penny wrote:How can anyone believe that Honor's support was official??? No, the Queen's support did not have to be written in stone, printed in the faxes. But it would have been nice, as far as Honor was concerned. The Queen DID NOT give Honor official support. She couldn't! Any more than she could shoot the war effort in the foot by avenging her father's death.
If Honor had the Queen's official support she would not have been kicked out of the Star Kingdom. Honor arrived on Grayson an emotional wreck. A mere shell of the woman she was. You call that support? With friends like that who needs enemies. I am sure Honor was dumbfounded. 'What just happened? After all I did for my beloved Star Kingdom?'
As a matter of fact, the failure to officially support Honor almost cost the galaxy the best tactician and strategist the galaxy has ever seen! Honor was through with the navy! Grayson had to beg her back into a uniform!
The question was whether Honor would act against the direct wishes of the Queen and she did not. She did not need the Queen's official support to fight a duel with Pavel Young. At this point the House of Lords still has the power of the purse and so she went to Grayson to recuperate. From
Field of Dishonor:
Epilogue wrote:"Bushwah!" White Haven snorted, and she twitched in fresh surprise and an echo of pain. He saw the hurt in her eyes and reached out quickly. "What?" he asked much more gently, and she gave her head a little toss and inhaled deeply.
"That was what the Admiral—Admiral Courvosier—always said to me when I came up with the wrong answer, Sir," she said softly.
"Really?" White Haven smiled crookedly, and this time he touched her, resting his hand on her good shoulder. "I'm not surprised. It's what he used to say to me, too." His hand tightened gently. "He was a good man, Honor. A good teacher and a better friend, and he always had the eye. He knew the stars when he saw them, and I think—" he looked directly into her eyes "—that he might be prouder of you now than he ever was before."
"Proud, Sir?" This time her voice did break, and she blinked on stinging tears.
"Proud. The reason I was so angry with you, Honor, was that you made me forget the very first principle of command: never give an order you know won't be obeyed. The fact that it was an illegal order only aggravated my anger, and I took it out on you. That's what I came here for—to tell you that . . . and to apologize."
"Apologize?" She stared at him through the spangles of her tears, unable to understand, and he nodded.
"You did the right thing, Honor Harrington," he said softly. "You're catching hell for it now, but it was the only thing you could do and still be you, and what you are is a very fine thing indeed, Captain. Never doubt that. Never let the bastards snapping at your heels convince you otherwise."
"Is this some sort of pep talk now that the damage is done, Sir?" She was shocked by the vicious note in her own voice and raised her hand half-apologetically, but he only shook it off with a toss of his head.
"It is not. You're on half-pay now. Well, you're not unique in that. I've been on half-pay more than once, and never for a reason as good as yours. This war is going to last a long time, Captain. Peep resistance is already stiffening, and they still have the tonnage advantage. We'll cut deeper before they can stop us, but then it's going to be stalemate while each of us looks for a fresh advantage. I think we'll find one in time, but it's going to take time, and, as Raoul once told me on an occasion somewhat like this one, 'This, too, shall pass.' We need you, Captain. I know that, the Admiralty knows it, Her Majesty knows it, and one day the Kingdom will remember it."
Honor's mouth trembled with the need to believe him and the fear of more pain to come if she let herself, and he squeezed her shoulder again.
"Go to Grayson, Honor. Take your medicine. You don't deserve it, but no one ever said life was fair. But don't think this is the end. The scandal will die down eventually, the Navy will know it needs you, and, in time, even the House of Lords will realize it. You'll come home, Lady Harrington, and when you do, there'll be a command deck under your feet again."