Downbelow Station is a science fiction novel by American writer C. J. Cherryh , published in 1981 by DAW Books . It won the Hugo Award in 1982, was shortlisted for a Locus Award that same year, and was named by Locus magazine as one of the top 50 science fiction novels of all time in 1987.
112-627: 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
224-506: A military junta . Five days following the coup, factory workers around Yangon (a region in Myanmar) held protests against the coup regime. On 14 March, security forces killed upwards of sixty-five protestors in the town of Hlaingtharyar. As a result, the military junta declared martial law over the region of Yangon, including over the majority of industrial zones. As of 22 February 2023, Myanmar's military junta has declared martial law over
336-615: A State of Martial Law in the Philippines") was signed on 21 September 1972 and came into force on 23 September. The official reason behind the declaration was to suppress increasing civil strife and the threat of a communist takeover , particularly after a series of bombings (including the Plaza Miranda bombing ) and an assassination attempt on Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile in Mandaluyong . The policy of martial law
448-496: A different legal construct, such as a state of emergency . Martial law has also been imposed during conflicts, and in cases of occupations, where the absence of any other civil government provides for an unstable population. Examples of this form of military rule include post World War II reconstruction in Germany and Japan, the recovery and reconstruction of the former Confederate States of America during Reconstruction Era in
560-580: 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 habitable world. Caught in between are the stationers and the merchanters who crew 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
672-520: A given distance from a person's registered place of residence, and curfew , administrative detentions , and expulsions were common. Although the military administration was officially for geographical areas, and not people, its restrictions were seldom enforced on the Jewish residents of these areas. In the early 1950s, martial law ceased to be in effect for those Arab citizens living in predominantly Jewish cities of Jaffa , Ramla , and Lod , constituting
784-453: A message ordering Mazian to break off while peace is being negotiated. When Mazian strikes, Ayres' broadcast 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 as per Ayres' broadcast or rebelling against Earth and continuing to fight that
896-491: A military activity in Aceh , under the order of the president , Indonesian Army Chief imposed martial law for a period of six months to eliminate Acehnese separatists. On 7 September 1978, in response to public demonstrations protesting the perceived government involvement in the death of the son of Ayatollah Khomeini, Mostafa Khomeini , Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi appointed Chief of Army Staff General Gholam Ali Oveisi as
1008-420: A period of civil unrest in 1968 as an emergency measure, has never been repealed and is still used by the police force there to this day. The system, which has no apparent foundation in the constitution of Mauritius, enables the police to arrest without having to demonstrate reasonable suspicion that a crime has been carried out but simply on the submission of "provisional information" to the magistrate. The accused
1120-402: 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
1232-563: 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
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#17327797608471344-510: A total of 50 townships in the regions of Chin, Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Mon States, Yangon and Mandalay. News reports indicate that since the military coup in February 2021, and the subsequent declaration of martial law in Myanmar regions, military tribunals have sentenced more than 100 people to death. Reports further indicate that a total of three townships in Myanmar's northwest reside under
1456-732: A total of approximately 15% of the Arab population of Israel. But military rule remained in place on the remaining Arab population elsewhere within Israel until 1966. This period is remembered for its extreme crackdown on political rights, as well as unaccountable military brutality. Most political and civil organization was prohibited. Flying of Palestinian flag , as well as other expressions of Palestinian patriotism were prohibited. Furthermore, despite theoretical guarantee of full political rights, military government personnel frequently made threats against Arabs citizens if they did not vote in elections for
1568-480: Is a fictional universe created by American writer C. J. Cherryh . It is the setting for a future history series extending from the 21st century into the far future . To date, the corpus of the Alliance–Union universe consists of 27 science fiction novels along with a series of seven short story anthologies edited by Cherryh and a few other miscellaneous works. It encompasses both books for which Cherryh won
1680-464: Is a cultural and psychological division between the unengineered citizen population ("CITs" or "born-men") and the azi. Azi are treated by CITs on a continuum between outright slavery and the companionship of equals; in many ways they are treated like children, since they are vulnerable to stimuli that lie outside the coping abilities of their artificially-constructed psychologies. The majority view in Union
