List of locations in the Honorverse

This is a list of nations, star systems and planets in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber.

A

Air

The Air system, one of the Alphane Worlds, is a protectorate of the Solarian League, administered by the Office of Frontier Security, and as such it is economically depressed. The planet is the location of some ancient extraterrestrial ruins, believed older than the human race. Among the ruins are some exceptionally large obelisks. "A Grand Tour" More Than Honor, David Drake.

Alizon

a member of the Manticore Alliance. It is a single star system polity with one inhabited planet. The Short Victorious War.

Alphane Worlds

A small group of planets with ruins of an extraterrestrial interstellar civilization possibly older than human race. All of the Alphane Worlds are protectorates of the Solarian League, administered by the Office of Frontier Security, and as such, all are economically depressed. Among the Alphane worlds is the Air system. "A Grand Tour" More Than Honor, David Drake.

Ameta

Planet that the Parmley Station Amusement park is in orbit of ("with Yamato's Nebula so close") Torch of Freedom, Ch. 9.

Andermani Empire

a large multi-star system polity. It was initially formed by mercenary leader Gustav Anderman's "conquest" of Kuan Yin, a human colony on the verge of mass starvation due to their planet's agriculture-destroying bacteria. Anderman, a gifted administrator, was able to help the colonists resolve this issue, ensuring their survival. In return, they were perfectly happy to accept him as their new Emperor. Since most of the inhabitants of the planet were ethnic Chinese, the ruling family of the Empire is still of Chinese descent. However, because Anderman (now Emperor Gustav I) believed himself to be the reincarnation of Fredrick the Great of Prussia, its culture is more German-influenced: Kuan Yin, for instance, was renamed Potsdam. The Empire flourished over the centuries, in part because its subject systems were often in some kind of trouble before their incorporation, partly because said systems were allowed considerable freedom, and partly because its emperors were very competent (if slightly eccentric) leaders. The Empire is currently a member of the Manticore Alliance, and has annexed the Silesian Confederacy in partnership with the Star Kingdom of Manticore. Potsdam remains its capital planet, and it contains the Gregor wormhole terminus of the Manticore Wormhole Junction. It has a moderately advanced space navy, one of the largest in human space.

Asgard

B

Barnett

Peep system (mentioned in Ashes of Victory, 1/2 way into Ch. 19 and beginning of Ch. 35). The single habitable planet is Enki (DuQuesne Base).

Basilica

Basilisk

A fictional star system anchored by its G5 star, Basilisk. The system is the site of a Manticore wormhole terminus monitored by Basilisk Station and has one habitable planet, Medusa, home to a non-human, endemic, sentient race. Basilisk is also the site of Honor Harrington's first notable victory, related in the first Honor Harrington novel, On Basilisk Station. Basilisk had been annexed by the Star Kingdom of Manticore about 20 years before the novel's time, a move Manticore had judged necessary in order to deny control of the wormhole junction to the aggressively expanding Republic of Haven (later the People's Republic of Haven). The assignment pits Honor first against the semi-hostile crew of HMS Fearless, second against an old enemy from the Manticore naval academy (Saganami Island), and third against a sneak attack by Haven.

Bassingford Medical Center

Includes a mental health oriented hospital. Mentioned by Mercedes Brigham more than half way into Chapter 10 of "Flag in Exile". Also mentioned 2/5 into Chapter 3 of Echoes of Honor.

Beowulf

Located in the Sigma Draconis system, Beowulf is the oldest human colony, having been founded almost two thousand years before the events in the Honorverse saga. Beowulf is a major member of the Solarian League. It has a deserved reputation as the most advanced genetic medical establishment in the Galaxy, as well as a very clear commitment to medical ethics. It was also the home of one of the greatest hyperspace theorists and researchers in history. Adding to the prosperity of Beowulf is the fact that the Sigma Draconis system is one of the termini of the Manticore Wormhole Junction, making the system a major trading partner of the Star Kingdom of Manticore. Beowulf is known throughout human space for its extremely liberal sexual mores, its permissiveness generally, and its tolerance for whatever lifestyle any person chooses. For this reason, people from newer colony worlds (especially those not members of the Solarian League) find Beowulfian reputation and sometimes behavior, scandalizing and sometimes offensive. Some Beowulfans, nevertheless, feel that Beowulfan society is actually conformist, since few ever question the system or the principles governing it. Beowulf has a corporatist system of government, governed by a Board of Directors whose members are elected by lower-level boards which represent professions rather than geographical districts. With some minor adjustments, the system has worked for the full extent of Beowulfan history. Honor Harrington's mother, Allison Chou Harrington, is a native of Beowulf, a physician directly descended from two of the most significant figures in Beowulfan history (Elaine Chou and George Benton). She finds great fun in scandalizing Sphinx's strait-laced society, with her sharp humor and double entendres. The people of Mesa were Beowulfan dissidents who rejected the Beowulf Code restricting what medical procedures could be ethically done, genetically engineering slaves for various purposes.

Blackbird (Base)

A covert base built for the Masadans in the Yeltsin system. (See The Honor of the Queen.)

