Victor Cachat
Encyclopedia
Victor Cachat is a fictional character
created by writer Eric Flint
for a story featured in an anthology
collection set on David Weber
's Honorverse
series of novels. He has become one of the outstanding agents for the Havenite police agency (Federal Investigations Agency), and later the Havenite intelligence agency (Foreign Intelligence Service).
Cachat was introduced in Eric Flint's short story From the Highlands, which appeared in the Honorverse anthology book Changer of Worlds
. He reappeared in a second story by Flint, Fanatic, in the anthology The Service of the Sword
. Finally, Cachat became a major character in the spin-off novel Crown of Slaves
, written jointly by Flint and Weber. He also made a cameo appearance
in the mainline novel At All Costs
, and was again a major character in the spin-off novel Torch of Freedom
.
Cachat has evolved over the stories from an unsure, naive, 'green' agent on his first assignment to one of the most purely dedicated characters in the series, comparable in professional terms to James Bond, perhaps (though hardly so in his personal life!). He is characterised as a fanatic whose dedication to the task in hand overrides all other factors. The character's apparent lack of empathy contrasts with the equally dedicated but empathic series-heroine, Honor Harrington
. He is also described as having a genius for making up operational plans as he goes along. This contrasts with his Manticoran equivalent, Anton Zilwicki, who thinks through every move in advance. Zilwicki and Cachat feature together in 'From the Highlands', 'Crown of Slaves', 'At All Costs', and 'Torch of Freedom'. In each case they have worked together although, nominally, owing their allegiance to different sides.
capital city of Nouveau Paris, Cachat became a zealous supporter of the Revolution leaders Robert S. Pierre and Oscar Saint-Just
following their seizure of power, believing that the new regime would eradicate all forms of elitism. Once he was old enough, he entered the StateSec Academy to become a security officer. He graduated third in his class at the Academy, gaining a reputation for ruthlessness and efficiency which caught the eye of Oscar Saint-Just himself.
His first posting after graduation was to the StateSec unit in the Havenite Embassy to the Solarian League
on Old Earth. It was on Old Earth where he became a friend and "protegé" of Kevin Usher, a disenchanted Aprilist (revolutionary freedom-fighter) turned Marine, who opened Cachat's eyes to the corruption and brutality of the Pierre regime. Coupled with his StateSec superior's involvement in the kidnapping of a young Manticoran girl as part of a plot to murder two high-ranking survivors of the previous Havenite government, Cachat turned against StateSec, killing a detachment of StateSec troopers and Scrags, thus helping the girl's father, Manticoran Navy Captain Anton Zilwicki, to find her. This became the "Manpower Incident" in which the Manpower offices on Terra were destroyed, and a Manpower Unlimited strike force attacking the Havenite Embassy was entirely wiped out.
Cachat managed to conceal his disenchantment with the regime when he returned to Haven. Unaware of his disaffection, Oscar Saint-Just considered Cachat to be one of his finest young officers, and sent him as a Special Investigator to look into the murder of the most senior StateSec officer in the La Martine Sector. Upon arrival, Cachat began to reorganize both the StateSec units and Fleet Marine units in La Martine, while establishing his authority as the de facto commander of the Sector. When Saint-Just was overthrown, Cachat's reforms ensured that hardcore StateSec elements could not take control of the sector, StateSec or Naval vessels, or attack the Naval Fleet. When the StateSec loyalists were neutralized, Cachat and other StateSec and military officers secured La Martine for the restored Republican government of President Eloise Pritchart
.
After StateSec's dissolution, Cachat was transferred to the newly created Federal Investigations Agency (FIA), the federal police branch of the new Republic's security apparatus, now commanded by his old friend Kevin Usher. He gained recognition as one of Usher's finest men, and was personally selected by Usher to serve as Haven's unofficial representative at the funeral of murdered Solarian reform activist Hieronymus Stein in Erewhon, a mistreated and unhappy member nation of the Manticoran Alliance.
In Erewhon, Cachat patched together a scheme intended to assist in Erewhon's breakaway from its Manticoran Alliance and perhaps even in its cooperation with Haven. After saving Manticoran Princess Ruth Winton and Berry Zilwicki from an attempted kidnapping, Cachat secured the cooperation of the Erewhon political opposition and a group of ambitious Solarian naval officers working for an even more ambitious Solarian governor, together with Captain Zilwicki, a Manticoran heavy cruiser (the Gauntlet), as well as the Audubon ballroom (an anti-slavery terrorist group). Together, using Cachat's impromptu scheme, they mounted a joint attack on the planet Verdant Vista (aka "Congo"), a slave breeding planet owned by the Mesan super corporation Manpower Unlimited. The planet had become a security threat to Erewhon, one that the previous Manticoran Government had promised to help deal with in exchange for Erewhon's membership in the Alliance, a promise that Manticore's High Ridge Government had failed to keep.
