Siobhan Dunmoore is assigned as Chief of Naval Operations at headquarters in Geneva by her old friend Kathryn Kowalski, who is now Grand Admiral. They have set themselves the challenge of setting up the armed forces as a fourth branch of government and moving headquarters to the world of Caledonia. Meanwhile, scheming politician and avowed centralist Sarah Lauzier has become Secretary General. Dunmoore, Kowalski, and their allies feel that continued centralisation of power will lead to unrest among the outer worlds, and eventually plunge humanity into a devastating war.
The concept of separating the armed forces from direct political meddling is interesting, but it also raises many ethical questions, the most important one being the matter of oversight. There is also the fact that the armed forces are taking matters in their own hands, which as stated in the book is unconstitutional. In essence, they are rebelling against the government. The ends seem to justify the means here, as not seeking independence would likely lead to hundreds of millions of deaths and a possible slide into barbarism. The author clearly takes the side of the military but does not really explore the opposing arguments, simply casting the Centralists as meddling and deeply corrupt bureaucrats. A deeper discussion than “our heroes are on the side of good” would have benefited the narrative. That being said, this is a competent political thriller, though the last section felt somewhat unnecessary and only seemed added to bring some extra action to the story. This ninth instalment neatly concludes the Siobhan Dunmoore saga.