Blackbird Yard

A shipyard, presumably located at the now captured Backbird Base (see above). Mentioned in near the end of Chapter 2 in Ashes of Victory.

Bolthole

The secret location of both Haven's Navy's R&D shop and a significant ship yard. See "War of Honor"

C

Casimir

System within the Silesian Confederacy. Former site of Manpower owned slave depot. War of Honor

Congo

the former name of the planet Torch. Crown of Slaves

Congo Wormhole Junction

located in the Torch system, and is actually a Bridge and has only one wormhole terminus. Crown of Slaves

D

Deneb

is a star system. It is the location where the rules of war for the Honorverse, the Deneb Accords were negotiated under the sponsorship of the Solarian League

Dresden

a planet in the Talbott Cluster. It is part of the Talbott Quadrant of the Star Empire of Manticore.

Durandel

A star system in the Andermani Empire which is the termimus of a wormhole from Asgerd.

DuQuesne

See Barnett.

E

Earth

a planet. It is the capital of the Solarian League, and the oldest human planet in the fictional universe.

Elysia

colony planet whose ecosystem was devastated by rampant mismanagement. The Elysian Rule is named after it.

Endicott

a star system. It has an inhabitable planet called Masada, and is part of a star nation called Masada. The nearest inhabitable star system is Yeltsin's Star.

Enki

Single habitable planet in the Barnet, location of DuQesne Base. In Enemy Hands

Epsilon Eridani

a star system. It is part of the Solarian League, and a war which took place in the system had a major impact on interstellar law and the constitution of the Solarian League. Because of the Epsilon Eridani Massacre, the Eridani Edict was enacted as part of the constitution.

Erewhon

a former member of the Manticore Alliance. It is a polity consisting of one inhabited planet, the star system in which it resides and the Erewhon Wormhole Junction. Located near Solarian League space, Erewhon was founded by a group of criminal organizations and mafia families which became the social elite of the new world. While formally a republic, Erewhon is controlled by a triumvirate or quadrumvirate of family heads which takes all the decisions. The formal head of state of the Republic of Erewhon is the President, who is usually the head of one of the families currently at the top of the Erewhonese power structure. The Republic's capital is the city of Maytag. Erewhonese placenames tend to reference 20th century laundry products (Maytag, Sears, Suds Emporium, etc.) and are reflective of the intent of the planet's founding criminal families to use it as a money laundering enterprise. Erewhon fought alongside Manticore and Grayson against the People's Republic during the First Haven-Manticore War. However, the actions of the Baron High Ridge administration after the war alienated Erewhon's ruling families, leading to Erewhon's breakaway from the Manticoran Alliance and its siding with the restored Republic of Haven shortly before the resumption of hostilities. Erewhon's defection to the Havenites was nothing short of a disaster for the Star Kingdom, since the Erewhon Navy was the third largest of the Alliance, and had received substantial technology transfers from Manticore.

F

Flax

Single habitable planet of the Spindle Sysyem. Site of Constitutional Convention and negotiations over annexation by Manticore. The Shadow of Saganami Acting Capitol of the Talbot Quadrant within the Star Empire of Manticore. Storm from the Shadows

G

Grayson

See Protectorate of Grayson.

