History HonorHarrington / TropesMToR

* MinovskyPhysics: Gravity control technology forms the basis for just about every piece of AppliedPhlebotinum in the Honorverse: The [[FTLTravel Warshawski Sail]], the [[ReactionlessDrive Impeller Drive]], the [[DeflectorShields sidewalls]], the [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter pulser guns]] and shipboard missile launchers, even the super-tall skyscrapers that pepper the landscapes of most big cities.

* MilhollandRelationshipMoment: In ''Storm from the Shadows'', when Captain Terekhov is summoned to Admiral Khumalo's flagship after [[spoiler:the Battle of Monica]], he expects Khumalo to be infuriated with him for [[spoiler:creating a shooting incident with a Solarian client state]] and resigns himself to the possibility that he will be cashiered over it. Terekhov can barely restrain his jaw from dropping when [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Khumalo]] proceeds to [[SavedByTheAwesome endorse his actions in every particular.]]

** Literally when, in ''Flag in Exile'', a hardcore fundamentalist Grayson [[spoiler:kills the head of his own church in an attempt to assassinate Honor. He suffers a BSOD upon realising and his grief stricken testimony is the main plank in the case that convicts the Steadholder Burdette of treason and murder.]]

* RightForTheWrongReasons: In ''At All Costs'', when [[spoiler:President Pritchart]] is seeking a face-to-face summit with Queen Elizabeth III of Manticore in order to negotiate [[spoiler:a peace treaty]], [[spoiler:Theisman]] recommends that she specifically request that Honor Harrington be present for several reasons, including that "all reports indicate she has a rather uncanny ability to tell when people are lying to her." When [[spoiler:Mike Henke]] delivers the summit proposal on [[spoiler:Pritchart]]'s behalf, however, Honor assumes that the LivingLieDetector being invited is ''[[TheEmpath the treecats Ariel and Nimitz.]]''

* MasterOfNone: The given reason why Manticore does not build or use battleships: Not strong or survivable enough to fight full wallers, not capable of enough acceleration to match battlecruisers or below. Eventually, the Havenites manage to turn them into JackOfAllStats by using them in deep raiding, where being stronger than battlecruisers allows them to blow away pickets using said class while outrunning full wallers, and every Manty waller stuck guarding a backwater is one fewer at the frontlines. The ability to tow a LOT of pods helps, too.

** In ''Field of Dishonor'', [[spoiler:after Paul Tankersly is murdered by Pavel Young by proxy, Tomas Ramirez and Alitair [=McKeon=] team up, acting on information from Admiral Sarnov, go after Denver Summerville who was hired to engineer a duel to find out who hired him. They set up a training exercise on Gryphon which just so happens to be where he's hiding and happen to stumble across his manor and take out everyone inside as the result of a ''navigation error'' and ''terrible misunderstanding'' with the manor residents.]]

** In ''Field of Dishonor'', [[spoiler:after Paul Tankersly is murdered by Pavel Young by proxy, Tomas Ramirez and Alitair McKeon team up, acting on information from Admiral Sarnov, go after Denver Summerville who was hired to engineer a duel to find out who hired him. They set up a training exercise on Gryphon which just so happens to be where he's hiding and happen to stumble across his manor and take out everyone inside as the result of a ''navigation error'' and ''terrible misunderstanding'' with the manor residents.]]

** Lt. Matthew Askew comes to suspect that the Manties may be a great deal tougher than the 'neobarbarians' the Solarian Navy is used to beating up on. For which [[CassandraTruth he's accused of defeatism]], relieved from his position as tactical officer, and transferred to public affairs -- on another ship. [[spoiler:The last means that he's the ''only'' member of his first ship's company to survive the engagement with the Manties.]]

