The Honor of the Queen
Encyclopedia
The Honor of the Queen is David Weber
's second Honor Harrington
novel. In the story, Honor goes on a mission to bring the religiously conservative
, sexist world Grayson onto the Manticorans' side in preparation for the inevitable war with Haven
.
, Captain Honor Harrington returns to the Star Kingdom after a long anti-piracy campaign in the Silesian Confederacy
. While her ship, the heavy cruiser HMS Fearless, has her first refit, new orders arrive. Fearless is to lead a small Manticoran squadron supporting a diplomatic mission to the planet Grayson. The diplomatic mission is to be led by Admiral Raoul Courvosier, Honor's mentor and personal friend. With the long-awaited war with Haven looming close, Manticore is working to form an Alliance with many small nations. Grayson is critical to this effort, as it would close a flank of advance for a possible Havenite invasion fleet. Adding to the pressure, Haven is negotiating its own alliance with Masada, Grayson's historical rival.
The Manticoran ships arrive at Yeltsin's Star, the system where Grayson is located, and are greeted by the small Grayson Navy. However, the welcome is soured by sexism in the Graysons, for whom the notion of a woman in uniform is intolerable. After the Graysons and the Manticorans rub each other the wrong way despite the best of intentions, Honor leaves the system to escort a convoy of freighters, even though Courvosier tries to convince her not to do so.
After Honor leaves with three of the four Manticoran warships sent to Grayson, Admiral Courvosier meets with Admiral Bernard Yanakov (the commander of the Grayson Navy), and the officers begin to work their way through their cultural differences. We get an explanation for the Grayson rivalry with Masada: Long ago, an extremist faction called "the Faithful" left Grayson (founded by religious Luddite
s) after a civil war and settled on Masada. For centuries, the worlds threatened each other with nuclear weapons, with Masada vowing to reclaim Grayson from the hands of the "Apostate". If Grayson is considered to be religiously conservative, Masada is nothing short of a fundamentalist theocracy.
Everything is cut short when a Masadan fleet approaches Grayson and begins attacking space stations throughout the system. Admiral Courvosier accepts Yanakov's offer to join his fleet in chasing the Masadans. However, Masada's fleet (already numerically superior) has two powerful warships "bought" from Haven, and they make quick work of Grayson's outdated fleet and the Manticoran destroyer Madrigal. Both Courvosier and Yanakov die during the battle.
Honor's ships return to Grayson and are attacked by Masadan light attack craft, which merely damage one of her ships. After entering Grayson's orbit, they are apprised of the critical situation following the battle and the death of Admiral Courvosier. Honor strong-arms the Grayson government to allow her to take a leading role in the defense of Grayson. The attitude against women in uniform is shattered in most Graysons when Honor saves Protector Benjamin Mayhew IX, the Grayson leader, and his family from an attempted assassination by traitors loyal to Masada.
Coercing and perhaps torturing information from the surviving traitors, the Graysons and Manticorans find that Masada has built an advanced base within Grayson's star system. Leading her ships and the remnants of the Grayson fleet, Honor battles a group of Masadan warships (including a Havenite destroyer masquerading as a Masadan ship) and devastates the Masadan fleet. A captured Havenite officer tells Honor that there are survivors from Madrigal at the base, and that the Masadans are torturing and raping them. An assault by Fearless Marines follows, and the Masadan base is captured. The Manticoran survivors are found, and Honor nearly shoots the Masadan commander after finding out the brutal treatment inflicted upon the Manticorans.
On Masada, the Havenite "advisors" see that Masada's bid to conquer Grayson is doomed and try to pull out. However, the Masadans find out and seize control of Thunder of God, the Havenite battlecruiser they "bought". Armed with this ship, far more powerful than any of Honor's, the Masadan fanatics launch their final attack on Grayson.
With little choice, Honor dispatches the light cruiser Apollo to Manticore for reinforcements and prepares her last two ships, Fearless and Troubadour to fight the Masadans. The Manticorans' superior tactical skills allow them to inflict damage on Thunder of God, but their enemies' firepower seriously damages Fearless and destroys Troubadour. Manticoran reinforcements enter the system, confusing the Masadan captain and allowing Honor to terminate the enemy ship.
With Grayson secured, a joint Manticore-Grayson fleet attacks Masada and occupies the planet, finding the Havenite survivors, (most of which defect to the Star Kingdom). Honor recovers from the wounds sustained during the many battles and the attack on the Mayhew family. Protector Benjamin decorates her with the Star of Grayson and appoints her as Steadholder (governor) of a new district of Grayson. The idea is to speed up Benjamin's planned social reforms on Grayson. The novel ends with the Manticoran government creating Honor Harrington a Countess.
