Michelle Henke
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral
Lady Gloria Michelle "Mike" Samantha Evelyn Henke, Countess Gold Peak, Vice Admiral of the Red is a fictional character
in the Honorverse
, a series of military science fiction
novels written by David Weber
. She is an officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy and a titled peer of the Manticoran aristocracy.
Mike is Queen Elizabeth III's
first cousin through their mutual grandmother, Queen Samantha II, and therefore a member of a Cadet Branch
of the House of Winton. Mike roomed with Honor Harrington
at Saganami Naval Academy and helped her pass higher-dimensional mathematics. Later, she served as Honor's executive officer
on the battlecruiser Nike. Paul Tankersley
was another of her cousins, albeit on her father's side.
Henke was a Commander
when introduced in The Short Victorious War
. She was promoted to Captain (Junior Grade) in Field of Dishonor
. She was a Captain of the List by Echoes of Honor
. She became Countess Gold Peak at the conclusion of Ashes of Victory
when her father, Earl Gold Peak, and her older brother, Calvin, are killed during the Masadan assassination attempt on Benjamin Mayhew and Queen Elizabeth. At the beginning of At All Costs
she is a Rear Admiral
assigned to Eighth Fleet as Commander, Battlecruiser Squadron 81. Her flagship, HMS Ajax, was severely damaged at the Battle of Solon and could not escape to hyper with the rest of the fleet. She was captured and later released as President Pritchart's messenger to Queen Elizabeth.
As a condition of her parole, she could no longer serve with units engaging or supporting actions against the Republic of Haven, i.e. Eighth Fleet. Prior to the Battle of Solon, Henke had been selected for promotion to vice admiral. The promotion was put on hold when she was presumed lost at Solon and eventually listed as a POW. Upon her return to Manticore, the promotion was reinstated. She was subsequently assigned to the Talbott Quadrant where she initially commanded the 106th Battlecrusier Squadron and as Commander, 10th Fleet-Designate. 10th Fleet was officially activated with the arrival of Commodore Aivars Terekov's squadron and accompanying destroyer flotillas. Her current fleet flagship is the HMS Achilles.
Mike has held two hypercapable commands the HMS Agni (a light cruiser) and HMS Edward Saganami (a heavy cruiser) in various books. She is the main character of the book Storm from the Shadows
, the sequel to The Shadow of Saganami
, which was published in March 2009. In the book she is assigned a command in the newly annexed Talbott Quadrant, due to the parole she gave to not command forces against the Republic of Haven
. She opposes the efforts of Mesa to undermine the Star Kingdom of Manticore
's position in the cluster. Also, in the same book, she wins the Second battle of New Tuscany, against a Solarian League
battlecruiser squadron commanded by Admiral Josef Byng - with no losses to her force, and the destruction of Admiral Byng's flagship as the only Solarian casualty. This leads, in the book Mission of Honor
, to an even more impressive victory in the Battle of Spindle, in which she deploys a supply of 'Apollo' missile pods to force the surrender of a task force of over seventy Solarian superdreadnoughts commanded by Admiral Sandra Crandall - to a 10th Fleet which still had no larger ships in its order of battle than her original battlecruiser squadron. Crandall's refusal to surrender resulted in the destruction nearly a third of the Solarian force, again, with no Manticoran losses.
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Lady Gloria Michelle "Mike" Samantha Evelyn Henke, Countess Gold Peak, Vice Admiral of the Red is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Honorverse
Honorverse
The Honorverse refers to the military science fiction book series and sub-series created by David Weber and published by Baen Books. The series is set primarily after Honor Harrington's October 1, 3961, birth; although she is the protagonist in most of the stories, more recent entries make only...
, a series of military science fiction
Military science fiction
Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth...
novels written by David Weber
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
. She is an officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy and a titled peer of the Manticoran aristocracy.
Mike is Queen Elizabeth III's
Elizabeth III of Manticore
Queen Elizabeth III of Manticore is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber. She is the reigning monarch of the Star Kingdom of Manticore...
first cousin through their mutual grandmother, Queen Samantha II, and therefore a member of a Cadet Branch
Cadet branch
Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have...
of the House of Winton. Mike roomed with Honor Harrington
Honor Harrington
Honor Stephanie Alexander-Harrington is a fictional character, the heroine of a series of military science fiction books set in the "Honorverse", written by David Weber and published by Baen Books....
at Saganami Naval Academy and helped her pass higher-dimensional mathematics. Later, she served as Honor's executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
on the battlecruiser Nike. Paul Tankersley
Paul Tankersley
Paul Tankersley is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber.He was a cousin of Michelle Henke, though not on the side related to the royal family. His family was quite wealthy...
was another of her cousins, albeit on her father's side.
