"I don't know how. Not here. The Navy had its order, its hierarchy. One had to learn to work within that system, not devise an entire one from scratch. And there we had the Admiralty, we had the Articles. Written law, Archie, granting authority. Yes--" he knows the protests "it was abused. God in Heaven knows it was, but it was necessary, too. I have no authority here, Archie. I am at their mercy, whether they obey or not. I can do nothing against them if they do not. I am at their mercy."

He pauses. It's strange to say, but it's true enough. Speaking to just Archie, he can find the words. "And that, my dear friend, is frightening."