“I’m afraid you’re right,” she said. “Mind you, I doubt that anyone who’s had the personal pleasure of tackling a bunch of Graysons would make that particular mistake, but that’s not really the point.”

“No, it isn’t. But it may be that there’s a corollary to it that we ought to be considering.”

“What sort of corollary?” she asked.

“Well, if no one’s going to worry a lot about the size of our fleet, then maybe the solution to your problem in Silesia is to find you some reinforcements from here. Sending off Grayson ships isn’t likely to encourage any sense of adventurism among the Peeps, but their arrival in Silesia might be enough to make Gustav think twice.”

“Wait a minute, Benjamin! Given how shaky things are between Grayson and the Star Kingdom right this minute, just how do you think the Alliance’s domestic opponents are going to react if you start sending your navy off to pull Manticore’s chestnuts out of the fire?”

“Who said anything about the Navy?” Benjamin asked her with a lurking smile.

“You did!”

“No, I mentioned ‘Grayson ships.’ I don’t recall having said a single word about regular naval vessels.”

Honor’s eyes narrowed, then widened in sudden surmise, and he nodded with a chuckle.

“I’m not going to send a naval detachment to serve under a Manticoran admiral on an RMN naval station, Honor. I’m going to send the Protector’s Own on its first major interstellar deployment and training cruise under the direct supervision of its permanent commander, Steadholder Harrington.”

“You’re out of your mind! Even if that sort of legal fiction was going to do you a bit of good when the Opposition gets hold of this in the Keys, think about the possible consequences. If it does come to a shooting situation with the Andies, then you’re going to get Grayson involved in it right alongside the Star Kingdom. And I can tell you that the IAN’s always been a much tougher proposition than the Peep Navy ever was!”

“Do you really think that matters?” The brief flash of amusement had faded from Benjamin’s eyes, and he shook his head wearily. “Baron High Ridge is an idiot, Honor. You and I both know it, just as we both know he’s so obsessed with domestic political maneuvering that he’s almost completely oblivious to the potential interstellar disaster we both think he’s courting. But the Star Kingdom is still our natural ally, and if the worst happens, Manticore’s going to find itself under different management very quickly. If the Star Kingdom goes to war, whether it’s with the Andies or the Havenites, we have no realistic choice but to support it, because without the Star Kingdom, Grayson and every other member of the Manticoran Alliance become the natural targets of any aggressor. Which means that I find myself in the unenviable position of being forced to watch High Ridge’s and Janacek’s backs when they’re too stupid to even realize they need watching!”

“I hadn’t thought of it from just that perspective,” Honor admitted. “But even if you’re right, there’s going to be heavy domestic political fallout from this, and you know it.”