Downbelow Station
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 Cover of first edition (hardcover) |
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| Author | C. J. Cherryh |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
| Released | 1981 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 438 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 8-470-02376-4 |
| Preceded by | Heavy Time, Hellburner |
Downbelow Station is a science fiction novel written by C. J. Cherryh and published in 1981 by DAW Books. It won the 1982 Hugo Award for Best Novel, and was named by Locus Magazine as one of the top 50 science fiction novels of all time in 1987.
The book is set in Cherryh's Alliance-Union universe during the Company Wars period, specifically late 2352 and early 2353. The book details events centering on a space station in orbit around Pell's World (also known as "Downbelow") in the Tau Ceti star system. The station serves as the transit point for ships moving between the Earth and Union sectors of the galaxy.
The working title of the book was The Company War, but Cherryh's editor at DAW, Donald A. Wollheim, believed that the moniker lacked commercial appeal, so Downbelow Station was selected as the title for publication.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Space is explored not by short-sighted governments, but by the Earth Company, a private corporation which becomes enormously wealthy and powerful as a result. Nine star systems are found to lack planets suitable for colonization, so space stations are built in orbit instead, stepping-stones for further exploration. Then, Pell's World is found to be not only habitable, but already populated by the gentle, sentient (if technologically backward) Hisa. Pell Station is built. The planet is nicknamed "Downbelow" by the stationers, who also start to call their home "Downbelow Station".
When Earth's out-of-touch policies cause it to begin losing control of its more distant stations and worlds, it builds a fleet of fifty military carriers, the Earth Company Fleet, to enforce its will. This leads to the prolonged Company War with the breakaway Union, based at Cyteen, another hospitable world. Caught in between are the stationers and the merchanters who man the freighters that maintain interstellar trade.
Set in the final days of the war, Downbelow Station opens with Earth Company Captain Signy Mallory and her warship, Norway, escorting a ragtag fleet fleeing from Russell's and Mariner Stations to Pell. Similar convoys arrive from other stations destroyed or lost to Union, leading to an enormous crisis. The flood of unexpected refugees strains station resources. Angelo Konstantin, Stationmaster of Pell, and his two sons, Damon and Emilio, struggle to cope with the situation. Fearing Union infiltrators and saboteurs, Pell dumps all the refugees in a Quarantine Zone, causing massive dislocations of Pell's own citizens.
While conferring with Pell's administrators, Mallory encounters a delegation from the Earth Company, led by Segust Ayres, Second Secretary of Earth's Security Council. Offended by her brusque, arrogant manner, Ayres declines her offer of transportation to the front and charters a freighter instead. Unbeknownst to Mallory, Ayres' mission is to open peace negotiations with Union.
Mallory also drops off a Union prisoner of war, Josh Talley, whom she had rescued from a brutal interrogation by panicked security forces at Russell's. However, on the voyage to Pell, her personal exploitation of him had been only marginally less abusive. Faced with indefinite confinement on Pell, Talley requests Adjustment, the wiping of much of his memory, in return for his freedom. When questioned by Damon Konstantin, he reveals that he had already undergone the treatment once before, at Russell's, so Konstantin reluctantly gives his permission. Still feeling guilty for agreeing, he and his wife Elene Quen befriend the post-Adjustment Talley, an act of kindness that will have monumental, unforeseen consequences.
Jon Lukas, Angelo Konstantin's brother-in-law and only rival for power, is worried about the course of the war. The Fleet has received little or no support from an indifferent Earth and is gradually losing a war of attrition. He secretly contacts Union, offering to hand Pell over. Union responds by smuggling in a secret agent named Jessad.
Meanwhile, the last ten surviving Fleet ships gather for the most critical operation of the war. All of Mazian's recent strategic maneuvers and raids have been leading up to this point. If they can take out Voyager Station in one coordinated strike before their enemy's growing numerical superiority can overwhelm them, there would be a wide, barren region between Earth and Union space, one which would make further conflict vastly more costly for Union.
Seb Azov, the Union military commander, has no choice but to gather his forces at Voyager to await Mazian's anticipated attack. However, he has an ace up his sleeve. He has pressured Ayres into recording a message ordering Mazian to break off while peace is being negotiated. When Mazian strikes, Ayres' broadcasted order does indeed force him to abort and the Fleet retreats to Pell in confusion.
Mazian meets with his captains and gives them the choice of accepting a peace treaty that essentially concedes victory to Union or rebelling against Earth and continuing to fight. They all remain loyal to their leader. One of Mazian's first acts is to place Pell under martial law.
The Fleet is now forced to defend Downbelow Station, its only reliable base and supply source. Union forces attack and destroy two ships out on patrol. While Union suffers casualties as well, it can replace its losses, unlike Mazian. Counting one carrier lost earlier in the debacle at Voyager, he has just seven ships left.
Under cover of the panic on the station caused by the battle in space, Lukas makes his move, killing and supplanting his hated rival, Angelo Konstantin. To escape rioting refugees, Elene Quen is forced to board Finity's End, one of the most respected merchanter ships. The freighters flee the battle zone, but Quen convinces most of them to band together, for safety and to maximize their leverage whatever happens. Damon survives his uncle's assassination attempt and links up with Talley. Together, they manage to hide from Lukas; in fact, Talley discovers he is surprisingly good at it.