Protectorate of Grayson

The planet Grayson in the Yeltsin system was settled in the year 988 P.D. (Post Diaspora; equivalent to 3091 on present-day calendar) by the Reverend Austin Grayson (originally from the State of Idaho on Old Earth) and his followers, all members of the Church of Humanity Unchained. The settlers' intention was to start a new life totally free of technology and live the way the Bible said people should live. This dream was foiled before their ship even landed because Grayson has an unusually high concentration of heavy metals in its soil which made anything indigenous poisonous. As a result, technology was necessary just to survive and the doctrinal view of technology became that technology in and of itself was not un-Godly, but the way it had consumed Man's life on Earth was. Not all Graysons accepted this reinterpretation, and over the course of several hundred years a political rift developed between the Moderates (those willing to employ technology to a limited extent), and the Faithful (those who wanted nothing to do with technology). War eventually broke out between the two groups. After a civil war a truce was called, resulting in a treaty by which the Faithful would leave Grayson for the planet Masada in the nearby Endicott system. In the six hundred years since the Faithful's exile, there have been several interplanetary wars between Grayson and Masada. The Masadans have promised to exterminate the Graysons in the name of God. The Church of Humanity Unchained practiced polygamy even before they came to Grayson. The planet's environment was so dangerous that the original colonists required genetic engineering to survive. However, the genetic alterations unintentionally resulted in a sex-linked genetic defect that killed many males before birth. As a result, live female births outnumbered male births 3:1, and the practice of polygamy continued. When first introduced in the Honorverse, Grayson women were afforded no political or legal rights; They could not vote, sit on juries, own land, or hold a title. Throughout the course of the novels, largely due to the influences of Honor Harrington and Manticore, this changes. Eventually, the laws are changed sufficiently so that even the hereditary steading titles can be passed to women, with the sole exception of the protectorship. The people of Grayson have maintained traditions, customs and attire which were millenary by Honor Harrington's time. Grayson, for example, is the only world where neckties are still in use. The traditional music of Grayson evolved from Old Earth's country western style. It is, together with Earth and another seven planets (out of the 2000+ worlds inhabited by humanity) one of the last planets where baseball is still played. Sword fighting is also practiced as a martial art; the mainstream style of sword fighting used on Grayson has been developed using the old movie Seven Samurai as a model. The official planetary day is still Earth's 24-hour day and the official year lasts 365 Earth days. The planet is ruled by a Council headed up by a Protector. Since the Rev. Grayson's death, the office of Protector has been vested upon a member of the Mayhew family. For the past five generations, the Council has worked to reduce the amount of autonomous power welded by the Mayhew clan. Prior to the Grayson-Manticore alliance the Protectorate had become a largely ceremonial (if influential) position. Grayson's sudden war with its neighbor Masada allowed the current Protector, Benjamin Mayhew IX, to recover most of the office's executive authority, leading to what became known as the Mayhew Restoration. Whereas most monarchs (such as the Queen of Manticore) are referred to as "the Crown", the Protector is referred to as "the Sword". The legislative branch of the Protectorate of Grayson is a bicameral legislature. Its houses are the Conclave of Steadholders (upper house), formed by Grayson's eighty-two Steadholders, and the Conclave of Steaders (lower house), a body formed by the elected representatives of the population of Grayson. All Government and legislative offices are located at Austin City, the Protectorate's capital. Local government in Grayson is left to feudal lords known as the Steadholders. Each Steadholder rules over a Steading which bears the name of its founder. The capital of each Steading is also named after the Steading's founder. Steadholders are entitled to have a personal guard force, and their official badge is a Key (The Steadholders' collective is referred to as "the Keys"). Within their Steadings, the Steadholder's word is law, provided that he respects Grayson's written Constitution, judicial precedent, and the authority and rights of the Church of Humanity Unchained. Steadholders are immune to judiciary prosecution and the position of Steadholder is hereditary; however, under the "Strathson Precedent", a Steading escheats to the Protector if the Steadholder dies without an heir. There is no separation of church and state whatsoever on Grayson. Civil government is considered as the executive and protective arm of the Church of Humanity Unchained, and the Church is viewed as the spiritual core of the state. One hundred Terran years before the events of Field of Dishonor, the Act of Toleration granted freedom of religion to the citizens of Grayson. In the course of the series, Grayson and Manticore have become allies, and Grayson has moved very quickly into the modern world. Because it was very isolated, Grayson had developed its own technological approach. For instance, Grayson developed high efficiency nuclear fission reactors which had been long abandoned by the rest of the Galaxy. They have also contributed to naval vessel design in conjunction with Manticore, making the Grayson Navy and the Royal Manticoran Navy the most advanced in the Galaxy. Honor Harrington, after her defense of the planet from Masadan attack and of protector Benjamin Mayhew IX personally, was made the first female Steadholder shortly before the first Haven-Manticore War began. She was also awarded the Star of Grayson, the highest medal of valor available. Later, she became the second highest-ranked officer in the Grayson Navy. Using her prize money from customs seizures and enemy vessels captured in battle, she has financed the development of a modern shipyard, and pioneered the use of very large crystplast domes as protection from the Grayson environment.

Gregor

a planet in the Andermani Empire, located near a Manticore Wormhole Junction terminus. The Gregor system belongs to the Andermani Empire, except for the Gregor Wormhole Terminus, which belongs to the Star Kingdom of Manticore.

Grendelsbane

Major Manticore Alliance Shipyard.

Gryphon

the third habitable planet of the Manticore system. Its surface gravitation is 1.01 G. It is the only habitable planet in the Manticore B sub-system, with a planetary population at the turn of the 20th Century post diaspora of 575 million, plus another 298 million living in Manticore-B's asteroid belts. It has a very considerable axial tilt, leading to extreme seasonal weather. The planet's environment is not very pleasant, with extremely harsh winters with snowfall measured in meters. As a result, natives of Gryphon tend to be a very tough bunch, and also a little contemptuous of people who were not born on Gryphon. On the other hand, Gryphon's weather has made the planet the Star Kingdom's leading ski resort, with tourism accounting for twenty percent of the gross planetary product. Gryphon's economy is mainly agrarian, although the extraction of minerals from Manticore-B's asteroid belts served as the base of a sprawling space industry. Gryphon is much more sparsely populated than either Sphinx or Manticore, but a higher percentage of its population join the Royal Manticore Navy. Its society is very rough-edged, and people tend to view Manticorans and Sphinxians as soft. In Manticoran politics natives of Gryphon are considered to be conservative royalists. The commoner population of Gryphon holds a significant degree of distrust and resentment towards the Kingdom's aristocracy, which has had its peak with the so-called "Gryphon Uprising", a series of low-level conflicts early in the history of the Star Kingdom between the aristocracy and the commoners regarding the ownership and use of lands. A commission sent by the Crown to deal with the problem concluded that the commoners' grievances were justified, and acted accordingly. As a consequence, the commoners of Gryphon are staunch supporters of the Crown as defender of the commoner population against the aristocracy, while the planetary aristocracy is mostly of conservative political leanings (supportive of the rule and privileges of the Star Kingdom's nobility). Several references are made to "Gryphon granite," presumably a dense mineral composite. Gryphon is also famous for the Kodiak Maximus, a species of large carnivores with highly valued fur.

