Raven's Peace: restraint, signaling, and two audiences

A dreadnought closes on Raven without answering warnings, and the tactical officer asks why the battlecruiser must continue to play nice. Wong answers while there is still time because the tactical officer may eventually become an executive officer or captain and face the same decision. The encounter has two audiences beyond the hostile ship. Every action will be examined at home when policy toward the fractured region is debated, while the station's frightened factions need one power they can still trust. Firing first might be tactically convenient but would undermine both messages. He therefore orders the crew to hold course, absorb the first attack if necessary, and then respond decisively enough to remain credible.