Pavel Young
Encyclopedia
Lord Pavel Young, Eleventh Earl
of North Hollow, is a fictional character
in the Honorverse
, a series of military science fiction
novels written by David Weber
. He fulfills the role of villain
on almost every appearance he makes. He appears on three novels: On Basilisk Station
, The Short Victorious War
and Field of Dishonor
. Overly arrogant due to his birth, family fortune and political power, Pavel Young is a cruel individual and a pathological womanizer. He raped the pilot of his father's personal yacht when he was only sixteen, and was covered by his father.
, in whom he took an interest. When she resisted his advances, he attempted to rape her, for which she beat him into unconsciousness. Because Honor refused to press charges out of humiliation, Young was reprimanded for conduct unbecoming
and forced to apologize to Midshipwoman Harrington. He and his father would later take actions to stall Honor's naval career.
Thanks to political patronage and in spite of his questionable abilities as an officer, Young advanced quickly through the ranks of the Royal Navy, becoming commanding officer of the heavy cruiser HMS Warlock. Despite this, he was despised by admirals and officers alike both for his character and his incompetence, and was sent with his ship to picket the Navy's Basilisk Station: a posting considered to be the dumpster of the Royal Navy.
plot to seize control of the Basilisk System, using a Q-ship
which Young had previously cleared as an innocent merchantman. Once again reprimanded, this time for abandoning his assigned station, Young and Warlock were assigned to deep space patrols along the Silesian Confederacy
.
After the battle of Hancock Station, Pavel Young was placed under arrest pending a court martial, and charged with cowardice in the face of the enemy, disobeying direct orders and compromising the defenses of the force to which he was assigned: charges which would sentence him to death. However, his extremely influential father, a politician in a small party allied to the Prime Minister, threatened to go to the Opposition if his son was condemned, thus depriving the Prime Minister of votes he desperately needed to formally declare war on Haven. This was compounded by the fact that Honor, while flag captain, was not technically in command of the task group when giving the order.
As a solution of compromise, Young was acquitted in those charges which were punishable by death, and was only demoted and dishonorably discharged from the Navy. However, the shock of his discharge caused his father to suffer a fatal heart attack. Young inherited his title, becoming the eleventh Earl of North Hollow. He hired the Prime Minister's distant cousin, Denver Summervale, to kill Honor's first love (and Young's former executive officer on Warlock) Paul Tankersley
, in order to punish her for his humiliation.
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
of North Hollow, is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Honorverse
Honorverse
The Honorverse refers to the military science fiction book series and sub-series created by David Weber and published by Baen Books. The series is set primarily after Honor Harrington's October 1, 3961, birth; although she is the protagonist in most of the stories, more recent entries make only...
, a series of military science fiction
Military science fiction
Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth...
novels written by David Weber
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
. He fulfills the role of villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
on almost every appearance he makes. He appears on three novels: On Basilisk Station
On Basilisk Station
The first novel in David Weber's popular Honor Harrington series, On Basilisk Station, follows Commander Honor Harrington and Her Majesty’s light cruiser Fearless during their assignment to the Basilisk system...
, The Short Victorious War
The Short Victorious War
The Short Victorious War is the third Honor Harrington novel by David Weber. Its title comes from a quotation by Vyacheslav von Plehve in reference to the Russo-Japanese War: "What this country needs is a short, victorious war to stem the tide of revolution." That quotation is one of the novel's...
and Field of Dishonor
Field of Dishonor
Field of Dishonor is a science fiction novel, the fourth in David Weber's Honor Harrington series. It is notable for being the only book in the series to not feature space warfare.- Plot summary :...
Early Life
The eldest son of Lord Dimitri Young, Tenth Earl of North Hollow, Pavel Young was born heir to one of the oldest earldoms in the Star Kingdom of ManticoreStar Kingdom of Manticore
The Star Kingdom of Manticore , frequently referred to as Manticore or the Star Kingdom, is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse series of military science fiction novels and short stories by David Weber and others, published by Baen Books.- Depiction :The Star Kingdom was founded in the...
. Overly arrogant due to his birth, family fortune and political power, Pavel Young is a cruel individual and a pathological womanizer. He raped the pilot of his father's personal yacht when he was only sixteen, and was covered by his father.