H

Hades

a maximum security prison planet belonging to the People's Republic of Haven in the Cerberus system. Although the air is breathable and the climate is very much like Earth's tropical zones, the planet is technically uninhabitable because virtually all of the plants and animals native to Hades cannot be eaten by humans. Likewise, humans are toxic to the native animals and insects. This does not prevent the native wild life from being a threat to the prisoners unlucky enough to be shipped to Hades. There are four continents called Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and one large island (Styx). Haven terraformed Styx and it is the source of food for the prison camps scattered throughout the main continents. Starvation follows very quickly if food deliveries from Styx are interrupted for any reason; prisoners are well motivated to do as they are told. Although the planet's official name is Hades, most people, especially those who live there, call it Hell.

Halliman

A system within the Republic of Haven, near Tequila, about half way between Trevor's Star and Haven itself.

Hamilton

Hancock Station

A critical Manticoran base, and the scene for much of the action in The Short Victorious War.

Haven System

a star system. The star is the eponymous star of the Haven Sector, and the capital system of the Republic of Haven. The system contains the planet (also called) Haven, the capital city of which is Nouveau Paris.

People's Republic of Haven

see Republic of Haven

Republic of Haven

a star nation

Hope

a protectorate of the Solarian League's Office of Frontier Security. One of the Alphane Worlds. Originally Haupt. More Than Honor

K

Kemal

Planet that a sizable portion of the population of the planet Maya came from. Known for its Pizza cuisine. Torch of Freedom, Ch. 2

Ki-Rin

Kornati

Kreskin Field Flight School

Mentioned 2/5 into Chapter 3 of Echoes of Honor.

Kuan Yin

the former name of the planet Potsdam.

L

Lois

Lovat

mentioned in Ashes of Victory, Ch. 41.

Lynx

a planet located in the vicinity of the end of the wormhole connecting the Manticore Wormhole Junction with the Talbott Cluster. The Lynx Terminus of the Manticore Wormhole Junction is named after the planet. The system in which the planet resides is the Lynx System. The Lynx Terminus lies in a nearby star system, and not the star system itself. The Lynx Terminus System and Lynx System belong to the Manticore Quadrant of the Star Empire of Manticore and is governed directly from the main legislature on the planet Manticore.

M

MacGregor

Mentioned in Ashes of Victory, Ch. 39.

Manticore (planet)

the third planet of Manticore A (Manticore-A III), one of the binary stars of the Manticore system, and one of two habitable planets of that star system. Manticore is a temperate planet with an exceptionally mild climate and surface gravitation 1.01 G. Manticore is the capital planet of the Star Kingdom of Manticore. The capital city is Landing City. It has one moon, Thorson. Although it is much like Old Earth, long years (1 terran year (T-year) equals approximately 0.6 Manticore year) and extended seasons required only small adjustments compared to the indigenous disease it harbored. This plague had killed over 60% of the first group of colonists (almost 90% of those born on Old Earth). HMSS Hephaestus, one of the Royal Navy's shipyards, is in permanent orbit around the planet. As well as HMS Unconqurered, the only ship commanded by both Ellen D'Orville and Edward Saganami, now restored and in permanent commission.

Manticore (star system)

a binary star system, with three habitable planets. The primary, Manticore A has two habitable planets, Manticore and Sphinx. The secondary, Manticore B has one habitable planet, Gryphon. The star system is the capital system of the Star Empire of Manticore. The Manticore Wormhole Junction is situated in the system.

Manticore Wormhole Junction

the largest known wormhole junction. It is connected to the wormhole terminuses of Beowulf, Gregor, Matapan, Hennesy, Lynx, Medusa/Basilisk and Trevor's Star.

Manticore Quadrant

an organization division in the Star Empire of Manticore. It consists of the home system of Manticore, the Manticore Wormhole Junction; the Basilisk star system, planet Medusa, and Medusa wormhole terminus; the planet San Martin, Trevor's Star system, and the Trevor's Star wormhole terminus; the Gregor wormhole terminus; and the Lynx System, planet Lynx, Lynx Wormhole Terminus, and Lynx Wormhole Terminus system.

Manticore; Star Kingdom of

The Star Kingdom of Manticore (SKM) is the core of the Star Empire of Manticore, and consists of the Manticore Quadrant, and other parts of the Star Empire which are not parts of other quadrants.

Manticore; Star Empire of

The Star Empire of Manticore (SEM) is a star nation. It consists of the Star Kingdom of Manticore and the Talbott Quadrant. The fictional politics of the star nation expect that a Silesia Quadrant will be carved out of the Star Kingdom.

