...and am I the only one that really, really wants someone--anyone!--to to wipe that smug facade of false moral superiority off Daala's face by reminding her that she used to be in charge of the Sun Crusher project? Sun Crusher. It did exactly what it said on the tin, only with more supernova. You want to charge someone with "reckless endangerment of a population"? Who was it who built a genocidal superweapon and then let a teenager steal it and use it to kill millions? Can someone please explain to me how Daala is the Chief of State, rather than facing a war crimes tribunal? We're talking about somebody who was not only evil, but so incompetent at it that other writers had to retcon in brain damage to explain it. To put both of those things in perspective: the only battle where she didn't lose and get at least one of her ships wreaked in the process was the one where she slaughtered some unarmed colonists.

Can we get at least one snarky remark on the subject? Pretty please?

Other than that, a decent book. I think I've figured out what they're up to with the overarching plot of the series, and it's moderately interesting.

....Of course, it's no Aaron Allston. :-)