Eventually, they are contacted by Jessad, and Talley finds out why. He and Jessad are the same kind: azi, artificially bred and trained for espionage and sabotage. They are discovered by Fleet marines; Jessad is killed, while Konstantin and Talley are captured and taken to Mallory.
She receives orders from Mazian to quietly dispose of Konstantin. Lukas does the Fleet's bidding with far less scruples, so Konstantin is superfluous, even dangerous. Mazian is preparing to disable and abandon Downbelow Station. He has another goal in mind: to take over Earth itself in a surprise coup d'etat. The wrecking of Pell would create a firebreak with Union, playing the role he had originally intended for Voyager.
Mallory has different ideas. Mazian has gone too far for her to stomach. She abruptly undocks from Pell and deserts. Mallory finds the Union forces and persuades Azov to unleash them against her former comrades. Talley is instrumental in convincing Azov of Mallory's truthfulness.
Mazian can't afford a costly fight, so the Fleet sets off for Earth prematurely. Azov needs to pursue him, but is unwilling to leave Norway intact behind him. The tense standoff is broken by a timely arrival; Quen returns with the united merchanter fleet and claims Pell for the newborn Merchanter's Alliance, with Norway as its militia. Without the authority to deal with this new development and unwilling to fight the merchanters, Azov leaves to deal with Mazian.
The end of the Company War is at last in sight, much to the relief of the Konstantins, the merchanters and the residents of Downbelow Station.
[edit] Characters in Downbelow Station
- Earth Company personnel
- Signy Mallory, female captain of the Earth Company Ship ECS5 Norway and the third most senior captain in the Earth Company Fleet
- Conrad Mazian, flamboyant, brilliant commander of the Earth Company Fleet
- Segust Ayres, Second Secretary of the Earth Company Security Council
- Pell stationers
- Angelo Konstantin, Stationmaster of Pell Station
- Alicia Lukas Konstantin, wife of Angelo Konstantin, sister of Jon Lukas
- Damon Konstantin, son of Angelo and Alicia; head of Legal Affairs
- Elene Quen, a former merchanter, wife of Damon Konstantin
- Emilio Konstantin, son of Angelo and Alicia
- Jon Lukas, head of the Lukas family, rivals of the Konstantins
- Union personnel
- Joshua Talley, a prisoner of war who ends up at Pell
- Jessad, a secret agent
- Seb Azov, Union military commander; Mazian's opposite number
[edit] Downbelow Station as military science fiction
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[edit] The Company War board game
The Company War is a board game based on Downbelow Station. It was developed by Bill Fawcett and James D. Griffin and published by Mayfair Games in 1983. Cherryh endorsed the game and contributed an introductory essay and star maps.
The game is for two to four players and can be completed in about an hour. It is played on a large board depicting Union-Alliance space with jump-points and space stations. Union and Earth Company ships, represented by counters, are moved about the board via dice. The aim of the game is to collect the most points by transporting goods between stations and destroying enemy ships.
An unofficial variant of the game (with Cherryh and Fawcett's permission), Advanced Company War, was developed by Christopher Weuve in 1997 [1].
[edit] References
- C. J. Cherryh (2001). Downbelow Station (20th anniversary edition). Daw Books. ISBN 0-7564-0059-7.
[edit] External links
- Board Game Geek. The Company War.
Science Fiction Novels: Gate of Ivrel (1976) • Brothers of Earth (1976) • Hunter of Worlds (1977) • The Faded Sun: Kesrith (1978) • The Faded Sun: Shon'jir (1978) • Well of Shiuan (1978) • The Faded Sun: Kutath (1979) • Fires of Azeroth (1979) • Hestia (1979) • Serpent's Reach (1980) • Wave Without a Shore (1981) • Downbelow Station (1981) • The Pride of Chanur (1981) • Merchanter's Luck (1982) • Port Eternity (1982) • Forty Thousand in Gehenna (1983) • Chanur's Venture (1984) • Voyager in Night (1984) • Angel With the Sword (1985) • Cuckoo's Egg (1985) • The Kif Strike Back (1985) • Chanur's Homecoming (1986) • Cyteen (1988) • Exile's Gate (1988) • Rimrunners (1989) • Heavy Time (1991) • Chanur's Legacy (1992) • Hellburner (1992) • Foreigner (1994) • Tripoint (1994) • Invader (1995) • Rider at the Gate (1995) • Cloud's Rider (1996) • Inheritor (1996) • Finity's End (1997) • Precursor (1999) • Defender (2001) • Hammerfall (2001) • Explorer (2003) • Forge of Heaven (2004) • Destroyer (2005) • Pretender (2006) • Deliverer (2007)
Fantasy Novels: The Dreamstone (1983) • The Tree of Swords and Jewels (1983) • The Gates of Hell (1986) • Kings in Hell (1987) • Legions of Hell (1987) • The Paladin (1988) • Rusalka (1989) • Chernevog (1990) • Yvgenie (1991) • The Goblin Mirror (1992) • Faery in Shadow (1993) • Fortress in the Eye of Time (1995) • Lois & Clark: A Superman Novel (1996) • Fortress of Eagles (1998) • Fortress of Owls (1999) • Fortress of Dragons (2000) • Fortress of Ice (2006)
Short Story Collections: Sunfall (1981) • Visible Light (1986) • Glass and Amber (1987) • The Collected Short Fiction of C. J. Cherryh (2004)