Manticore Alliance

an alliance of star nations, allied to fight the common threat of the People's Republic of Haven. The central member of the alliance, and principal military is the Star Empire of Manticore. Since its formation, several nations have joined it, and one has left it. Current members include Alizon, the Andermani Empire, Grayson, Manticore, Sidemore and Zanzibar. Former members include Erewhon. Masada is an occupied polity under the control of the alliance.

Marsh System

See Sidemore

Masada

Located in the Endicott Star System, it is home to a society of religious fanatics dedicated to the eventual conquering of the planet Grayson. Masada first appeared in The Honor of the Queen, and has played a role in a number of the later books. Their name is a reference to the fortress of Masada where the Sacarii made their last stand against the Romans. The Masadans are former inhabitants of the planet Grayson who were exiled after a bitter 14 Terran-year Civil War which ravaged the planet. The forefathers of the Masadans, who called themselves the "Faithful", opposed the Church of Humanity Unchained's revised doctrine on technology that contrasted with Rev. Austin Grayson's original dictum that technology was evil, and sought to take control of Grayson's government. Their attempted coup, led by Steadholder Bancroft, caused the deaths of Protector John Mayhew II and fifty-three Moderate Steadholders and their heirs, but they failed to kill John's son and heir Benjamin. Benjamin escaped to another Steading and led the resistance against the Faithful. Steadholder Bancroft's wife Barbara revealed the existence of a Faithful doomsday weapon to the Moderates, leading to a final offensive and a treaty between the Moderates and the Faithful. Barbara Bancroft is revered in Grayson as a heroine and is known as the Mother of Grayson, but to Masadans she became "The Harlot of Satan", the ultimate symbol of evil and the responsible of the "Second Fall of Man". Several chemical-powered (non-impeller) sublight ships were loaded with the surviving Faithful and departed for the nearby Endicott System, where they founded the colony of Masada. Ironically, Masada is a more hospitable world than Grayson, but Masadans vowed to reconquer Grayson from the hands of the "Apostate". The Masadan theocracy allied with the People's Republic of Haven, in an attempt to conquer their moderate neighbors. The first attacks crippled the Grayson Navy (and destroyed a Manticoran destroyer). Masada's military offensive was due to be followed by a (failed) coup d'état by Protector Benjamin's cousin Jared Mayhew, known as "Maccabeus". A series of joint Manticore-Grayson counterstrikes destroyed the Masadan fleet and advanced bases before the Masadans turned on the Havenites and seized control of the Havenite battlecruiser PNS Saladin (or Thunder of God, as the Masadans called her). Thunder of God's destruction by Honor Harrington's squadron marked the end of the last Grayson-Masada War, as a task force led by Admiral Hamish Alexander invaded and seized Masada. In later novels it became known that Masada was placed under a Manticoran protectorate. The planet is under Manticoran military administration, led by General Marcel. Due to the Masadans' distaste for the Manticorans' relatively secular society (especially the total equality of the sexes), the planet is in a constant state of violence, forcing the Manticoran occupation to declare martial law. Although most of the women did not welcome the change in their legal status that the Manticoran occupation brought, a number of them have taken the opportunity to take revenge against the men who oppressed them. The most famous of these was the gruesome but "artistic" murder of former Elder Simonds by his wives; it should be noted that not all of Simonds' body parts have been accounted for. A joint Manticore-Grayson fleet squadron pickets the Endicott System. Masada has shown a history of off-world terrorism. A group of Masadan terrorists (unknowingly in Havenite pay) was responsible for the destruction of the Manticoran royal yacht HMS Queen Adrienne, resulting in the deaths of Manticore's Prime Minister Allen Summervale, Earl Gold Peak (Manticore's Foreign Secretary), the Chancellor of Grayson, Henry Prestwick and many other major figures of both Grayson and Manticoran governments. Another Masadan terrorist group was responsible for the attempted—and failed—kidnapping of Ruth Winton, a member of the Manticoran royal family whose father was a Masadan privateer, on The Wages of Sin space station in Erewhon orbit. In addition, Masadans often find their ways onto the crews of pirate vessels.

Matapan

Maya Sector

an outlying section of the Solarian League. The included solar systems are (in "counter-clockwise" order): Maya (and planet Smoking Frog), Sprague, Poul, Randal, Edwin, Robert, Murray and Isaac. The main planet is Smoking Frog. Many of the sector's inhabitants came from the planet Kemal. The Maya Sector is near Erewhon, and it has ties to the freed genetic slaves of Torch. The governor of the sector is Oravil Barregos, appointed by the Office of Frontier Security. Barregos has political ambitions, as yet undeclared, that might include independence.

