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men who stood with her. Alistair McKeon looked very different and yet utterly
right, somehow, with the three gold cuff bands of a. full commander and the white
beret of a. starship's captain, and the destroyer Troubadour lay waiting for him,
already under orders for the new, heavily reinforced Basilisk Station picket. Not a
single over-aged light cruiser, but a task force, covering the terminus while
construction of its own network of forts got under way. She smiled at him, and he
smiled back. Then she turned her gaze to the other two officers standing with her.
Lieutenant Commander Andreas Venizelos looked as dapper and darkly
handsome as ever beside a Lieutenant (Senior Grade) Rafael Cardones, who no
longer seemed quite so young. They wouldn't be leaving with McKeon. They had a
new assignment to a new ship, just as Honor did. It would be another few months
before she exchanged her black beret for a white one once more, but when she did,
Venizelos would be with her as her executive officer, with Cardones at Tactical.
Honor had insisted on that, despite Cardones's lack of seniority, and no one at
BuPers had dared argue with her. "Well, Alistair," she held out her hand, "I'll miss
you. But Troubadour is lucky to have you—and the Fleet will need an old
Basilisk hand to keep them straight. Make sure Admiral Stag stays on his toes." "I
will, Ma'am." McKeon's smile became a grin, and he squeezed her hand, then
frowned quickly as his wrist com beeped. "That's my boarding shuttle, Ma'am. I've
got to run." "I know. Good luck, Captain McKeon." "The same to you, Captain
Harrington." McKeon stepped back, saluted sharply, and vanished down the
passage, and Honor smiled after him. Then she turned back to Venizelos. "Did you
get that crew list glitch straightened out, Andreas?" "Yes, Skipper. You were
right— it was a snafu at Bupers. They promised to have it corrected by tomorrow
morning." "Good." She cocked her head in thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "I
supposes you'd better get back to the slip, then. These yard dogs need a real officer
keeping an eye on them." "Yes, Ma'am." Venezelos grinned and beckoned to