The People's Republic of Haven is trying to counter the Manticoran Alliance by aiding the Masadans and throwing a potential alliance between Manticore and Grayson off-balance. The Havenites know that Masada is not a reliable ally, but they accept it for the moment. Unlike Manticore, they keep very well hidden to the Masadans that they treat their women as equals.
The Protectorate of Grayson is desperate for foreign aid to sustain its growing industrial base and technological development, as well as to end their conflict with Masada, a conflict on which diplomacy is impossible. Manticore is more reliable for the Grayson leaders (who also want to modernize their society) than the voracious People's Republic.
Masada has just one goal: to conquer Grayson and restore the "true Faith" to their original world. In the eyes of the Masadan leadership, an alliance with Haven is nothing more than a provisional deal with a bunch of "infidels", a deal from which both sides may get benefits, but nothing more than that.
HMS Apollo
HMS Troubadour
HMS Madrigal
Executive Officer of HMS Madrigal. Also survived after the destruction of her ship. Suffered torture and rape at the hands of her Masadan captors before being rescued by Fearless Marines.
Diplomatic mission to Grayson
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"....
's second 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....
novel. In the story, Honor goes on a mission to bring the religiously conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
, sexist world Grayson onto the Manticorans' side in preparation for the inevitable war with 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....
.
Plot summary
Three years after the events in On Basilisk StationOn Basilisk Station
The first novel in David Weber's popular Honor Harrington series, On Basilisk Station, follows Commander Honor Harrington and Her Majesty’s light cruiser Fearless during their assignment to the Basilisk system...
, Captain Honor Harrington returns to the Star Kingdom after a long anti-piracy campaign in the Silesian Confederacy
Silesian Confederacy
The Silesian Confederacy 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.- History :...
. While her ship, the heavy cruiser HMS Fearless, has her first refit, new orders arrive. Fearless is to lead a small Manticoran squadron supporting a diplomatic mission to the planet Grayson. The diplomatic mission is to be led by Admiral Raoul Courvosier, Honor's mentor and personal friend. With the long-awaited war with Haven looming close, Manticore is working to form an Alliance with many small nations. Grayson is critical to this effort, as it would close a flank of advance for a possible Havenite invasion fleet. Adding to the pressure, Haven is negotiating its own alliance with Masada, Grayson's historical rival.
The Manticoran ships arrive at Yeltsin's Star, the system where Grayson is located, and are greeted by the small Grayson Navy. However, the welcome is soured by sexism in the Graysons, for whom the notion of a woman in uniform is intolerable. After the Graysons and the Manticorans rub each other the wrong way despite the best of intentions, Honor leaves the system to escort a convoy of freighters, even though Courvosier tries to convince her not to do so.
After Honor leaves with three of the four Manticoran warships sent to Grayson, Admiral Courvosier meets with Admiral Bernard Yanakov (the commander of the Grayson Navy), and the officers begin to work their way through their cultural differences. We get an explanation for the Grayson rivalry with Masada: Long ago, an extremist faction called "the Faithful" left Grayson (founded by religious Luddite
Luddite
The Luddites were a social movement of 19th-century English textile artisans who protested – often by destroying mechanised looms – against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt were leaving them without work and changing their way of life...
s) after a civil war and settled on Masada. For centuries, the worlds threatened each other with nuclear weapons, with Masada vowing to reclaim Grayson from the hands of the "Apostate". If Grayson is considered to be religiously conservative, Masada is nothing short of a fundamentalist theocracy.
Everything is cut short when a Masadan fleet approaches Grayson and begins attacking space stations throughout the system. Admiral Courvosier accepts Yanakov's offer to join his fleet in chasing the Masadans. However, Masada's fleet (already numerically superior) has two powerful warships "bought" from Haven, and they make quick work of Grayson's outdated fleet and the Manticoran destroyer Madrigal. Both Courvosier and Yanakov die during the battle.
Honor's ships return to Grayson and are attacked by Masadan light attack craft, which merely damage one of her ships. After entering Grayson's orbit, they are apprised of the critical situation following the battle and the death of Admiral Courvosier. Honor strong-arms the Grayson government to allow her to take a leading role in the defense of Grayson. The attitude against women in uniform is shattered in most Graysons when Honor saves Protector Benjamin Mayhew IX, the Grayson leader, and his family from an attempted assassination by traitors loyal to Masada.