1792-778: Is a law in Finnish legislation, enacted in accordance with the constitutional procedure. The purpose of the Act is to give the authorities sufficient powers in times of war and other exceptional circumstances. During a state of defence (war), there is also the Defence Status Act, the provisions of which override the Preparedness Act. Together, the two laws form the Emergency Preparedness Act. The current Emergency Preparedness Act and its predecessor of
1904-497: Is found to harbor a population descended from a secret Union military mission deliberately abandoned there to deny the Alliance an easy acquisition. Meanwhile, within Union, two political factions vie to determine its future. Unbeknownst to either, brilliant scientist and political leader Ariane Emory has her own agenda. The events depicted in the first books in the series, Heavy Time and Hellburner , take place shortly after
2016-744: Is given through an Enabling Act of the Parliament, it is inherently subject to the above decision. During the British Raj , Martial law was effectively declared in the Defense of India Act, 1915 and the Defense of India Act, 1939 . It was also declared in most of the Punjab during 1919 as a response to tensions caused by the Amritsar Massacre . These tensions were caused due to the controversial Rowlatt Act . On 18 May 2003, during
2128-465: Is his preference. 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 Viking, he has just seven ships left. Under cover of
2240-460: Is isolated, forsaken by the rest of humanity because of poor interstellar relations with an aggressive alien species, the Sharrh. Due to this, the level of technology on the planet is quite backwards for the 33rd century. For example, most personal weaponry is of the knife or sword variety; relatively few firearms are available and in any case nothing more advanced than a revolver. Merovin features in
2352-532: Is restored in Egypt". Before martial law, the Egyptian parliament under the constitution had the civilian power to declare a state of emergency. When in martial law, the military gained all powers of the state, including to dissolve the parliament and suspend the constitution as it did in its fifth announcement. Under martial law, the only legal framework within the Egyptian territory was the numbered announcements from
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#17327797608472464-469: Is revealed that they have discovered another habitable world and are establishing a colony there. As the danger of the Mazianni recedes, a new rivalry develops, between the Alliance and Union. Union resents the treaty restrictions, while the Alliance fears being overwhelmed by Union's much larger population. Tensions rise further when Gehenna, a precious habitable planet in the Alliance sphere of influence,
2576-489: 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, in Jessad and Talley's case, trained especially 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
2688-444: Is that azi are necessary to preserve the technological and industrial base of their many space settlements, while a minority wants to abolish the practice and cease azi production. The majority view is apt to be the more stable and persistent, since azi can, in time, become citizens whose children are born CITs, and these children receive their basic values from their parents. This process is the result of deliberate social engineering on
2800-498: Is the common law doctrine of necessity. While many countries, the United States for example, do not have the explicit constitutional right to declare martial law, scholars often interpret the law of the United States to allow for the implementation of martial law in times of necessity. Countries such as Pakistan have famously implemented this rationale as well. Martial law can be used by governments to enforce their rule over
2912-498: Is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties may be suspended for as long as martial law continues. Most often, martial law is declared in times of war and/or emergencies such as civil unrest and natural disasters. Alternatively, martial law may be declared in instances of military coup d'états . Despite
3024-557: Is then placed on remand or bail and required to report to the police or the court on a regular basis, sometimes every day. There are examples of this system being used to intimidate or coerce individuals in civil litigations. On 1 February 2021, democratically elected members of Myanmar, known as the National League for Democracy , were overthrown by Myanmar's military, called the Tatmadaw . This military placed their power in
3136-499: 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 sexual 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 requests Adjustment to escape
3248-404: 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 Company Fleet ships under the command of Conrad Mazian gather for the most critical operation of
3360-603: The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war , Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan declared martial law. The Black War was a period of violent conflict between British colonists and Aboriginal Australians in Tasmania from the mid-1820s to 1832. With an escalation of violence in the late 1820s, Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur declared martial law in November 1828—effectively providing legal immunity for killing Aboriginal people. It would remain in force for more than three years,