Henke was a Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
when introduced in The Short Victorious War
The Short Victorious War
The Short Victorious War is the third Honor Harrington novel by David Weber. Its title comes from a quotation by Vyacheslav von Plehve in reference to the Russo-Japanese War: "What this country needs is a short, victorious war to stem the tide of revolution." That quotation is one of the novel's...
. She was promoted to Captain (Junior Grade) in Field of Dishonor
Field of Dishonor
Field of Dishonor is a science fiction novel, the fourth in David Weber's Honor Harrington series. It is notable for being the only book in the series to not feature space warfare.- Plot summary :...
. She was a Captain of the List by Echoes of Honor
Echoes of Honor
Echoes of Honor is the eighth Honor Harrington novel by David Weber.The novel is divided into six "books". Books 1, 3 and 5 describe the unfolding course of the Manticore-Haven war, while Books 2, 4 and 6 focus on the exploits of Honor and her allies in the prison planet Hades, also known as...
. She became Countess Gold Peak at the conclusion of Ashes of Victory
Ashes of Victory
-Plot summary:The book begins hours after the end of the previous novel. Honor Harrington and her "Elysian Space Navy" arrive at Manticoran-controlled space, only to discover that she was believed dead, that her mother had given birth to twins , her cousin Devon has inherited her Manticoran title,...
when her father, Earl Gold Peak, and her older brother, Calvin, are killed during the Masadan assassination attempt on Benjamin Mayhew and Queen Elizabeth. At the beginning of At All Costs
At All Costs
-Plot summary:Due to the actions of the High Ridge government in War of Honor, which led to a successful attack on key Alliance shipyards by the Republic of Haven, the Star Kingdom of Manticore finds itself decidedly on the short end of the strategic balance between the two warring star nations...
she is a Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
assigned to Eighth Fleet as Commander, Battlecruiser Squadron 81. Her flagship, HMS Ajax, was severely damaged at the Battle of Solon and could not escape to hyper with the rest of the fleet. She was captured and later released as President Pritchart's messenger to Queen Elizabeth.
As a condition of her parole, she could no longer serve with units engaging or supporting actions against the Republic of Haven, i.e. Eighth Fleet. Prior to the Battle of Solon, Henke had been selected for promotion to vice admiral. The promotion was put on hold when she was presumed lost at Solon and eventually listed as a POW. Upon her return to Manticore, the promotion was reinstated. She was subsequently assigned to the Talbott Quadrant where she initially commanded the 106th Battlecrusier Squadron and as Commander, 10th Fleet-Designate. 10th Fleet was officially activated with the arrival of Commodore Aivars Terekov's squadron and accompanying destroyer flotillas. Her current fleet flagship is the HMS Achilles.
Mike has held two hypercapable commands the HMS Agni (a light cruiser) and HMS Edward Saganami (a heavy cruiser) in various books. She is the main character of the book Storm from the Shadows
Storm from the Shadows
Storm from the Shadows is a novel by David Weber, released in February 2009 , and set in the Honorverse and the second in the Saganami Island series, spun off from the main Honor Harrington series...
, the sequel to The Shadow of Saganami
The Shadow of Saganami
The Shadow of Saganami by David Weber, published in 2004, is a novel set in the Honorverse; it has been billed as the first in the Saganami Island series, spun off from the main Honor Harrington series...
, which was published in March 2009. In the book she is assigned a command in the newly annexed Talbott Quadrant, due to the parole she gave to not command forces against the Republic of Haven
Republic of Haven
The Republic of Haven is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse, the background setting for a series of novels and short stories in the military science fiction genre, written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books....
. She opposes the efforts of Mesa to undermine the Star Kingdom of Manticore
Star Kingdom of Manticore
The Star Kingdom of Manticore , frequently referred to as Manticore or the Star Kingdom, is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse series of military science fiction novels and short stories by David Weber and others, published by Baen Books.- Depiction :The Star Kingdom was founded in the...
's position in the cluster. Also, in the same book, she wins the Second battle of New Tuscany, against a Solarian League
Solarian League
The Solarian League is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse, the background setting for a series of novels and short stories in the military science fiction genre, written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books.- Overview :...
battlecruiser squadron commanded by Admiral Josef Byng - with no losses to her force, and the destruction of Admiral Byng's flagship as the only Solarian casualty. This leads, in the book Mission of Honor
Mission of Honor
Mission of Honor by David Weber and published on June 22, 2010 by Baen Books, is the twelfth novel set in the Honorverse in the main Honor Harrington series. It debuted at #13 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Seller List.-Cover summary:...
, to an even more impressive victory in the Battle of Spindle, in which she deploys a supply of 'Apollo' missile pods to force the surrender of a task force of over seventy Solarian superdreadnoughts commanded by Admiral Sandra Crandall - to a 10th Fleet which still had no larger ships in its order of battle than her original battlecruiser squadron. Crandall's refusal to surrender resulted in the destruction nearly a third of the Solarian force, again, with no Manticoran losses.