At the Academy
Deciding to become an officer in the Royal Manticoran Navy, Young attended Saganami Naval Academy and was one year ahead of Honor HarringtonHonor Harrington
Honor Stephanie Alexander-Harrington is a fictional character, the heroine of a series of military science fiction books set in the "Honorverse", written by David Weber and published by Baen Books....
, in whom he took an interest. When she resisted his advances, he attempted to rape her, for which she beat him into unconsciousness. Because Honor refused to press charges out of humiliation, Young was reprimanded for conduct unbecoming
Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman
Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman is an offense subject to court martial defined in the punitive code, Article 133, of the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice , enacted at ....
and forced to apologize to Midshipwoman Harrington. He and his father would later take actions to stall Honor's naval career.
Thanks to political patronage and in spite of his questionable abilities as an officer, Young advanced quickly through the ranks of the Royal Navy, becoming commanding officer of the heavy cruiser HMS Warlock. Despite this, he was despised by admirals and officers alike both for his character and his incompetence, and was sent with his ship to picket the Navy's Basilisk Station: a posting considered to be the dumpster of the Royal Navy.
Basilisk Station
In 1900 PD (4003 AD), the light cruiser HMS Fearless, commanded by Honor Harrington, was also assigned to Basilisk Station. Seeing a chance to take revenge on the woman who humiliated him, Captain Young faked a request for "urgent repairs" and returned with Warlock to Manticore, leaving Fearless and Honor with the impossible task of keeping Basilisk Station in order, hoping to ruin her career when she failed to do so. His plan backfired as Honor implemented new measures using the scarce resources at hand and managed to enforce regulations and put a halt to smuggling, earning a commendations and the thanks of the local Manticoran authorities, ultimately foiling a HaveniteRepublic of Haven
The Republic of Haven is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse, the background setting for a series of novels and short stories in the military science fiction genre, written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books....
plot to seize control of the Basilisk System, using a Q-ship
Q-ship
Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels, Special Service Ships, or Mystery Ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them...
which Young had previously cleared as an innocent merchantman. Once again reprimanded, this time for abandoning his assigned station, Young and Warlock were assigned to deep space patrols along the Silesian Confederacy
Silesian Confederacy
The Silesian Confederacy is a fictional star-nation in the Honorverse, the background setting for a series of novels and short stories in the military science fiction genre, written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books.- History :...
.
Hancock Station and Discharge
Young returned to Honor's life four years later, during the crisis period prior to the outbreak of open war with Haven. Still in command of Warlock, Young was ordered to proceed to Hancock Station, where Honor was serving under the command of Rear Admiral Mark Sarnow as commanding officer of the flagship battlecruiser HMS Nike. When the Havenites attacked Hancock in the first battle of the war and Sarnow's task force was withdrawing under heavy enemy fire (thus drawing the Havenites to a point where Manticoran reinforcements could trap them), Young inherited the command of his squadron when its CO died. Panicked, he ordered his ships to scatter, disrupting the task force defenses. Even more, Young rejected an order by Honor to return to formation, and withdrew with Warlock to the protests and outrage of his own crew.After the battle of Hancock Station, Pavel Young was placed under arrest pending a court martial, and charged with cowardice in the face of the enemy, disobeying direct orders and compromising the defenses of the force to which he was assigned: charges which would sentence him to death. However, his extremely influential father, a politician in a small party allied to the Prime Minister, threatened to go to the Opposition if his son was condemned, thus depriving the Prime Minister of votes he desperately needed to formally declare war on Haven. This was compounded by the fact that Honor, while flag captain, was not technically in command of the task group when giving the order.
As a solution of compromise, Young was acquitted in those charges which were punishable by death, and was only demoted and dishonorably discharged from the Navy. However, the shock of his discharge caused his father to suffer a fatal heart attack. Young inherited his title, becoming the eleventh Earl of North Hollow. He hired the Prime Minister's distant cousin, Denver Summervale, to kill Honor's first love (and Young's former executive officer on Warlock) Paul Tankersley
Paul Tankersley
Paul Tankersley is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber.He was a cousin of Michelle Henke, though not on the side related to the royal family. His family was quite wealthy...
, in order to punish her for his humiliation.