3472-532: The Compact Space series and the Merovingen Nights shared universe . Patricia Monk suggested in her paper "The shared universe: an experiment in speculative fiction" that linking these Alliance–Union series in a common future history creates a "megatext" or "collage novel". As humanity reaches out to the stars, space stations are financed by the private Sol Corporation, eventually renamed
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3584-612: The Faded Sun trilogy concerning the Mri Wars are examples of the military science fiction subgenre. The Merovingen Nights series takes place on a single planet and features swashbuckling heroes and low levels of technology, and as such might be classified as science fantasy , borrowing elements from the historic sword and planet subgenre; this is also true for the Morgaine Cycle books, set remotely in time and space from
3696-766: The Hugo Award for Best Novel , Downbelow Station and Cyteen , and also incorporates various other series books such as the Faded Sun trilogy, the Chanur novels, the four Morgaine books, and the Merovingen Nights shared universe series. The Alliance–Union universe is a fictional future history created by Cherryh. It spans the third and fourth millennia , and is centered around humanity's exploration and colonization of space. Three economic powers have arisen, Earth Company, operating from Earth,
3808-611: The Palestinian National Authority . Officially, only parts of Area C in the West Bank are under martial law. During the 2006 Lebanon war , martial law was declared by Defense Minister Amir Peretz over the north of the country. The Israel Defense Forces were granted the authority to issue instructions to civilians, and to close down offices, schools, camps and factories in cities considered under threat of attack, as well as to impose curfews on cities in
3920-681: The Philippines (then a client state of Imperial Japan ) under martial law via Proclamation № 29, dated 21 September 1944 and enforced the following day at 09:00 PST . Proclamation № 30 was issued on 23 September, declaring the existence of a state of war between the Philippines and the United States and the United Kingdom , effective 10:00 that day. The country was under martial law again from 1972 to 1981 under President Ferdinand Marcos . Proclamation № 1081 ("Proclaiming
4032-552: The Restoration of Order in Ireland Act 1920 had superseded the power to declare martial law. Any sentences by military tribunals that were not in accordance with that Act were declared void. The current Irish Constitution allows for martial law if the government declares a state of emergency; however capital punishment is prohibited in all circumstances, including a state of emergency. Military administrative government
4144-677: The invasion of Canada by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War in 1775–1776. It was also applied twice in the Province of Lower Canada during the 1837–1838 insurrections . On December 5, following the events of November 1837, martial law was proclaimed in the district of Montreal by Governor Gosford , without the support of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada . It
4256-762: The "executive and judicial jurisdiction of regional military commander Maj. Gen. Than Htike," who has since been sanctioned by the European Union for alleged human rights violations since Myanmar's declaration of martial law. Martial law was declared in Pakistan on 7 October 1958, by President Iskander Mirza who then appointed General Muhammad Ayub Khan as the Chief Martial Law Administrator and Aziz Ahmad as Secretary General and Deputy Chief Martial Law Administrator. However, three weeks later General Ayub—who had been openly questioning
4368-616: The Alliance, a confederation of trade merchants operating interstellar freighters between Earth, space stations and colonized planets, and the Union, a breakaway government based on the planet of Cyteen . The Earth Company's attempts to control the expansions into space are defeated during the Company Wars, and the Union clashes with both the Alliance and Earth Company in their quest to expand their territories using cloned humans called azi . In addition to Cherryh's Company War novels, her Alliance–Union universe also comprises several other novel series, including The Faded Sun Trilogy ,
4480-758: The Army Commander-in-Chief, General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan . On assuming the presidency, General Yahya Khan acceded to popular demands by abolishing the one-unit system in West Pakistan and ordered general elections on the principle of one man one vote. The civilian martial law was imposed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto , the first civilian to hold this post in Pakistan after the Bangladesh Liberation War . On 21 December 1971, Bhutto took this post as well as that of President.It
4592-611: The Earth Company's attempts to maintain control increasingly futile. When Pell's World is discovered in the Tau Ceti system, the fragile economic and political equilibrium is disrupted. Not only is this new planet's biosphere reasonably hospitable to humans – requiring only gas masks and air tanks for survival – but it also supports intelligent alien life, the gentle, technologically primitive Hisa, called "Downers" by humans. Importantly, human crops can be grown on Pell's World, dangerously weakening Earth's economic dominance. After