Medusa

the habitable planet orbiting the star Basilisk. It is the setting for some of the action in the novel On Basilisk Station. Discovered when one of the terminals of the Manticore Junction is found, the system is annexed by the Star Kingdom of Manticore, but the planet is a protectorate because of the non-human sentient species, the Medusans, or "Stilties," as they are informally called. The protectorate is administered by a Resident Commissioner and policed by the Native Protection Agency. Dame Estelle Matsuko is the Resident Commissioner for this .85g planet. Medusa has long been a bone of contention in Manticoran politics. The Liberal party decried the annexation as imperialist, and expressed great concern that the native population would be exploited by Manticore. The Conservative Association opposed the annexation as a step onto the path of "foreign adventurism". The Progressive party was opposed because their fears that the annexation would antagonize the People's Republic of Haven. The original Act of Annexation, in an attempt to address these issues, severely limited the scope of powers given to the Medusan territorial government. The biggest limitation was the renunciation of sovereignty over Medusa itself; the protectorate, strictly speaking, was established over the Medusans themselves. As such, the Resident Commissioner's office and the NPA had the authority to take measures to prevent the exploitation of the native population, but did not have the authority to restrict access to the planet itself. From a legal standpoint, it could even be argued that Manticore's territorial claim over the planet was meaningless, since it had no sovereignty. Before the events of On Basilisk Station, this was the legal opinion of the People's Republic of Haven. Another limitation of the Act of Annexation was the restriction on Manticore's military presence in the region. No permanent military installations were allowed, and mobile units were to be kept to the minimum required to maintain order. This restriction caused the Royal Manticoran Navy to conclude that if they were forbidden from keeping a force on station strong enough to repel an attack, there was no point in investing any more ships in the area than were necessary. The Admiralty responsible for formulating the doctrine for the Basilisk picket saw the ships placed there as advance scouts, the destruction of which would call for a response from the Manticoran Home Fleet. It is the center of a plot by the Havenites to end Manticore's administration over the system by engineering a native revolt. This plot failed due to the actions of the light cruiser HMS Fearless and her commander, Commander Honor Harrington. Following this, it is annexed completely by the Star Kingdom, and Haven is severely penalized for their actions. The Navy's presence on Medusa and the Basilisk system is beefed up after this incident, but the system becomes a battlefield during the later stages of the Haven-Manticore war, when a Havenite task force led by Admiral Javier Giscard staged a raid that succeeded in devastating Medusa's space industry (Echoes of Honor). The Royal Navy's later Medusa-class of superdreadnoughts is named after the planet.

Melungeon

a vacation resort visited by wealthy Manticorians for wild hunting in the short story A Grand Tour by David Drake in the anthology More Than Honor.

Meyerdahl

A heavy gravity planet from which some of the invited colonists to the Star Kingdom Of Manticore came in the period after the plague which killed most of Manticore's original colonists from Earth. Some inhabitants of Meyerdahl had genetic modifications to adapt to its higher gravity and they were well suited to the high gravity Manticoran planet, Sphinx. Among those Sphinxian immigrants were Honor Harrington's ancestors, including Stephanie Harrignton who first discovered treecats, and became the human side of the first human-treecat bond.

Mesa

a fictional star nation, star system, and planet. It is a single star system polity, entirely enclosed within the Solarian League. It was founded by a group of renegade Beowulfans who rejected the Beowulf code. Mesa is also the main basis for Manpower Incorporated, the company that manufactures genetically engineered human slaves.

Mfecane

See Ndebele

Midgard Federation

Midsummer

Monica

a star system, planet, star nation, and sector in the Verge of the Solarian League. It served as a proxy for the Solarian League's Office of Frontier Security.

Montana

N

Ndebele

a protectorate of the Solarian League's Office of Frontier Security. Ndebele is one of the Mfecane worlds. Manpower used a lot of Mfecane genetic stock to produce their heavy labor lines.

Nagasaki

New Dijon

New Hamburg

an independent star nation which like Mesa is involved in Genetic Slavery, while not an exporter of slaves it does continue to maintain a domestic slave trade, it was involved in the slave trade ring that was the target of operation Wilberforce.

New Geneva

O

Old Earth

See Earth

Octagon

the military command headquarters for the Republic of Haven. It is located in the capital city, Nouveau Paris, on the planet of Haven, in the Haven star system of the Haven Sector. It is in the shape of an octagon.

P

Parmley Station

amusement park built by the late Michael Parmley. Is in orbit of Ameta ("with Yamato's Nebula so close"), Torch of Freedom, Ch. 9.

Phoenix

Pontifex

Potsdam

formerly known as Kuan Yin, is the capital planet of the Andermani Empire.

Prague

Proctor Three

Ashes of Victory, Ch. 19: "one of the three main naval shipyards in the Haven System—which, by definition, made them the three largest yards in the entire PRH."

R

Refuge

a planet settled by religious separatists from Haven.

