When did Honor become the MVP?

Honor becomes MVP


RFC put things into perspective for me on one particular point. I recall b*tching about the RMN putting someone as valuable as Honor in a tin can, and treating her like she wasn't the MVP in the Star Kingdom.

Of course I was naive and wet behind the ears as a reader, and more than a bit biased for Honor. The author had the nerve and audacity to point out to me that Honor wasn't the MVP in the Star Kingdom by a long shot for quite some time.

When did that time come? Don't say it was when she won the Graysons over, which was sorta my mistake. Anyway, when did she become the MVP of the navy?

We all know the series is about her, but at what point did she grow into the part?

Another piece of interesting baggage I carry is the fact that Honor and Michelle were roommates. At that time Honor was less than a baby in the political arena. She even hated it. Compared to Michelle, who coached Honor in the art and importance of politics along with Courvosier, was head and shoulders above Honor in politics. Yet, one day the student became the teacher.

As miscreant roomies, Honor and Michelle started out on even footing in the military. Yet Honor shot past Michelle in that area fairly quickly. Not to take anything away from Henke, because Honor shot past so many other officers as well. Was it mostly because of her accumulated experience and "luck" of the draw of always being in the hottest part of the galaxy?

Harrington was taught by a Demon, Murphy.

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cthia wrote:Honor becomes MVP

The very latest it would be is the return from the dead in Echoes of Honor; perhaps the earliest is The Short Victorious War. I thought it might be Honor Among Enemies when she wins over Klaus Hauptman, after he gets her back on active duty with the help of the Liberals and Conservatives (who hoped she would die out there). But there is a thought expressed early in HAE that it might really be is during Flag in Exile:

More than that, she'd actually saved the system a second time early last year. Whatever the House of Lords might think, the newsfaxes' accounts of the Fourth Battle of Yeltsin had made her almost as much a hero to the Star Kingdom's population as she was on Grayson itself. If the Cromarty Government ever felt confident enough of its majority in the Lords to try bringing her back into Manticoran uniform, Hauptman felt certain the attempt would succeed.

So that is my final guess.

Coming back from the dead after that very public double state funeral.

As for Michelle and Honor, Michelle's career was held back by her attitude to her self percieved favortism.

cthia wrote:Another piece of interesting baggage I carry is the fact that Honor and Michelle were roommates. At that time Honor was less than a baby in the political arena. She even hated it. Compared to Michelle, who coached Honor in the art and importance of politics along with Courvosier, was head and shoulders above Honor in politics. Yet, one day the student became the teacher.

As miscreant roomies, Honor and Michelle started out on even footing in the military. Yet Honor shot past Michelle in that area fairly quickly. Not to take anything away from Henke, because Honor shot past so many other officers as well. Was it mostly because of her accumulated experience and "luck" of the draw of always being in the hottest part of the galaxy?

Harrington was taught by a Demon, Murphy.

.

************

If you follow Honor's career path, it is "normal" in the sense that she advances to greater anthority and greater responsibility following previous achievements or assignments.

Yes, she does have certain "built-in" advantages as a result of being a Merrydal-B (sp) Genie, but those are secondary to the attitude of applying 120% effort in any of her assignments. (and the fact that she survived those previous assignments).

Michelle Henke has some psychological baggage in wanting to avoid any appearance of patronage or preferential treatment as a royal.


-- Stewart

stewart wrote:

cthia wrote:Another piece of interesting baggage I carry is the fact that Honor and Michelle were roommates. At that time Honor was less than a baby in the political arena. She even hated it. Compared to Michelle, who coached Honor in the art and importance of politics along with Courvosier, was head and shoulders above Honor in politics. Yet, one day the student became the teacher.

As miscreant roomies, Honor and Michelle started out on even footing in the military. Yet Honor shot past Michelle in that area fairly quickly. Not to take anything away from Henke, because Honor shot past so many other officers as well. Was it mostly because of her accumulated experience and "luck" of the draw of always being in the hottest part of the galaxy?

Harrington was taught by a Demon, Murphy.

.

************

If you follow Honor's career path, it is "normal" in the sense that she advances to greater anthority and greater responsibility following previous achievements or assignments.

Yes, she does have certain "built-in" advantages as a result of being a Merrydal-B (sp) Genie, but those are secondary to the attitude of applying 120% effort in any of her assignments. (and the fact that she survived those previous assignments).

Michelle Henke has some psychological baggage in wanting to avoid any appearance of patronage or preferential treatment as a royal.


-- Stewart

She was actually a bit slow until Basilisk Station. Pavel Young was ahead of her in terms of promotions. She did catch up, thanks to winning a couple of battles where she was outnumbered, but he still outranked her at Short Victorious War except that she was Flag Captain.

That was a key element in his defense.

And then she was held back.

The whole thing where she was captured and set up as executed brought her to everyone's attention and when she got back...leading a small captured fleet, that really did it.

Even then she was not the MVP and a real target for the Conservatives and Liberals.

She was a favorite for some but even at the time of At All Costs was the leader of one of the smaller fleets. It was the most modern but...

And when she won, that put her on top.

ldwechsler wrote:
She was actually a bit slow until Basilisk Station. Pavel Young was ahead of her in terms of promotions. She did catch up, thanks to winning a couple of battles where she was outnumbered, but he still outranked her at Short Victorious War except that she was Flag Captain.

That was a key element in his defense.

And then she was held back.

The whole thing where she was captured and set up as executed brought her to everyone's attention and when she got back...leading a small captured fleet, that really did it.

Even then she was not the MVP and a real target for the Conservatives and Liberals.

She was a favorite for some but even at the time of At All Costs was the leader of one of the smaller fleets. It was the most modern but...

And when she won, that put her on top.

I would not call her pre-Basilisk career slow, she just lacked the political backing to get her career rushed ahead. In fact, She was one of the few officers to get a destroyer BEFORE attending the Crusher.

If you were to plot the careers of officers with and without political backing separately, her pre-Basilisk career probably had her leading the non-political pack.

Honor Harrington does NOT
become the MVP until the end of WAR OF HONOR. She is the ONLY RMN Admiral that wins a victory by defeating Havenite forces at Sidemor. She also negotiates an alliance with the Adermandi Empire. At this point she rises to the status of a STRATEGIST rather than a TACTICIAN.


Keep in mind that while Michelle Henke has an extremely competent career, she never is placed into a situation where she commands in a Death Ride until AAC. Otherwise Mike would be a contender for MVP.

If I recall correctly Pavel Young was two years ahead of Honor at the academy. So it would make sense, especially in peace time, that he was senior to her prior to Basilisk Station.

Theemile wrote:

ldwechsler wrote:
She was actually a bit slow until Basilisk Station. Pavel Young was ahead of her in terms of promotions. She did catch up, thanks to winning a couple of battles where she was outnumbered, but he still outranked her at Short Victorious War except that she was Flag Captain.



.

I would not call her pre-Basilisk career slow, she just lacked the political backing to get her career rushed ahead. In fact, She was one of the few officers to get a destroyer BEFORE attending the Crusher.

If you were to plot the careers of officers with and without political backing separately, her pre-Basilisk career probably had her leading the non-political pack.

Starting with Elvis Santino on her snotty cruise, Young and his allies worked to hamper Honor's career. In SVW, IIRC, Young consoles himself with the memory of how she had been held back through their efforts.