Cachat's plan succeeded. Congo was taken and transformed into the independent Kingdom of Torch, becoming a refuge for escaped slaves. The Ballroom served as the armed forces for Torch in its declared war with Mesa. The new nation became also a neutral site between Manticore and Haven, allowing them a chance exchange diplomatic contacts. Cachat's involvement managed to secure Erewhon's break from the Manticoran Alliance, and an association with Haven, though not belligerent participation on the Havenite side. As a result of his success, Cachat transferred to the Federal Intelligence Service and was made station chief for Erewhon and Congo.
These episodes secured Cachat's not entirely non-public reputation as a thoroughly ruthless and efficient secret agent, capable of injuring or killing without qualms if he believed it was necessary for his ideals and the success of his mission.
In terms of a personal life, Victor Cachat is a close friend of his now former boss Kevin Usher and his wife Ginny (who was Cachat's associate in the Erewhon / Congo affair). During that business, he began a romantic relationship with Thandi Palane, then a Solarian Marine Lieutenant who resigned, becoming the commander-in-chief of the Torch armed Forces. The strangest result of the Manpower Incident and the Congo affair is his partnership / friendship with Anton Zilwicki. It is strange because they are, in effect, agents for governments at war with each other. Cachat and Zilwicki have nonetheless found common ground in the fight against Mesa and genetic slavery, and in a commitment to Torch and its new Queen. The two, in fact, set off to chase down some leads on Mesa itself, which could affect the outcome of the war between Haven and Manticore. Upon reaching Mesa, they make contact with a top level official of Mesa's security services, and a top Mesan scientist, both of whom wish to defect. These would-be defectors, one of whom is later killed trying to escape his former employers, provide them with a veritable gold mine of information. Cachat and Zilwicki then just barely succeed in making their own escape from Mesa, with the surviving defector, and are last seen having returned to friendly space, reporting what they have learned to the governments of Haven and then Manticore, leading to an end to the war, and an apparent alliance, between the two, in Mission of Honor.
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...
created by writer Eric Flint
Eric Flint
Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :...
for a story featured in an anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
collection set on 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"....
's 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...
series of novels. He has become one of the outstanding agents for the Havenite police agency (Federal Investigations Agency), and later the Havenite intelligence agency (Foreign Intelligence Service).
Cachat was introduced in Eric Flint's short story From the Highlands, which appeared in the Honorverse anthology book Changer of Worlds
Changer of Worlds
Changer of Worlds, published in 2001, was the third anthology of stories set in the Honorverse.-Contents:The book contains the following stories :Ms...
. He reappeared in a second story by Flint, Fanatic, in the anthology The Service of the Sword
The Service of the Sword
The Service of the Sword, published in 2003, was the fourth anthology of stories set in the fictional Honorverse.The book contains the following stories:"Promised Land" by Jane Lindskold- External links :...
. Finally, Cachat became a major character in the spin-off novel Crown of Slaves
Crown of Slaves
Crown of Slaves is a 2003 novel by David Weber and Eric Flint set in the Honorverse; it has been billed as the first in the Wages of Sin series, spun off from the main Honor Harrington series....
, written jointly by Flint and Weber. He also made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the mainline novel At All Costs
At All Costs
-Plot summary:Due to the actions of the High Ridge government in War of Honor, which led to a successful attack on key Alliance shipyards by the Republic of Haven, the Star Kingdom of Manticore finds itself decidedly on the short end of the strategic balance between the two warring star nations...
, and was again a major character in the spin-off novel Torch of Freedom
Torch of Freedom
Torch of Freedom by David Weber and Eric Flint is a science fiction novel published on November 3, 2009. It is the second book in the Wages of Sin series which runs parallel to the main Honor Harrington series. It is the sequel to the 2003 novel Crown of Slaves, also by David Weber and Eric Flint...
.
Cachat has evolved over the stories from an unsure, naive, 'green' agent on his first assignment to one of the most purely dedicated characters in the series, comparable in professional terms to James Bond, perhaps (though hardly so in his personal life!). He is characterised as a fanatic whose dedication to the task in hand overrides all other factors. The character's apparent lack of empathy contrasts with the equally dedicated but empathic series-heroine, Honor Harrington
Honor 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....
. He is also described as having a genius for making up operational plans as he goes along. This contrasts with his Manticoran equivalent, Anton Zilwicki, who thinks through every move in advance. Zilwicki and Cachat feature together in 'From the Highlands', 'Crown of Slaves', 'At All Costs', and 'Torch of Freedom'. In each case they have worked together although, nominally, owing their allegiance to different sides.
Character biography
Born in the Dolist slums of the HavenitePeople's Republic 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....
capital city of Nouveau Paris, Cachat became a zealous supporter of the Revolution leaders Robert S. Pierre and Oscar Saint-Just
Oscar Saint-Just
Oscar Saint-Just is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber. His name is most likely a reference to Louis de Saint-Just, an important figure in the French Revolution, who sat in the Comité de Salut Public with Robespierre.As First...
following their seizure of power, believing that the new regime would eradicate all forms of elitism. Once he was old enough, he entered the StateSec Academy to become a security officer. He graduated third in his class at the Academy, gaining a reputation for ruthlessness and efficiency which caught the eye of Oscar Saint-Just himself.
