“If I’m right, then they’ll probably want to give anybody who might decide to become neutral—and let’s face it, Hamish; quite a few members of the Alliance would have to find that tempting after the way High Ridge has treated us all—the chance to do just that. Besides, however much Theisman may have accomplished in building up the Navy, he doesn’t have an infinite supply of hulls. If Honor is correct and he’s already diverted a sizable force to Silesia, that’s going to restrict the numbers available to him here even more. We’ve just agreed that Trevor’s Star has to be their primary objective. I don’t think Thomas Theisman is likely to risk an attack on Grayson until and unless he believes he can launch it in overwhelming force.”

“And if he doesn’t know we’ve diverted forces to reinforce Trevor’s Star, then he won’t believe he can,” Matthews said slowly.

“That’s what I’m thinking,” Benjamin agreed.

“But if High Ridge won’t ask for help in the first place, what makes you think he’ll accept it if you offer it?” White Haven asked.

“Who says I’m going to ‘offer’ anything?” Benjamin countered, and snorted when White Haven looked at him. “First of all, there’s no time to waste pussyfooting around while High Ridge and Janacek figure out which is their ass and which is their elbow. Secondly, if I made any sort of formal offer to send even more of our Navy off to pull Manticore’s chestnuts out of the fire at this point, even the Conclave of Steaders would pitch a fit. You don’t even want to think about how the Keys would respond!

“No. If I commit forces to Trevor’s Star at all, I’m not going to ask anyone if I can send them. I’m just going to send them.”

White Haven blinked as Benjamin’s statement drove home to him once again the difference between the personal authority the Protector wielded and that which the Constitution allowed to Elizabeth.

“But how could we get them there?” Matthews sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin. “It’s going to take us at least a few days—probably a week, minimum—to organize and plan the kind of movement it sounds like we’re talking about. And it’s over a hundred and fifty light-years from Grayson to Trevor’s Star. That’s over three weeks’ voyage time. Do we have an entire month to get into position?”

“I don’t know,” White Haven replied, “but I don’t think we can assume we do. Not if they’ve already deployed forces to Silesia.”

“In that case, we won’t assume it,” Benjamin said. “And we won’t spend three weeks getting there, either. We’ll use the Junction.”

“The Junction?” White Haven looked at the Protector. “How are you going to do that, Your Grace? If Janacek and High Ridge won’t request your assistance, what makes you think they’ll let you go sailing through the Junction in front of God and everybody? At the very least they’d be deeply humiliated, and if they’ve convinced themselves that strengthening Trevor’s Star with Manticoran units would be ‘provocative,’ they certainly won’t want you reinforcing it with Graysons!”