Crown of Slaves
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Crown of Slaves, published in 2003, is a novel 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.
It features Honor herself only in a cameo role: other characters from the novels and several short stories take centre stage. These include Captain Anton Zilwicki and his adopted daughter Berry, introduced in From the Highlands, and Ruth Winton, introduced in Promised Land. "Jeremy X", the terrorist leader of the Audubon Ballroom, and Victor Cachat, one of the Republic of Haven's most capable agents, also appear.
The novel continues the events that happened on From the Highlands, and is set over the background of the fight against genetic slavery.
The story begins after the truce between Manticore and Haven. Captain Zilwicki, his adopted daughter Berry and Princess Ruth Winton are sent as Manticore's official representatives to the funeral of a notorious Solarian anti-slavery activist, which will take place in Erewhon, a disgruntled member of the Manticoran Alliance.
Erewhon's location between Manticore, Haven and the Solarian League makes it a place where agents from the different star nations can play the intelligence game. From the first moment, Zilwicki, Berry and Ruth get entangled in a complex situation involving Havenite agents, ambitious Solarian Navy officers, violent Masadan mercenaries, the Audubon Ballroom and the powerful Mesan corporation Manpower Unlimited.
It all comes to a head with an attempted kidnapping on Berry Zilwicki and Ruth Winton. After Manpower's involvement is discovered, a haphazard alliance between the Manticorans, Solarians Havenites and the Ballroom launch an attack on the Mesan-owned planet Verdant Vista, popularly known as "Congo".
The planet is taken from Manpower's hands, and it is decided to transform it into an independent nation of its own for escaped slaves, so that the conflict against Mesa may have a nation sponsoring it. The novel ends with Berry Zilwicki being crowned as Berry I, Queen of the new Kingdom of Torch