Coercing and perhaps torturing information from the surviving traitors, the Graysons and Manticorans find that Masada has built an advanced base within Grayson's star system. Leading her ships and the remnants of the Grayson fleet, Honor battles a group of Masadan warships (including a Havenite destroyer masquerading as a Masadan ship) and devastates the Masadan fleet. A captured Havenite officer tells Honor that there are survivors from Madrigal at the base, and that the Masadans are torturing and raping them. An assault by Fearless Marines follows, and the Masadan base is captured. The Manticoran survivors are found, and Honor nearly shoots the Masadan commander after finding out the brutal treatment inflicted upon the Manticorans.
On Masada, the Havenite "advisors" see that Masada's bid to conquer Grayson is doomed and try to pull out. However, the Masadans find out and seize control of Thunder of God, the Havenite battlecruiser they "bought". Armed with this ship, far more powerful than any of Honor's, the Masadan fanatics launch their final attack on Grayson.
With little choice, Honor dispatches the light cruiser Apollo to Manticore for reinforcements and prepares her last two ships, Fearless and Troubadour to fight the Masadans. The Manticorans' superior tactical skills allow them to inflict damage on Thunder of God, but their enemies' firepower seriously damages Fearless and destroys Troubadour. Manticoran reinforcements enter the system, confusing the Masadan captain and allowing Honor to terminate the enemy ship.
With Grayson secured, a joint Manticore-Grayson fleet attacks Masada and occupies the planet, finding the Havenite survivors, (most of which defect to the Star Kingdom). Honor recovers from the wounds sustained during the many battles and the attack on the Mayhew family. Protector Benjamin decorates her with the Star of Grayson and appoints her as Steadholder (governor) of a new district of Grayson. The idea is to speed up Benjamin's planned social reforms on Grayson. The novel ends with the Manticoran government creating Honor Harrington a Countess.
The players
The Star Kingdom of Manticore is making frantic diplomatic efforts to form an alliance to counter Havenite expansionism. Investment, military and technological aid are used as enticement to convince the smaller, less developed nations of the quadrant to join the Alliance. Even though sending Honor Harrington to a sexist world such as Grayson seems to be a mistake, the purpose is to show the Graysons exactly what the status of women is in their society, rather than hiding it. Grayson is strategic because it represents a possible flank of advance towards Manticore for an attacking Havenite fleet.The People's Republic of Haven is trying to counter the Manticoran Alliance by aiding the Masadans and throwing a potential alliance between Manticore and Grayson off-balance. The Havenites know that Masada is not a reliable ally, but they accept it for the moment. Unlike Manticore, they keep very well hidden to the Masadans that they treat their women as equals.
The Protectorate of Grayson is desperate for foreign aid to sustain its growing industrial base and technological development, as well as to end their conflict with Masada, a conflict on which diplomacy is impossible. Manticore is more reliable for the Grayson leaders (who also want to modernize their society) than the voracious People's Republic.
Masada has just one goal: to conquer Grayson and restore the "true Faith" to their original world. In the eyes of the Masadan leadership, an alliance with Haven is nothing more than a provisional deal with a bunch of "infidels", a deal from which both sides may get benefits, but nothing more than that.
Manticorans
HMS Fearless- Honor Harrington - Captain of the List, Royal Manticoran Navy
- The commanding officer of Fearless and virtual commander of the small Manticoran squadron sent to Grayson. She takes over and organizes the defense of Grayson following the first devastating engagement between Grayson and Masada.
- Nimitz
- Honor Harrington's treecat. During the novel, Nimitz and Honor develop an empathic link between the two of them, allowing Honor to sense the emotions of others.
- Andreas Venizelos - Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy
- Fearless executive officer.
- Rafael Cardones - Lieutenant Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy
- Tactical officer on board Fearless.
- Carolyn Wolcott - Ensign, Royal Manticoran Navy
- Junior officer serving under Lt. Commander Cardones at Tactical.
- Tomas RamirezTomas RamirezTomas Santiago Ramirez is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber.He was born on the high-gravity planet San Martin in the Trevor's Star system. He was twelve when the People's Republic of Haven invaded. Escaping to Manticore, he...
- Major, Royal Manticoran Marine Corps
- Tomas Ramirez
- Commander of the Marine detachment on board Fearless.
- Iris Babcock - Sergeant Major, Royal Manticoran Marine Corps
- Fearless senior Marine non-commissioned officer or "Gunny".
HMS Apollo
- Alice Truman - Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy
- Commanding officer of the light cruiser HMS
HMS Troubadour
- Alistair McKeon - Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy
- Honor's former XO on the old Fearless, now in command of his own destroyer.
HMS Madrigal
- Jason Alvarez - Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy
- Commanding officer of the destroyer Madrigal. Survived the destruction of Madrigal after the first battle with the Masadans, but was later tortured and killed by his captors at Blackbird Base.
