New Kiev hovered on the brink of hot disagreement, but then she looked around at the others’ expressions and hesitated. And in that moment of hesitation, her urge towards rebellion perished. It was obvious that she couldn’t bring herself to agree, but neither was she willing to disagree. Not, at least, while the question remained hypothetical.

“Very well, then,” the Prime Minister said briskly as the Chancellor of the Exchequer sank unhappily back in her chair. “Edward and Reginald will begin work immediately to project the necessary budgetary adjustments to respond to the Republic’s new ships. Edward, I’ll want to see both minimum and maximum projections. How quickly can you have them for us?”

“I can probably have rough numbers for you by tomorrow evening,” Janacek replied. “Until we manage to confirm or disprove the accuracy of Theisman’s claims, ‘rough’ is all they’ll be, though,” he cautioned.

“Understood.” High Ridge rubbed his hands together, frowning in thought, then nodded. “All right. While Edward works on that, the rest of us need to concentrate on the spadework to prepare public opinion. We have at most another twelve to eighteen hours before this hits the ’faxes. Between now and then, we have to convene a meeting of the entire Cabinet and prepare an official response to the news. Something that combines the proper balance of gravity and confidence. Elaine, I think you should prepare a separate statement as Foreign Secretary. Marisa, I’d like you to work with Clarence on a more general statement for the Government as a whole.”

He watched New Kiev with carefully concealed intensity as he made the request. She seemed to hesitate for just a moment, but then she nodded, and he relaxed internally. She would be far less likely to break ranks with the rest of the Government’s position later if she bore formal responsibility for the statement which had announced it in the first place.

“In that case,” he said calmly, “I would suggest that we adjourn and get started.”

Chapter Thirty-One

“HOW well did we time it, My Lady?” Admiral Alfredo Yu asked. He and Rafe Cardones had arrived in Honor’s day cabin together, and now the slender, one-time Peep grinned broadly at his hostess while James MacGuiness began distributing potable refreshments. “I tried not to interrupt your breakfast.”

“Mercedes and I were just finishing dessert, actually,” Honor told him with an answering smile. She glanced at Brigham, almond eyes twinkling wickedly, and Nimitz groomed his whiskers cheerfully at the other woman from her shoulder.

“And did our arrival come as a pleasant surprise?” Yu asked as he also turned to the chief of staff… who’d commanded a division of SD(P)s in the Protector’s Own before accepting her position on Honor’s staff.

“After we got over the collective heart failure you and Her Grace managed to inflict on all of us,” Brigham replied wryly, and shook her head. “I can’t believe that neither of you even told me this was coming!”

“Well, it wouldn’t exactly have been fair to tell you if I didn’t tell anyone else on the staff, now would it?” Honor asked, and chuckled at the very old-fashioned look Brigham bestowed upon her.