Rembrandt

located in the Talbott Cluster, a cluster of star systems close to the fringes of the Solarian League. Rembrandt was founded by Renaissance revivalists looking to resurrect Renaissance culture and art; however, these goals were quickly abandoned after the colonists discovered Rembrandt's cold and blustery climate. Rembrandt is much better known for its merchant marine and the Rembrandt Trade Union, a merchant cartel established by Bernardus Van Dort in 1870 P.D. The RTU was originally intended to improve the economy of Rembrandt to gain a better negotiating position for Rembrandt's future in the colonization of the Talbott Cluster by the Solarian Office of Frontier Security, seen as inevitable at that time. Through its deals with other worlds in the Talbott Cluster, Rembrandt prospered, and became one of the wealthiest planets in the Cluster  — so much so, in fact, that the Rembrandt Stellar is the most widely accepted currency in the Talbott Cluster. This prosperity came at a cost, however. The RTU's chief contract negotiator, Ineka Vaandrager, in her negotiations with other worlds, used aggressive and retaliatory tactics to extract deals that were significantly more beneficial to Rembrandt than the worlds they negotiated with. This gained Rembrandt and the RTU a reputation as home to a group of exploitative profiteers, and fostered animosity among the populations of the worlds Rembrandt negotiated with. When the Star Kingdom of Manticore discovered the Lynx Terminus of their wormhole junction leading to the Talbott Cluster, Rembrandt led the push for the annexation of the Cluster by the Star Kingdom. The animosity held toward Rembrandt by the rest of the cluster proved to be an obstacle to annexation  — especially when Bernardus Van Dort resigned as chairman of the RTU to lobby for the annexation effort in the committee for negotiating the terms of the annexation. This animosity would be made manifest in two terrorist factions to prevent the annexation  — the Freedom Alliance of Kornati and the Montana Independence Movement. Eventually, the annexation was passed by the committee, and Rembrandt became a subject nation of the Star Kingdom. The Rembrandt Trade Union (RTU) was established by Bernardus Van Dort in 1870 P.D. The RTU was originally intended to improve the economy of Rembrandt (and allied nations) to gain a better negotiating position for Rembrandt's future in the colonization of the Talbott Cluster by the Solarian Office of Frontier Security, seen as inevitable at that time. The RTU's chief contract negotiator, Ineka Vaandrager, in her negotiations with other worlds, used aggressive and retaliatory tactics to extract deals that were significantly more beneficial to the RTU than the worlds they negotiated with. This gained the RTU a reputation as home to a group of exploitative profiteers, and fostered animosity among the populations of the worlds the RTU negotiated with, although this greatly enriched the nations of the RTU.

Republic of Haven

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S

San Martin

Located in the Trevor's Star System, San Martin is the heaviest-gravity planet settled by humans, at about 2.7 times the gravity of Earth. For this reason, virtually all the people of San Martin, known as "San Martinos", descend from colonists who had been genetically engineered to survive the high-gravity environment. Genetic engineering was not enough to simply move in; the planet is so massive that its sea-level atmospheric pressure is high enough to be incompatible with human physiology (i.e., poisonous levels of carbon dioxide and nitrogen). For this reason, settlement had been restricted to mountain peaks, plateaus, and alpine valleys of which San Martin has a great many. Probably as a result of being forced to live in small communities and of the planet's unforgiving environment, San Martinos have developed a characteristically stubborn and indomitable personality, culturally and personally. The original San Martino colonists came from a Spanish speaking area of Earth (e.g., Latin America or Spain), as the planet's official language is Spanish. Every San Martino in the novels and stories has a Spanish name, though like most humans, they also speak Standard English though with a distinctive Spanish lilt. The Trevor's Star System is also one of the Manticore Wormhole Junction's termini, which added to the planet's economic development until it was invaded by the People's Republic of Haven. The people of San Martin stubbornly resisted the invasion; the San Martin Navy, commanded by Commodore Jesus Ramirez, fought with such tenacity to cover refugee transports fleeing through the Junction that the People's Navy lost three ships for each San Martin ship they managed to destroy. Shortly after the planet's surrender, the Havenites executed President Hector Ramirez, Commodore Ramirez' uncle. Havenite occupation was not easy: a planetwide resistance movement led by the Ramirez family struck hard at the Havenite garrison. In retaliation, the Havenites effectively wiped out the entire Ramirez family, and kept the planet under martial law until the Manticoran Alliance evicted the Havenites during the First Haven-Manticore War. Having survived Havenite imprisonment at the Cerberus III prison camps, Commodore Jesus Ramirez was elected as the first post-occupation President of San Martin after Hades's liberation. Within a few years, and with the approval of the San Martin Congress, President Ramirez requested annexation by the Star Kingdom of Manticore, with full political participation — proportionate representation in the Commons and creation of similar numbers of peers in the Houses of Lords. There was one caveat in that their representative Lords will not have cadet seats; which means either all of their peers will be Barons or their Earls and Countesses will be deprived of the privilege for a set period of time. Because they would not take seats until after the next regular election, the San Martin annexation contributed to the behavior of the High Ridge Government after the assassination of Prime Minister Cromarty in the Yeltsin system. (FFI: See War of Honor, Ch. 2) They were to be compensated for this with a larger number of MPs in the House of Commons. San Martin thus became the fifth planetary member of the Star Kingdom, after Manticore, Sphinx, Gryphon and Medusa.

Seaford Nine

A critical Haven base, and the scene for some of the action in The Short Victorious War.