His first posting after graduation was to the StateSec unit in the Havenite Embassy to the Solarian League
Solarian League
The Solarian League 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.- Overview :...
on Old Earth. It was on Old Earth where he became a friend and "protegé" of Kevin Usher, a disenchanted Aprilist (revolutionary freedom-fighter) turned Marine, who opened Cachat's eyes to the corruption and brutality of the Pierre regime. Coupled with his StateSec superior's involvement in the kidnapping of a young Manticoran girl as part of a plot to murder two high-ranking survivors of the previous Havenite government, Cachat turned against StateSec, killing a detachment of StateSec troopers and Scrags, thus helping the girl's father, Manticoran Navy Captain Anton Zilwicki, to find her. This became the "Manpower Incident" in which the Manpower offices on Terra were destroyed, and a Manpower Unlimited strike force attacking the Havenite Embassy was entirely wiped out.
Cachat managed to conceal his disenchantment with the regime when he returned to Haven. Unaware of his disaffection, Oscar Saint-Just considered Cachat to be one of his finest young officers, and sent him as a Special Investigator to look into the murder of the most senior StateSec officer in the La Martine Sector. Upon arrival, Cachat began to reorganize both the StateSec units and Fleet Marine units in La Martine, while establishing his authority as the de facto commander of the Sector. When Saint-Just was overthrown, Cachat's reforms ensured that hardcore StateSec elements could not take control of the sector, StateSec or Naval vessels, or attack the Naval Fleet. When the StateSec loyalists were neutralized, Cachat and other StateSec and military officers secured La Martine for the restored Republican government of President Eloise Pritchart
Eloise Pritchart
Eloise Pritchart is a fictional character in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber. She was introduced in the series' sixth novel, Honor Among Enemies as a People's Commissioner assigned to watch over a leading Havenite admiral.A native of the People's...
.
After StateSec's dissolution, Cachat was transferred to the newly created Federal Investigations Agency (FIA), the federal police branch of the new Republic's security apparatus, now commanded by his old friend Kevin Usher. He gained recognition as one of Usher's finest men, and was personally selected by Usher to serve as Haven's unofficial representative at the funeral of murdered Solarian reform activist Hieronymus Stein in Erewhon, a mistreated and unhappy member nation of the Manticoran Alliance.
In Erewhon, Cachat patched together a scheme intended to assist in Erewhon's breakaway from its Manticoran Alliance and perhaps even in its cooperation with Haven. After saving Manticoran Princess Ruth Winton and Berry Zilwicki from an attempted kidnapping, Cachat secured the cooperation of the Erewhon political opposition and a group of ambitious Solarian naval officers working for an even more ambitious Solarian governor, together with Captain Zilwicki, a Manticoran heavy cruiser (the Gauntlet), as well as the Audubon ballroom (an anti-slavery terrorist group). Together, using Cachat's impromptu scheme, they mounted a joint attack on the planet Verdant Vista (aka "Congo"), a slave breeding planet owned by the Mesan super corporation Manpower Unlimited. The planet had become a security threat to Erewhon, one that the previous Manticoran Government had promised to help deal with in exchange for Erewhon's membership in the Alliance, a promise that Manticore's High Ridge Government had failed to keep.
Cachat's plan succeeded. Congo was taken and transformed into the independent Kingdom of Torch, becoming a refuge for escaped slaves. The Ballroom served as the armed forces for Torch in its declared war with Mesa. The new nation became also a neutral site between Manticore and Haven, allowing them a chance exchange diplomatic contacts. Cachat's involvement managed to secure Erewhon's break from the Manticoran Alliance, and an association with Haven, though not belligerent participation on the Havenite side. As a result of his success, Cachat transferred to the Federal Intelligence Service and was made station chief for Erewhon and Congo.
These episodes secured Cachat's not entirely non-public reputation as a thoroughly ruthless and efficient secret agent, capable of injuring or killing without qualms if he believed it was necessary for his ideals and the success of his mission.
In terms of a personal life, Victor Cachat is a close friend of his now former boss Kevin Usher and his wife Ginny (who was Cachat's associate in the Erewhon / Congo affair). During that business, he began a romantic relationship with Thandi Palane, then a Solarian Marine Lieutenant who resigned, becoming the commander-in-chief of the Torch armed Forces. The strangest result of the Manpower Incident and the Congo affair is his partnership / friendship with Anton Zilwicki. It is strange because they are, in effect, agents for governments at war with each other. Cachat and Zilwicki have nonetheless found common ground in the fight against Mesa and genetic slavery, and in a commitment to Torch and its new Queen. The two, in fact, set off to chase down some leads on Mesa itself, which could affect the outcome of the war between Haven and Manticore. Upon reaching Mesa, they make contact with a top level official of Mesa's security services, and a top Mesan scientist, both of whom wish to defect. These would-be defectors, one of whom is later killed trying to escape his former employers, provide them with a veritable gold mine of information. Cachat and Zilwicki then just barely succeed in making their own escape from Mesa, with the surviving defector, and are last seen having returned to friendly space, reporting what they have learned to the governments of Haven and then Manticore, leading to an end to the war, and an apparent alliance, between the two, in Mission of Honor.