“What do you think they’ll do after they break off negotiations—assuming, of course, that that’s what they actually intend to do?” New Kiev asked.

“If they break off negotiations for a peace treaty, Marisa,” Descroix replied with an edge of exasperation, “they really only have one choice, don’t they?”

“You think they’d actually resume operations,” New Kiev said, sufficiently focused in her anxiety that she failed to take umbrage at the Foreign Secretary’s tone.

“I think that’s the only alternative to talking to us they really have,” Descroix responded in an unwontedly serious tone, forgetting, however briefly, her antipathy for the Chancellor of the Exchequer in light of her own worries.

“But you’ve assured us that they don’t have the technical capability to fight us, Edward,” New Kiev said, turning to Janacek.

“What I’ve said,” the First Lord said, cursing mentally as the countess put her finger on what, whether he’d cared to admit it or not, had always been the most problematical aspect of ONI’s estimates of the Havenite navy’s capabilities, “was that all available intelligence data suggested to us that their technology remains significantly inferior to our own. In fact, that’s what our latest information still indicates. Unfortunately, the fact that we believe that to be true—or even the fact that it actually is true—doesn’t necessarily mean Theisman and his advisers agree with us. It could be that they’re overestimating their own capabilities, or underestimating ours. In either of those cases, they may be advising their civilian authorities that they do have the capacity to successfully resume operations against us.”

“And if they do?” New Kiev pressed.

“If they do,” Janacek admitted unwillingly, “they’ll hurt us. Mind you, Admiral Chakrabarti and ONI remain confident that we would defeat them in the end, whatever they may believe they might accomplish. But defeating them won’t be as easy as it was during Operation Buttercup, and the casualties and ship losses will almost certainly be significantly higher.”

“That’s terrible,” New Kiev said softly. Which, Janacek reflected, was probably one of the most superfluous things even she’d ever said.

“It certainly is,” Descroix said. “If they’re stupid enough to do something that suicidal, public opinion here at home will never understand that it’s not our fault they chose to commit suicide. All the public will see it is that the war has started all over again. The Centrists and Crown Loyalists will eat it up with a spoon!”

“I hardly think public opinion should be our greatest concern just now, Elaine!” New Kiev half-snapped. “From what Edward’s just said, we can anticipate heavy casualties—thousands of them!”

“I’m scarcely overlooking that aspect of it, Marisa,” Descroix shot back. “But if Pritchart and her advisers choose to attack us, the blood of every one of those casualties will be on her hands, not ours! In the end, I’m sure history will bear out that verdict. But in the meantime, we have to be concerned with our ability to continue to govern effectively in the face of such a crisis.”