Shuttlesport

the capital of both the Maya System and of the Maya Sector (Torch of Freedom, Ch. 1)

Sidemore

a star nation, and planet in the star system Marsh. It is located in the Silesia Sector, but is not a part of the Silesian Confederacy. The polity is a member of the Manticore Alliance (as of the conclusion of Honor Among Enemies). One sub-plot in Honor Among Enemies (Ch. 27+) deals with this planet. Its remote location makes it vulnerable to a plot line in the book, but it also means that its people interested in a more permanent resolution that HH proposes near the end of Honor Among Enemies.

Silesian Confederacy

the major star nation in the Silesia Sector, occupying most of the sector, and a haven for space piracy. It was loosely confederated, and loosely governed, before being annexed by the Andermani Empire and Star Empire of Manticore.

Sigma Draconis

a star system near Sol System. It contains the oldest extrasolar colony, Beowulf, and the Beowulf Wormhole Terminus, which leads to the Manticore Wormhole Junction. The system is part of the Solarian League.

Smoking Frog

the capital planet of the Maya Sector of the Solarian League's Office of Frontier Security protected planets regions. It is very well developed industrially and scientifically, much more so than for nearly all OFS supervised planets, as is the Maya Sector generally. Its Governor, Oraville Barregos, has considerable differences with OFS policies and after the liberation of Congo (now called Torch) became one of the most popular and best known public officials in Solarin League controlled space. He and the senior Solarian Navy officer in the Maya Sector have begun to build up the Sector's naval forces in anticipation of conflict with other Solarian League interests (e.g., OFS or OFS in conjunction with Mesa influenced Solarian League officials or organizations).

Sol System

the capital system of the Solarian League. It contains the capital planet of Earth.

Solarian League

a multi-star system polity. It is the largest polity in human space, and contains most of the population of humans, most of the wealth, most of the knowledge of humankind. It has the largest and - it thinks - most powerful space navy of humankind. The capital of the Solarian League is New Chicago on the capital planet of Earth. The nearest wormhole terminus to the capital is the Beowulf wormhole terminus.

Sphinx

the fourth planet of Manticore-A. It is a heavy gravity world with a gravity 1.35 times that of Earth. Its orbit gives it a long year compared to Terra, with cool if temperate summers and long extremely severe winters with very heavy snowfalls. By the beginning of the 20th Century post diaspora, Sphinx has a planetary population of 1,048 million. The economy of Sphinx is based upon mining, forestry and animal husbandry. Sphinx is the native planet of a sentient species called treecats by humans, and the people by the treecats themselves. Their habitats encompass approximately a third of the planet and are protected by Sphinx Forestry Service (SFS). The treecats' claim to Sphinx was made permanent by the Ninth Amendment to the Manticoran Constitution. It was in large part the work of Stephanie Harrington, Honor Harrington's direct ancestor, who had discovered the treecats' existence, been the first human adoptee, and the effective founder of the Sphinx Forestry Service. Sphinxians tend to be the most socially and sexually conservative inhabitants of the Star Kingdom. Honor Harrington was born and grew up on Sphinx.

T

Torch

also known as Congo or Verdant Vista. A tropical planet discovered and controlled by Mesa. Its plant life is a rich source of pharmaceutically active compounds, and Mesa established manufacturing facilities there manned by slaves, as well as a breeding center. In addition, Mesa discovered a wormhole junction (with at least 2 termini) shortly before the planet was liberated. A joint Manticoran, Solarian Navy, and Audubon Ballroom force used a slave transport seized in the nearby Erewhon system to take the planet from Mesa. In the process, the planet was renamed Torch by its new Queen (Berry Zilwicki), a Solarian Marine Lieutenant resigned to become the Commander in Chief of the Torch Armed Forces, and Princess Ruth Winton of Manticore the intelligence chief for the new Torch government, with advice from both Captain Anton Zilwicki (who was also working or the Anti-Slavery League (and the Audubon Ballroom) as military advisor), and Victor Cachat, the Republic of Haven's Secret Service Chief of Station for Torch and Erewhon.

Torch Wormhole Junction

Congo Wormhole Junction

Toulon

Trevor's Star

The solar system that contains the planet San Martin and one Terminus to a Wormhole to Manticore.

U

Unicorn Yard; Hauptman's

Mentioned 1/2 way into Chapter 3 of Echoes of Honor. Owned by the Hauptman Cartel. Hauptman and Jankowski cartels built the new generation of LACs there.

V

Verdant Vista

the Mesan codename for Torch.

W

Weyland; Her Majesty's Space Station

Mentioned in Echos of Honor, chapter 3.

Y

Yeltsin's Star

a star system. It has one (barely) habitable planet, Grayson and is the star system of the star nation of Grayson. The nearest habitable star system to this one is Endicott.

Z

Zanzibar

a star nation and a member of the Manticore Alliance. Its star is a "G4 Primary", and it has an outermost asteroid belt (and presumably inner ones as well). The Short Victorious War, Ch. 9

Zulu

a protectorate of the Solarian League's Office of Frontier Security.