“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Alistair, you and Jesus are in charge of accelerating the retraining program as much as possible, because Gaston is right; we do need to get in at least a quickie refresher for everyone. I want to cycle the current batch of trainees out of Krashnark and Bacchante within the next seventy-two hours, and I want the designed training cycle cut to one week.”

“That’s not very long,” McKeon protested.

“No, but it’s all the time we’ve got,” Honor told him flatly. “Increase the percentage of people with recent experience in each cycle. They can help train the people who are completely out of date at the same time they dust off their own skill levels, and, frankly, I’ll settle for half-trained companies to take over the escorts if we manage to capture them in the first place. We can arrange for additional training onboard the ships themselves later, if the Peeps give us the time, but I want them able to at least defend themselves—or run away, if the odds go to crap on us—ASAP.”

“Understood,” McKeon said.

“Good. Harry,” she turned to Benson, “I wish I could leave you aboard Krashnark, but I need you for Control Central, at least for now. We need to start pushing training harder there, as well. We’ve let ourselves slow down once we had four complete watch crews trained, but the control consoles for the orbital weaponry are very similar to the weapons controls aboard the Peeps’ warships. Let’s get as many people trained on them dirtside as we can.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Benson nodded sharply, and Honor turned to Caslet with another of her crooked smiles.

“As for you, Warner, I want you to make yourself available to everybody, everywhere, at every single instant, twenty-six hours a day. I realize we’re talking about State Security and not the People’s Navy, but you still know more about the ships and the procedures involved than any of the rest of us. I’m sure all of us will have specific questions for you in the next few days, and if you think of anything—anything at all—that could be a worthwhile suggestion, don’t hesitate to make it.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He returned her smile, and she felt a deep sense of personal satisfaction as she tasted the change in his emotions. The wounded anguish the “desertion” of his country had wakened at his core had diminished. It hadn’t vanished, and she doubted it ever would, for he was a decent and an honorable man. But he had come to terms with it, accepted it as the price he must pay for doing what he believed to be right, and she could feel him reaching out to the challenge.

Admiral Lady Dame Honor Harrington let her eye sweep around the conference room one last time. Her entire plan was insane, of course… but that was nothing new. And crazy or not, she’d brought them all this far.

Yes, I have, she thought, and I will by God take every single one of them home with me in the end, as well!