“I couldn’t agree more,” Honor replied with lethal affability, savoring the other woman’s internal apoplexy, and Draskovic managed a rictus-like almost-smile.

“Good. It’s possible that I was just a bit hasty in my judgment of the availability of some of the officers you’ve requested, Your Grace,” she said. “I believe that it might not be inappropriate for me to reexamine my decision in those cases.”

“I would be most grateful,” Honor said. “However, I would have to insist—respectfully, of course—that the availability of all of the officers in question be… reexamined. It would be most unfortunate if the nonavailability of any of them made it impossible for me to accept the honor of the Sidemore command.”

Her voice was calm, almost tranquil, but her eyes were like brown flint, backed by battle steel, and she felt something wilt inside Draskovic.

“It’s Admiralty policy to be as forthcoming as possible in meeting the personnel requests of station commanders, Your Grace,” she said after only the briefest pause. “I assure you that I will give your requests my complete and serious attention.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that very much, Admiral,” Lady Dame Honor Harrington said softly.

Chapter Sixteen

“I DON’T know what you did, Ma’am, but it certainly had some horsepower.”

Captain (senior grade) Rafael Cardones smiled cheerfully and tipped back his chair while he nursed the stein of beer James MacGuiness had bestowed upon him. They sat in Honor’s home office, and the sliding crystoplast wall of the bay window was open, turning it into a balcony onto the cool spring night. Night birds, both Manticoran and Old Earth imports, sang in the darkness, brilliant stars glittered above Jason Bay, and one of Manticore’s moons poured silver light like syrup over the mansion’s manicured grounds while the red, white, and green jewels of air car running lights drifted above the glassy smooth water.

“The last I’d heard,” Cardones went on, “Werewolf was slated for a routine—and very boring—deployment to Trevor’s Star. And then—”

He shrugged and waved his Old Tillman enthusiastically, and Honor used her stein to hide a smile as she sipped her own beer. She remembered rather clearly an inexperienced, overly anxious, bumbling, but extremely talented junior-grade lieutenant who’d suddenly found himself acting tactical officer aboard the elderly light cruiser Fearless. There was very little of that young man’s anxiety or lack of confidence in the relaxed, handsome, competent-looking captain sitting across her coffee table from her, but the bright-eyed eagerness she also remembered was still very much in evidence.

“BuPers works in mysterious ways, Rafe,” she said, after a moment, her expression serene. “I simply explained to Admiral Draskovic how badly I needed you, and she took it from there.”

He cocked his head at her, his expression quizzical, and she tasted his amused disbelief. Apparently, he’d had the misfortune to meet Josette Draskovic, and he obviously suspected just how… congenial the Fifth Space Lord and Honor must have found one another’s personalities. He started to say something, then visibly changed his mind and said something else entirely.