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4704-543: The Earth Company. Each new station is built by the previous one and is located ever farther away from Earth . In the days before faster-than-light travel (FTL), nine stations are laboriously constructed around nine stars, all lacking habitable planets. The stationers and the merchanters who man the ships that supply them both develop distinct cultural identities , but remain psychologically and to some degree materially dependent on Earth. Still, directives from Earth arrive hopelessly out-of-date and are routinely ignored, making
4816-437: The Fleet and Union forces is fierce during the ensuing "Company War". The stations closest to Earth, disturbed by the azi and other Union developments, remain loyal to Earth; several of these are destroyed by Union action. With sporadic, inadequate support from Earth, the Fleet has no choice but to forcibly requisition equipment and personnel from the increasingly alienated merchanters. However, these measures only serve to maintain
4928-485: The Fleet's bidding with far fewer 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 Viking. Mallory has different ideas. Mazian has gone too far for her to stomach. She abruptly undocks from Pell and deserts. Mallory finds
5040-476: The Hisa. Pell Station, a space station prominent in this universe, orbits the planet. It was the discovery of sentient life that sent shock waves back to Earth, sparking off moral, religious , philosophical and policy debates. Then, to aggravate an already delicate situation, Pell Station became a source of agricultural goods and other luxuries, hitherto only available from Earth. This economic advantage disrupted
5152-563: The Mazianni may have secretly discovered and settled their own habitable world. C. J. Cherryh wrote a collection of songs about the station trade in the Alliance–Union universe. These were recorded by filk musician Leslie Fish and others, and released in 1985 on an album entitled Finity's End . Science fiction and fantasy critic John Clute called the Alliance–Union universe Cherryh's "central achievement". Writing in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction , Clute added that while
5264-757: The Republic of China promulgated the Provisional Constitution in March 1911, which authorized the President to declare martial law in times of emergency. The Martial Law Declaration Act were issued by the Nationalist Government later in 1920s and amended in 1940s. Following World War II , the island of Taiwan came back to China 's control given the impending withdrawal of Japanese forces and colonial government . Martial law
5376-429: The Union forces and persuades Azov to unleash them against her former comrades. Talley is instrumental in convincing Azov of Mallory's truthfulness. Mazian cannot 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
5488-701: The United States of America following the American Civil War , and German occupation of northern France between 1871 and 1873 after the Treaty of Frankfurt ended the Franco-Prussian War . Typically, the imposition of martial law accompanies curfews ; the suspension of civil law , civil rights , and habeas corpus ; and the application or extension of military law or military justice to civilians. Civilians defying martial law may be subjected to military tribunal ( court-martial ). During
5600-630: The actions of a humanoid race called the Qual , Khal and similar names, while Morgaine herself is a half-blood member of the "ancestors of the qual", and the third book in the series features an arboreal species called the Harilim . Pell's World, also known as Downbelow, is a planet orbiting Tau Ceti ; it was discovered by a probe in 2093. It was the first planet in the Alliance–Union universe to be discovered by humans that has an advanced ecosystem and, more significantly, intelligent extraterrestrial life ,
5712-609: The approval of the Islamic Consultative Assembly . In 1916, during the Easter Rising , Lord Wimborne the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland , declared martial law to maintain order in the streets of Dublin . This was later extended both in duration and geographical reach to the whole of the country with the consent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland government. Much of Ireland
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#17327797608475824-513: The authority of the government before the imposition of martial law—deposed Iskandar Mirza on 27 October 1958 and assumed the presidency that practically formalized the militarization of the political system in Pakistan. Four years later a new document, Constitution of 1962, was adopted. The second martial law was imposed on 25 March 1969 by Yahya Khan, when President Yahya Khan abrogated the Constitution of 1962 and Ayub Khan handed over power to
5936-458: 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. It was the first novel edited by current DAW president Elizabeth Wollheim, who worked alongside her father. Space is explored not by short-sighted governments but by the Earth Company, a private corporation which becomes enormously wealthy and powerful as
6048-483: The calibans, sentient lizard-like creatures. Although in Alliance space, it was secretly colonized by the Union, and then abandoned for the Alliance to discover a lost colony on what should have been a pristine planet. Gehenna features in two Alliance–Union universe novels, Forty Thousand in Gehenna (1983) and Cyteen (1988). Cyteen is a planet deep in Union territory that was discovered between 2125 and 2201; it