** The Alignment basically craps its pants when it learns that a) [[spoiler:Victor Cachat and Anton Zilwicki]] are alive, b) [[spoiler:they got top-ranked and tremendously important scientist Herlander Simoes out with them]], c) the revelation of the above has resulted in [[spoiler:Manticore and Haven ''signing a military alliance'']], d) [[spoiler:every secret they've worked to keep hidden for centuries has been blown wide open]], and e) now [[spoiler:the Grand Alliance -- the very best military fleet ever formed in the history of the human race, honed in the crucible of decades of cutthroat warfare, and commanded by a group of tactical minds who will probably go down as among the greatest of all time -- is coming after ''them'']].

** Omusupe Quartermain, when venting about the navy and how they would see sacking Rajampet for his role in Operation Raging Justice, comments that of ''course'' they would think that, otherwise the navy would have to acknowledge they couldn't organize an orgy in a whorehouse. Her fellow Mandarins wince while the narration notes that Omusupe rarely speaks in such terms.

** The Legislaturalists favored method of removing troublesome political opponents were aircar "accidents." This returns to make problems for the new Republic of Haven government when [[spoiler:Arnold Giancola]] is killed in a legitimate crash caused by a DrunkDriver; they honestly had nothing to do with it, but just after it happened, the Havenite counterintelligence unearthed clues that implicated [[spoiler:Giancola's]] hand in the inept brinkmanship that led to the restart of hostilities. Now, had the Government tried to revealed this information, then everyone would immediately remember the "good" old days, so they try to initiate peace talks without revealing the info.

* McSamurai: Grayson is a CultColony whose founders came from North America attempted to abandon technology and learned sword fighting from ''Film/SevenSamurai''.

** The Legislaturalists favored method of removing troublesome political opponents were aircar "accidents." This returns to make problems for the new Republic of Haven government when [[spoiler:Arnold Giancola]] is killed in a legitimate crash caused by a DrunkDriver; they honestly had nothing to do with it, but nobody is going to believe that they did not have him killed.\\
Or, rather, everyone ''was'' convinced that it was a geniune accudent, but just as it happened, the Havenite counterintelligence has unearthed some clues that implicated [[spoiler:Giancola's]] hand in the inept brinkmanship that led to the restart of hostilities. Now, had the Government tried to unearth this information, ''then'' everyone would immediately remember the "good" old days…

* OneDimensionalThinking: In ''Mission of Honor'', Abigail Hearns is doing SAR on a wrecked Solly ship. It's heading straight toward an ''in''ConvenientlyClosePlanet, so it's being towed at a dangerously high deceleration.... Nobody thinks of pushing it sideways first, then braking at leisure?

** In ''Crown of Slaves'', one of the Massadans that had captured the slave freighter ''Felicia'' gropes Berry Zilwicki [[spoiler:(who they think is Princess Ruth)]] while searching her for weapons. Later, when Berry is to be moved into the "cargo" area, Cachat warns the Massadan given the task that if he molests her again, the Massadan will wind up very painfully dead.

* OhCrap: There are many instances where characters realize how monumentally screwed they are, usually right before dying:

** The trope is said exactly by the commander of an LAC watching from the sidelines in his own system as Manticoran and Solarian ships confront each other, then less specifically by Solarians when the Manticorans launch an overwhelming missile strike well beyond their range and with far better ECM -- only to deliberately suicide the missiles against their wedges. And are told the next wave will 'fired for effect'. They leave.

* NoExceptYes: Or rather, Yes, Except No. Ashes of Victory says that Sphinxian koi actually ''do'' look like Terran koi, "allowing for the absence of scales, the extra fins, and the horizontal flukes of the tail".

** The Legislaturalists favored method of removing troublesome political opponents were aircar "accidents." This returns to make problems for the new Republic of Haven government when [[spoiler:Arnold Giancola]] is killed in a legitimate crash caused by a DrunkDriver; they honestly had nothing to do with it, but nobody is going to believe that they did not have him killed.

* MilitaryAcademy: Saganami Island, named for Commander Edward Saganami, regarded as the founder of the Royal Manticoran Navy for his legendary last stand at the Battle of Carson and his foundation of "[[HeroicSacrifice the Saganami Tradition]]."