Helen recognized that formation. She'd seen it before. Every man and woman in Navy uniform had seen it, once every year, on Coronation Day, when Home Fleet passed in review before the Queen... with its flagship in exactly the position Hexapuma and Warlock now held.
Even as she stared at the display, another icon appeared upon it. The crowned, golden icon of HMS Duke of Cromarty , the ship which had replaced the murdered HMS Queen Adrienne as the royal yacht, sitting just beyond the threshold of the Junction. A Junction, Helen sudden realized, which had been cleared of -shipping— all shipping-except for Home Fleet itself.
The vast globe accelerated towards Cromarty , matching its acceleration rate exactly to Hexapuma's, holding formation on the heavy cruiser and her single escort, and the raised wedge of every ship in that huge formation flashed off and then on again in the traditional underway salute to a fleet flagship.
"Additional message, Sir," Nagchaudhuri said. He stopped and cleared his throat, then continued, and despite his throat clearing, his voice seemed to waver about the edges.
"Message begins. 'Yours is the honor.'" He looked up from his display, meeting Aivars Terekhov's eyes.
"Message ends, Sir," he said softly.
Character List for
Adolfsson, George — Planetary President of Pontifex.
Agnelli, Joanna — Captain Aivars Terekhov's personal steward.
Alexander, Hamish — Earl White Haven; Admiral, Royal Manticoran Navy (ret.). First Lord of Admiralty, Star Kingdom of Manticore.
Alexander, William — Baron Grantville and Lord Alexander. Prime Minister of Manticore.
Alquezar, Joachim — Senior delegate to the Talbott Constitutional Convention from San Miguel, major stockholder Rembrandt Trade Union, leader of the Constitutional Union Party in the Convention.
Anders, Ito — Captain, Royal Manticoran Navy. CO, HMS Warlock .
Anhier, Franz — Engineer, Jessyk Combine freighter Marianne .
Anisimovna, Aldona — Board member, Manpower, Inc.
Antrim, George — Platoon Sergeant, Royal Manticoran Marines. Senior NCO, 1st Platoon, Marine Detachment, HMS Hexapuma .
Atkinson, Annemarie — Lieutenant Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy. XO, HMS Audacious .
Badmachin, Mira — Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy. CO, HMS -Volcano .
Bagwell, Guthrie — Lieutenant, Royal Manticoran Navy. Electronics Warfare Officer, HMS Hexapuma .
Bannister, Trevor — Chief Marshal, CO, Montana Marshals -Service.
Bardasano, Isabel — Cadet board member and chief of covert operations, Jessyk Combine.
Basaricek, Brigita — Colonel, CO, Kornatian National Police Force.
Binyan, Duan — CO, Jessyk Combine freighter Marianne .
Bjornstad, Alvin — Vice-President, Union of Monica.
Bourmont, Gregoire — Admiral, Monican Navy. Chief of Naval Operations.
Budak, Aranka — Lieutenant, Kornatian National Police.
Burke, Kathleen — Lieutenant, Royal Manticoran Navy. XO, HMS Aria .
Caparelli, Sir Thomas — Admiral, Royal Manticoran Navy. First Space Lord, Manticoran Admiralty.
Chandler, Ambrose — Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy. Rear Admiral Augustus Khumalo's staff intelligence officer.
Clary, Jeanette — Senior Chief Petty Officer, Royal Manticoran Navy. Senior helmswoman, HMS Hexapuma .
Corvisart, Amandine — Special representative from the Manticoran Foreign Office assigned to negotiate settlement with Republic of Monica.
Crites, David — Platoon Sergeant, Royal Manticoran Marines. Senior NCO, 3rd Platoon, Marine Detachment, HMS Hexapuma .
D'Arezzo, Paulo — Midshipman, Royal Manticoran Navy, assigned HMS Hexapuma .
Debevic, Judita — Leader, Kornatian Social Moderate Party.
De Chabrol, Annette — XO, Jessyk Combine freighter Marianne .
Dekker, Hieronymus — Chief factor, Rembrandt Trade Union, Montana System.
Divkovic, Drazen — Cell leader, Freedom Alliance of Kornati.
Divkovic, Juras — Cell leader, Freedom Alliance of Kornati.
Djerdja, Darinka — Vuk Rajkovic's personal assistant.
Diamond, Osborne — Lieutenant Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy. XO, HMS Vigilant .
Dunblane, Arnold — Rembrandt Trade Union employee on -Montana.
Duncan, Andrea — Lieutenant, Royal Manticoran Navy. Logistics Officer, HMS Hexapuma .
Egervary, Zeno — Security Officer/Tactical Officer, Jessyk Combine freighter Marianne .
Eichbauer, Ulrike — Major, Solarian Gendarmerie. Brigadier Yucel's chief intelligence officer.
Einarsson, Magnus — Captain, Nuncio Space Force. CO, NSS Wolverine .
FitzGerald, Ansten — Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy. XO, HMS Hexapuma .
Gaunt, Richard — Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy. XO, HMS Hercules .
Gazi, Andrija — Chairman, Kornatian parliamentary Special Committee on Annexation.
Grabovac, Vesna — Kornatian Secretary of the Treasury.
Grantville, Baron of — see William Alexander, above.
Gray, Oliver — Colonel, Royal Manticoran Marines. CO, Marine battalion assigned to Dame Estelle Matsuko.
Groenhuijen, Arjan — Captain, Rembrandt System Navy.
Gutierrez, Mateo — Lieutenant, Owens Steadholder's Guard. Abigail Hearns' personal armsman.
Harahap, Damien — Captain, Solarian Gendarmerie. Ulrike Eichbauer's assistant and contact point for Talbott Cluster terrorist organizations.
Harrington, Lady Dame Honor Stephanie — Duchess Harrington; Steadholder Harrington; Admiral, Royal Manticoran Navy; Fleet Admiral, Grayson Space Navy; CO Protector's Own; CO Eighth Fleet; CO HMS Unconquered .
Hearns, Abigail — Lieutenant, Grayson Space Navy. Assistant Tactical Officer (acting), HMS Hexapuma . Daughter of Steadholder Owens.
Hedges, William — Lieutenant, Royal Manticoran Marines. CO, 2nd Platoon, Marine Detachment, HMS Hexapuma .
Hegedusic, Isidor — Admiral, Monican Navy. CO Eroica Station and designated CO battlecruiser strike force.
Hennessy, Frank — Lieutenant Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy. CO, HMS Rondeau .
Hewlett, Josepha — Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy. CO, HMS Resolute .
Hibachi, George — Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy. XO, HMS Warlock .
Higgins, Alfonzo — Director, Monican Intelligence.
Hollister, Jeff — Member, Montana Independence Movement.
Hongbo, Junyan—Vice-Commissioner, Office of Frontier Security, Solarian League. Lorcan Verrochio's senior subordinate.
Hope, Eleanor—Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy. CO, HMS Vigilant .
Jeffers, Bruce — Lieutenant Commander, Royal Manticoran Navy. CO, HMS Javelin .
Jezic, Barto — Captain, Kornatian National Police Force. SWAT specialist.
Johnson, Liam — Sensor Technician 1/c, Royal Manticoran Navy, HMS Hexapuma .
Kaczmarczyk, Tadislaw — Captain, Royal Manticoran Marines. CO, Marine Detachment, HMS Hexapuma .