Then Harrington gave herself tiny shake. A hand reached up to gentle the ’cat, and she nodded courteously to the commissioner.

“I was a bit surprised myself, Commissioner.” Her soprano was cool and uninflected, a deliberate dispassion that set Dame Estelle’s mental antennae on edge. “I understand, however, that his refit requirements had become more urgent than anyone in Manticore realized when my own ship was dispatched here.”

“I’m sure.” Dame Estelle couldn’t quite keep the sour amusement out of her own voice, and Harrington cocked her head slightly. Then she relaxed just a bit, and some of the treecat’s tension eased, as well. So. It hadn’t been so much what Dame Estelle had said as who she’d said it about. Well, anyone who disliked Pavel Young couldn’t be all bad.

“I was also surprised—and pleased—by your willingness to visit my office, Commander,” the commissioner went on. “I’m afraid we haven’t had quite the close cooperation with the Navy I could have hoped for, particularly in the last three years or so.”

Honor sat motionless but nodded mentally as Dame Estelle paused as if to invite a comment. “The last three years” just happened to coincide with Janacek’s assumption of the First Lord’s duties, and the slight, dark-skinned woman on the other side of the desk obviously wanted to discover how Honor herself viewed Basilisk’s importance to the Kingdom. The right of a serving officer to criticize her superiors was limited, but her relationship with Dame Estelle could well prove critical to her own success or failure.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Dame Estelle,” she said, choosing her words with care, “and I hope we can improve the situation. That’s one reason for my visit. It’s a courtesy call, of course, but my original orders to Basilisk assumed that Lord Young would be remaining as senior officer, and I’m afraid my background brief on current conditions here was pretty general. I’d hoped you could enlighten me further and tell me about any specific requirements you may have.”

Dame Estelle inhaled deeply and sat back in her chair in obvious relief—tinged, Honor noted, with more than a trace of surprise. That surprise both gratified and embarrassed her. She couldn’t resist a sense of justification at the commissioner’s reaction to her explanation, yet what she’d asked for was the minimum possible requirement if she was to meet her responsibilities, and the implication that the Navy had failed so signally in its duties as to engender Matsuko’s surprise shamed her.

“I am very pleased to hear you say that, Commander,” Dame Estelle said after a moment. She tilted her chair back and crossed her legs, folding her hands on her raised knee, and her voice was far less cautious. “I’ll be delighted to tell you anything I can, but suppose you begin by telling me what you already know? That way I can fill in the holes without boring you.”

Honor nodded and coaxed Nimitz down into her lap. The tension had flowed out of his wiry body, a clear sign he approved of Matsuko, and he curled in a contented circle and purred as she stroked him.