Forge A New Blade, by Peter Grant

I want SO bad to do an imitation of the introduction to 'Huckleberry Finn' in this opening. As a matter of fact, if you haven't read 'Tom Sawyer' and 'Huckleberry Finn,' you shouldn't be wasting your time on THIS bit of drivel (and I refer to this review, not the book. The book is not drivel), you should read those. Mark Twain INVENTED American literature, and dang near invented the best of American morality at the same time. Before him, American writers (maybe a few exceptions) wrote in this hoity-toity literature-snob kind of way, because they were ashamed of not being Yurrupean.
Here's the link to Gutenberg for Tom Sawyer, and here's the link to Huckleberry Finn. Go on, if you haven't read them, read them NOW. This will wait. It's not THAT important. But do try to return, because Peter's second book in the Laredo Trilogy is cheery, clever, congenial, darling, gratifying, ineffable, lush, pleasurable, rapturous, ravishing, scrumptious, and yummy, along with other synonyms for delightful found at thesarus.com
Okay, if you are reading THIS, I assume you have either read the two works mentioned above, plus "War To The Knife," or that you are disobedient and contentious, not to mention a time waster. But, I prefer to think the best of my readers. so, here goes.
Meanwhile, on St Helvetica....
Dave Carson, through doing his duty, has become the both the head of Laredo's military forces as well as the head of government. He does not feel prepared for either job ( and he's right) but he has surrounded himself with the best advisors available, and handed off just as much authority as he can. His crew has managed to make contact with the remaining military forces on Laredo, and they are in communication with the imprisoned former leaders, Dave's father, the senior surviving military officer, who was blinded during the attack on the Satrap and Crown Prince, and Gloria Aldred, who was Chairperson of the now-defunct Council of Resistance, and thus former head civilian authority. The resistance, and Dave's father, accept his authority, as legitimately granted under the orders given him before he went off planet and by the transmission of civilian authority by the dying words of the off-planet Vice-President, but Dr. Aldred does not.  Hmmm. Potential for conflict exists. Wonder what will happen with THAT?
Meanwhile, on St Helvetica....
( I just like saying that)
Steve Maxwell, central character and hero of the Maxwell Saga series, meets with Dave and arranges, with the covert agreement of Lancastrian Fleet Intelligence, for Dave to procure ships and crews which will give Laredo the space force they lost in the Bactrian invasion. It seems nobody likes a bully, and in addition, there's one of those situations where if you have multiple problems, they tend to solve themselves.
Like criminals, hired by the Bactrians to assault Laredo personnel. Heh. Heh.
The Satrap of Bactria has his own problems. Here is a clue: if it's called a Satrap, it's got problems. Like 'People's Republic.' Or even worse, Democratic People's Republic.' In this case, the Satrap happens to be a pretty good guy, who has inherited a bunch of ....advisors. Who are nasty. However, he is aware of that, and he ALSO recognizes and rewards competent people. One of those was a certain Lt. Zeba Yazata, a young woman who has served with distinction and saves his life during the attack on the Satrap. He admires her competence so much that he promoted her on the spot, and had her assigned to his guard, and then marries her, which aggravates a LOT of the old fossils in his government, but is a bodaciously good move for him. And THAT, internet friends, is ALL I'm gonna tell you about THAT, or in fact, about anything else.
Meanwhile, on St Helvetica....
(UMM, I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU ANY MORE. READ THE BOOK!)