She sat there in her life support chair, looking at Honor and Hamish with a small, gentle smile, and then she waved her right hand in that same shrug-equivalent gesture.

“I’ve given it quite a lot of thought, you know,” she said, “and I’ve come to the conclusion, my dears, that treecats are really most remarkably sane individuals. I suspect that if you spent some time talking with them, or possibly even with each other, you might come to the same conclusion.”

She smiled at them again, and then her life support chair moved silently back from the table.

“You might want to think about that,” she told them as her chair floated towards the door. “But for now, I’m going to bed.”

Glossary

Alpha nodes-

The impeller nodes of a starship which both generate its normal-space impeller wedge and reconfigure to generate Warshawski sails in hyper-space.

Alpha translation-

The translation into or out of the alpha (lowest) bands of hyper-space.

Andermani Empire-

Empire founded by mercenary Gustav Anderman. The Empire lies to the “west” of the Star Kingdom, has an excellent navy, and is the Star Kingdom’s primary competitor for trade and influence in the Silesian Confederacy.

Andies-

Slang term for citizens and (especially) the military personnel and forces of the Andermani Empire.

BB-

Battleship. At one time, the heaviest capital ship but now considered too small to “lie in the wall.” Average tonnage is from 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 tons. Employed by some navies for rear area system security but no longer considered an effective warship type.

BC-

Battlecruiser. The lightest unit considered a “capital ship.” Designed to destroy anything it can catch and to outrun anything that can catch it. Average tonnage is from 500,000–1,200,000 tons.

Beta node-

Secondary generating nodes of a spacecraft’s impeller wedge. They contribute only to the impeller wedge used for normal-space movement. Less powerful and less expensive than alpha nodes.

BLS-

Basic Living Stipend. The welfare payment from the PRH government to its permanent underclass. Essentially, the BLS was a straight exchange of government services for a permanent block vote supporting the Legislaturalists who controlled the government.

DD-

Destroyer. The smallest hyper-capable warship currently being built by most navies. Average tonnage is from 65,000–80,000 tons.

“Down the throat shot”-

An attack launched from directly ahead of an impeller-drive spacecraft in order to fire lengthwise down its impeller wedge. Due to the geometry of the impeller wedge, this is a warship’s most vulnerable single aspect.

DN-

Dreadnought. A class of warship lying midway between battleships and superdreadnoughts. No major navy is currently building this type. Average tonnage is from 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 tons.

CA-

Heavy cruiser (from Cruiser, Armored). Designed for commerce protection and long-endurance system pickets. Designed to stand in for capital ships against moderate level threats. Average tonnage is from 160,000–350,000 tons, although that has begun to creep upward towards traditional battlecruiser tonnage ranges in some navies.

Centrists-

A Manticoran political party typified by pragmatism and moderation on most issues but very tightly focused on the Havenite threat and how to defeat it. The party supported by Honor Harrington.