the Seaford Nine disaster, and she met Honor's sharp look with a sardonic smile.

'That might not be exactly the most diplomatic possible thing to say, Andrea,' Honor observed, and her new ops officer shrugged.

'One thing I've already learned about trying to work with the new management at the Admiralty, Your Grace—we're never going to get anything done if we count on Admiralty House to do it for us. And with all due respect, Ma'am, you know that as well as we do. So we might as well be open about it here 'in the family,' don't you think?'

'You're probably right,' Honor conceded after a moment, then shrugged and turned back to McKeon. 'We'll have to sit down and discuss exactly where we are now that Mercedes and I are back from Grayson,' she told him. 'And if it looks like there's something we need that I can get the Admiralty to move on, then I'll certainly use whatever size stick it requires. But if it's something we can take care of ourselves, even if we have to go through back channels to do it, then I'd prefer to avoid any more . . . Admiralty interviews that I can.'

'I can understand that,' he agreed. 'And I suppose it wouldn't hurt any for the rest of us to carry as much of the weight as we can instead of consigning you to Admiralty House's tender mercies.'

'I wouldn't put it quite that way myself—even 'here in the family,' ' Honor replied. 'But in general, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to keep me in reserve whenever we can rather than squandering whatever clout I have. Speaking of which,' she continued her interrupted trip to the chair at the head of the briefing room table and sat down, moving Nimitz from her shoulder to her lap, 'where, exactly, are we?'

'About two weeks behind your projected timetable,' Truman responded. Honor looked at her with one raised eyebrow, and the golden-haired rear admiral shrugged. 'Hephaestus turned Werewolf loose ahead of schedule, and Rafe and Scotty have done really well at working up her LAC group. We're at least a week behind on assembling the rest of the carrier force, though, and until we get all of the CLACs and all of the LACs gathered in one place, it's going to be impossible to form any judgments on the LAC groups as a whole. I doubt they'll be fully up to Werewolf's standards, but that would be true of just about anyone they could send us. Scotty's LAC jocks could use as much additional exercise time as we can steal for them, but at least two-thirds of them are veterans, and in my opinion, they're shaping up very nicely. Would you agree, Alistair?'

'It's certainly looks that way to me,' McKeon confirmed.

'I see.' Honor nodded and glanced at Jaruwalski. 'And that other project we discussed, Andrea?'

'That much is on schedule, Your Grace,' Jaruwalski assured her. 'The data is tucked away as per instructions, and Commander Reynolds and I have already had a few thoughts about it. We're not quite ready to share them yet, but I don't think you'll be disappointed.'

'Good.' Honor smiled thinly. It was a strangely hungry smile, but it became broader and warmer as she tasted the puzzlement of her senior subordinates. Well, there would be time enough to enlighten them later. She