No Quarter

Cat Faber

No Quarter

Lyrics and melody © 1999 by Catherine Faber
Arrangement © 1999 by Arlene "Callie" Hills
Used by permission of the author

Grayson's lost its champion; to God she has returned,
To stand before the Tester, in the state her rank has earned.
Our Lady needs an honor guard, an escort, and a crew,
And if you're the best available, I guess you'll have to do.

No Quarter, NO QUARTER! You damn well earned your fate.
Give Harrington our compliments; we're sorry you are late.

Ancient legends say the rank a fallen warrior held
Depended on an Honor Guard of foes that one had felled.
And so in tardy tribute to the one we couldn't save,
We'll lay your fiery deaths like crimson flowers on her grave.

We know what Honor's ending was, by all the tapes we viewed.
And now we reach the battle; we are in no gentle mood.
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry--

Chorus

The Steadholder's recruiting, so pray don't surrender, sir.
Dame Harrington surrendered--once--and look what that got her!
We owe a debt of honor we have finally come to pay
And as we look you in the eye, we find one thing to say--

Chorus

Put your arms in order, shine your boots and get them laced
You just might make the muster, but you don't have time to waste,
For if you pass inspection and she deems you fit to serve,
You might yet meet an honor that you bastards don't deserve.

Chorus

This song was inspired by the novel In Enemy Hands by David M. Weber.
Characters and situations from the Honor Harrington series by David M. Weber. Used by permission of the author and Baen Books.