Honorverse
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Alfredo Yu
Male military Haven
Full Name
Alfredo Yu
Gender
Male   Male
Birthplace

Alfredo Yu was a former Havenite citizen and officer in the People's Navy, who went into exile and later became a Grayson citizen and an officer in the Grayson Space Navy.

Characteristics[]

Yu was a tall and slender man and a prolong recipient. He was also a very punctual and precise individual who treated people with respect, and he never forgot the officers who impressed him.

Yu was a student of history and believed that Haven's economy was too fragile. (HH2)

He was very well respected among officers of many navies, even of the People's Navy he defected from. He was as much Thomas Theisman's mentor as Raoul Courvosier was Honor Harrington's. (HH10)

Biography[]

Yu was born around 1839. His family had been Dolists since around 1800 PD. He was able to leave the prole housing complex and the Basic Living Stipend behind when he entered People's Navy Academy. Not many non-Legislaturalists were able to become officers in the PN, but Yu was able to fight his away in, working his way through the ranks by merit, which was a rarity in the People's Republic era. During his time at the academy, he was almost caught with history tapes from the Pre-People's Republic era, which were illegal at the time. He considered it one of the most terrifying events in his life.

In 1903 PD, Yu held the rank of Captain and was in command of PNS Saladin. He went to Masada with the rest of his crew, where Saladin and PNS Breslau were transferred to the Masadan Navy as gifts, under the names MNS Thunder of God and MNS Principality. Yu helped press the issue of Operation Jericho with the Masadan Council of Elders, where he argued that Manticore might or might not intervene.[1]

Captain Yu was able to pick some of the more senior officers for Operation Jericho. He chose officers who displayed nearly the same qualities that he saw in himself.

During his assignment, Yu respected the rank of Sword of the Faithful Matthew Simonds, the Masadan liaison. He warned Simonds that the time to proceed with Operation Jericho was now, especially when Manticore and Grayson formalized their alliance. Yu did not agree on how his new superiors liked to keep their junior officers waiting to exercise their authority. He was confident that could handle any ship of the Royal Manticoran Navy, whether a destroyer or a heavy cruiser. Personally, he did not like covert operations, and believed that some higher officer had underestimated the Masadans, or lied to him.

During the First Battle of Yeltsin's Star, Yu was at the CIC on Thunder of God. During the battle, he got frustrated with the Masadans because they would not use the Havenite vessels to their full potential[2]. He gave the advice that Admiral Ernst Franks should bypass HMS Madrigal and go after the Grayson survivors, but Sword Simonds refused, which led to severe Masadan losses during Madrigal's last stand.

After the battle, Yu argued for the invasion of Grayson, but it was decided to suspend it because of the battle losses. Simonds accused Yu of overstating Thunder of God's capabilities. Thunder and Principality spent their time shuttling Masadan LACs through hyper to reinforce Blackbird Base.[3] (HH2ch.17)

At the time of the Battle of Blackbird, Captain Yu and Thunder of God were forty hours overdue. Afterward, Yu informed Ambassador Lacy about the defeat at Blackbird. They decided to cease offensive operations and revert Thunder of God to PNS Saladin, hoping that the threat of outright war with Haven would deter a Manticoran reprisal against Masada long enough for a diplomatic resolution. Unbeknowst to the Havenites, their conversation was recorded by Deacon Sands, and the Council plotted to seize Thunder for themselves. (HH2ch.27)

The Masadans ordered the use of Thunder of God to transport soldiers to the orbital forts in the Endicott System, a ruse to allow them to take the ship. In the time before the mutiny, Yu was puzzled by the relative silence from the Council and Sword Simonds. However, he then received Commander Manning's message about the Masadan's plan to take over his ship; he ordered a Code: Bounty Four-One, which meant that the ship could not be retaken. He led his crew fighting to the ship's boat bay and on to the pinnaces to escape. Around 160 crew (about 27% of the ship's Havenite complement) were able to escape. (HH2ch.29,30)

After the Second Battle of Yeltsin's Star, Yu and his crew in the pinnaces were picked up by the Royal Manticoran Navy fleet that conquered Masada, and he requested asylum in the Manticoran Alliance. (HH2ch.35)

After the Manticoran Office of Naval Intelligence had debriefed him, the Manticoran Navy "loaned" Yu to Grayson, where the Office of Shipbuilding picked his brains about Havenite ship design. He later accepted a commission in the Grayson Space Navy and was given command of GNS Terrible – as Honor Harrington's flag captain.[4] (HH5)

Once promoted to Vice Admiral, he was the deputy commander of the Protector's Own. However, as Admiral Harrington was only the titular commander, he was the de facto commander of the squadron. (HH9)

Yu was eventually promoted to full admiral and continued in command of the Protector's Own. He brought the squadron to Sidemore Station and helped defeat the Havenite Second Fleet in the Second Battle of Sidemore. (HH10)

In 1920 PD, he attended the funeral of Howard Clinkscales. (HH11)

Yu continued in command of the Protector's Own until at least July 1922 PD after the formation of the Grand Alliance, commanding that force in the Second Battle of Manticore as a part of Grand Fleet. At the debriefing session afterward, he helped his old student Thomas Theisman come to the realization that the Solarian failure to surrender was caused by the same Mesan-engineered nanotech responsible for the deaths of Ambassador James Webster, Lieutenant Timothy Meares, Armsman Simon Mattingly, and Yves Grosclaude, among others. (HH13)

In 1922 PD, he commanded Task Force 3, the Grayson contingent of the Grand Alliance Grand Fleet. (HH14)

In 1923 PD, he was recalled to Grayson and assumed the office of High Admiral of the Grayson Space Navy. (CS4)

Service Record[]

People's Navy[]

Promotions[]

  • Captain

Posts[]

  • Commanding Officer, PNS Saladin

Grayson Space Navy[]

Promotions[]

  • Captain
  • Vice Admiral
  • Admiral

Posts[]

  • Commanding Officer, GNS Terrible
  • Deputy Commanding Officer, Protector's Own Squadron[5]
  • Commanding Officer, Task Force 3, Grand Fleet
  • High Admiral, Grayson Space Navy

References[]

  1. He came to regret that statement during the First Battle of Yeltsin's Star.
  2. He had planned the execution of the battle, briefing the Masadans on the missile technology of the RMN.
  3. The Council of Elders sought to delay further military action against Grayson, to give time for Maccabeus to overthrow the Grayson government without the need for Havenite assistance. (HH2ch.27)
  4. She was initially unsure about him, but Mercedes Brigham's and Nimitz's opinion of him and his obvious competence changed her mind.
  5. de facto CO, due to Honor Harrington's frequent absences from Grayson service.
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