A Grand Tour

"A Grand Tour"Named for the Old Earth early modern practice of the "Grand Tour", where young aristocrats would travel across Europe for an educational and cultural experience, written by David Drake, is the second short story in the first Honorverse anthology More Than Honor, first published in 1998.
== Plot ==
Lord Sir Hakon Nessler, 14th Earl of Greatgap, travels to the remote planet Hope with Edith Mincio, his university tutor and occasional gambling teacher, to do research on an ancient race known as the Alphanes. While there, he hears of the destruction of HMS L'Imperieuse by the Havenite cruiser Rienzi.
Nessler plots to gain control of the Melungeon light cruiser Colonel Arabi and crew it with the survivors of the Manticoran crew and Melungeon workers, with himself commanding the vessel he renamed HMS Ajax. Although the Ajax is completely unfit for combat due to the neglect of its original owners, Nessler and his crew manage to bluff the crew of Rienzi into mutinying and abandoning and scuttling the ship.
== Background ==
This is a story with few links to any other in the Honorverse setting. Careful reading may reveal similarities to the first novel in David Drake's RCN Series, in the characters, style, and attitude. Both were published in 1998. Indeed Drake confirmed that "A Grand Tour" is in fact the conceptual antecendant of the first RCN novel, With the Lightnings, with Lord Nessler in the position of Lieutenant Leary and Edith Mincio in that of Adele Mundy.
While the Honor Harrington novels were influenced by C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series, Drake's RCN series is based on the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian.
== References ==
=== Characters ===
Arlemont | 
Beresford | 
Bowen | 
Carabus | 
Carswell | 
Dawtry | 
DeKyper | 
Dismore | 
Gedrosian | 
Leona Harpe | 
Holdt | 
Kalpriades | 
Kapp | 
Denise Kawalec | 
Larrup | 
Edith Mincio | 
Hakon Nessler | 
Orloff | 
Rovald | 
Royston | 
Baruch Singh | 
Lalita Singh | 
Sharra Singh
=== Starships ===
* Colonel Arabi a.k.a. HMS Ajax
* Jerobahm
* HMS L'Imperieuse
* PNS Rienzi
=== Planets ===
* Air
* Hope
* Krishnaputra
* Tellico
=== Nations ===
* People's Republic of Haven
* Grand Duchy of Melungeon
* Star Kingdom of Manticore
* Solarian League
* Teutonic Order
=== Other ===
Alcohol catalyzer | 
Alphanes | 
Air System | 
Bakersfield Cordillera | 
Kuepersburg | 
poker | 
Republic of Haven Navy | 
Royal Bank of Manticore | 
Royal Manticoran Navy | 
Sector 12 | 
Skanderbeg University | 
Survey of the Alphane Worlds | 
Teutonic Order
== References ==
Category:Honorverse material
Category:Short Stories