She paused, letting silence linger behind the word, then gave a tiny nod.

“But, Mr. McKeon, I would have been wrong to do that.” He blinked in astonishment, and she smiled faintly. “Oh, there were times I wanted to kick you, or strangle you, or bite your head off in front of the entire wardroom, but then I realized you were trying. I didn’t know what the problem was, and you weren’t doing things my way, but you were trying. I watched you work with Rafe on that probe reprogramming, and you handled him perfectly. I saw you taking time with Panowski, the way you were never too busy to handle anything that came up—as long as I wasn’t involved. And I realized something, Mr. McKeon. Whatever else you may be, you’re no hack. And you’re not a plodder, either.”

She leaned back, her eyes level.

“You screwed up. You did let me down, and the ship, and it could have been a disaster for all of us. But everyone screws up sometimes, Mr. McKeon. It’s not the end of the world.”

McKeon stared at her for a long, still moment, then exhaled a wracking breath and shook his head.

“I can’t—” He paused and cleared his throat. “One of the things I was always afraid of was that if I told you, if you knew how I felt, you’d react exactly like this,” he said huskily. “You wouldn’t chew my ass out, wouldn’t spit in my face. And that… Well, it scared me. It would have been the final proof that you really did deserve the job—and that I didn’t. Do you understand what I mean, Ma’am?”

Honor nodded, and he nodded back.

“Stupid, wasn’t it? I don’t think a kid like Cardones or Tremaine is a worthless fuck-up just because he makes a mistake, admits a problem. But I couldn’t admit that I had one. Not to you.”

“Not stupid, Mr. McKeon. Just very, very human.”

“Maybe,” McKeon whispered, and stared down at his hands again. Honor let the silence linger for a few heartbeats, then cleared her own throat.

“But whatever the past was like, it’s past,” she said more briskly. “Isn’t it, Mr. McKeon?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” The executive officer straightened in his chair and nodded with matching briskness. “Yes, Ma’am, it is.”

“Good.” Honor stood and smiled at him across the table. “Because since it is, Mr. Exec, be warned! The next time I think you’re slacking off, I’m going to kick your ass so hard you’ll make it all the way to Basilisk Control on pure momentum! Is that clear, Mr. McKeon?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He rose from his own chair with a grin. It looked unnatural and out of place on the face which had been a mask for so long, but it also looked completely right, somehow.

“Good,” Honor repeated more softly. She hesitated for just a moment, and then extended her hand across the table. “In that case, Commander McKeon, welcome aboard. It’s good to see you back.”