- Mercedes BrighamMercedes BrighamMercedes Brigham is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber.Born on Gryphon, she joined the Royal Manticoran Navy. She served as Honor Harrington's sailing master aboard HMS Fearless. As a lieutenant-commander, she was the...
- Lieutenant Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy
- Mercedes Brigham
Executive Officer of HMS Madrigal. Also survived after the destruction of her ship. Suffered torture and rape at the hands of her Masadan captors before being rescued by Fearless Marines.
- Mai-Ling Jackson - Ensign, Royal Manticoran Navy
- Another survivor of Madrigal. Together with Mercedes Brigham, she is one of only two female survivors captured by the Masadans. The other women captured were systematically raped and murdered, inflicting a violent trauma upon Ensign Jackson.
Diplomatic mission to Grayson
- Raoul Courvosier - Admiral of the Green, Royal Manticoran Navy
- One of the most recognized tacticians of his time, former instructor at Saganami Naval Academy and mentor to Honor Harrington. Dies on board Madrigal while fighting the Masadans.
- Reginald Houseman
- Admiral Courvosier's second-in-command within the diplomatic mission. A leading theorist of the Liberal Party who is convinced that the military is little more than a bunch of ignorant warmongers. Advocated leaving Grayson to its own fortune and was physically struck by Captain Harrington after illegally ordering her to leave the system.
- Sir Anthony Langtry
- Manticore's ambassador to Grayson.
Graysons
- Benjamin Mayhew IXBenjamin Mayhew IXProtector Benjamin Mayhew IX is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber....
- Planetary Protector (head of state) of Grayson. Educated at Harvard University's Bogotá Campus on Earth and a reformist who wishes to integrate Grayson with the rest of the Galaxy.
- Bernard Yanakov - High Admiral, Grayson Space Navy
- The commanding officer of the Grayson Navy. Died on board the light cruiser Austin Grayson during the first battle with the Masadans.
- Howard ClinkscalesHoward ClinkscalesHoward Clinkscales is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber.His full name was Howard Samson Jonathan Clinkscales. During his lifetime he served three Protectors, Benjamin IX being the last of these three. Prior to the Mayhew...
- Howard Clinkscales
- Grayson's Minister of Security and one of the planet's staunchest conservatives, although he comes to respect Honor Harrington after saving the lives of Protector Benjamin and his family.
- Wesley Matthews - Captain (later Admiral) - Grayson Space Navy
- Commander of the light cruiser Covington, which survives the first battle with the Masadans. Later goes on to command whatever remains of the Grayson Navy.
- Mark Brentworth - Commander, Grayson Space Navy
- A Grayson officer assigned as liaison between Captain Harrington and the Grayson Space Navy.
- Michael Mayhew
- Protector Benjamin's brother and heir to the Protectorship.
- Jared Mayhew (a.k.a. "Maccabeus")
- Grayson's Minister of Industry and secretly a leader of the Maccabeans, a secret society aimed at reunifying Grayson and Masada and cleanse Grayson of its "apostasy".
Havenites
- Alfredo Yu - Captain, People's Navy
- Commanding officer of the battlecruiser PNS Saladin, renamed MNS Thunder of God after its "acquisition" by Masada. Captain Yu was given a commission within the Masadan Navy as Captain until the Masadans were ready to crew the ship. Defects to Manticore after being betrayed by the Masadans.
- Thomas TheismanThomas TheismanAdmiral Thomas Edward Theisman is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber...
- Commander, People's Navy
- Thomas Theisman
- Commanding officer of the destroyer PNS Breslau, renamed MNS Principality after its "acquisition" by Masada. Captured by Honor Harrington following the surrender of his ship; he then reveals that the Masadans were torturing the survivors of Madrigal.
Masadans
- Matthew Simonds - Sword of the Faithful, Masadan Navy
- The commander of the entire Masadan military and leader of the assaults on Grayson. Brother of Chief Elder Simonds
- Thomas Simonds
- Chief Elder of the Church of Humanity Unchained and the head of state of Masada.
- (first name unknown) Williams - Captain, Masadan Navy
- Commander of Blackbird Base. Hanged by the Graysons for war crimes.
- Ronald Sands
- Deacon of the Church of Humanity Unchained and head of Masadan Intelligence.
- Ernst Franks - Admiral, Masadan Navy
- Senior commander of the Masadan fleet.
External links
- The complete text of The Honor of the Queen is available for download or reading online at the Baen Free LibraryBaen Free LibraryThe Baen Free Library is a digital library of the science fiction and fantasy publishing house Baen Books where 112 full books can be downloaded free in a number of formats, without copy protection...
here. It can also be found here.