6160-659: The candidates favored by the authorities. Perhaps the most commemorated incidence of military brutality in this time period was the Kafr Qasim massacre in 1956, in which the Israel Border Police killed 48 people (19 men, 6 women and 23 children aged 8–17) as they were returning home from work in the evening. The Israeli army had ordered that all Arab villages in the proximity of the Green Line be placed under curfew. However, this order came into effect before
6272-535: The construction of Pell Station above the planet, colonists expand outward in space with renewed vigor and build additional stations even more distant from Earth. The first successful FTL probe using newly developed jump technology is launched in 2248. Earth takes advantage of the breakthrough to try to re-assert its authority among the colonists. With a poor understanding of stationers and merchanters alike, its clumsy attempts backfire, provoking first unrest, then occasional armed clashes, and eventually rebellion . As
6384-583: The country to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces . It meant that the presidential executive powers, the parliamentary legislative powers and the judicial powers all transferred directly to the military system which may delegate powers back and forth to any civilian institution within its territory. The military issued in its third announcement the "end of the State of Emergency as soon as order
6496-514: The country's largest province, Balochistan . Following widespread civil disorder , General Zia overthrew Bhutto and imposed martial law in its totality on 5 July 1977, in a bloodless coup d'état . Unstable areas were brought under control through indirect military action , such as Balochistan under Martial Law Governor, General Rahimuddin Khan . Civilian government resumed in 1988 following General Zia's death in an aircraft crash. On 12 October 1999,
6608-408: The defection of one of his most senior captains, Signy Mallory, and her ship Norway to the newborn Merchanter's Alliance, based at Pell. The remaining ships, outlawed by all three major powers, return to guerrilla warfare : hit-and-run raids and preying on merchant ships for replacement personnel and equipment. At least three subsequent merchanter novels mention the Mazianni. It is suggested that
6720-596: The entire station population. For example, a great deal of the conflict in Downbelow Station is caused by Pell Station's need to absorb a large refugee population, for which they do not have adequate housing or jobs. Starship crew (spacers) have an extremely insular world-view engendered by the time-dilation effects of jump; this attitude was even more extreme before the jump drive was developed, when travel between stars took years. Merchant starships are all crewed by extended families, which occasionally fission if
6832-423: The existing warships. Without new ships to replace its combat losses, the Fleet gradually begins to lose a war of attrition . Caught in the middle are the merchanter families and Pell Station, the primary transit point between Earth and Union space. The conflict comes to a head at Pell in late 2352 and early 2353, as described in the novel Downbelow Station . Faced with the increasingly dangerous situation, many of
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#17327797608476944-415: The fact that it has been declared frequently throughout history, martial law is still often described as largely elusive as a legal entity. References to martial law date back to 1628 England, when Sir Matthew Hale described martial law as, "no Law, but something indulged rather than allowed as a Law." Despite being centuries old, this quote remains true in many countries around the world today. Most often,
7056-511: The family prospers enough to purchase another ship. Merchanter women will often have unprotected sex while in port in order to become pregnant and preserve genetic diversity in their crew-families. Spacer self-identification is so great that many spacers would rather starve to death than accept "grounding" and a stationer's life. Spacers often feel they can only relate to other spacers, since stationers and planet-dwellers seem to rapidly age and die from their perspective. Additionally, in Union, there
7168-526: The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was dissolved, and the Army took control once more. A fourth martial law was imposed. General Pervez Musharraf took the title of Chief Executive until the President of Pakistan Rafiq Tarar resigned and General Musharraf became president. Elections were held in October 2002 and Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali became Prime Minister of Pakistan . Jamali's premiership
7280-663: The hands of the courts. The act was invoked three times: During World War I , World War II , and the October Crisis of 1970 . In 1988, the War Measures Act was replaced by the Emergencies Act , which saw its first invocation in February 2022 amidst the Freedom Convoy protests . During the colonial era , martial law was proclaimed and applied in the territory of the Province of Quebec during
7392-466: The implementation of martial law arises from necessity rather than legal right, and while some countries have provisions explicitly permitting the use of martial law, many do not. For countries that do not explicitly permit the declaration of martial law, but where martial law has been declared, the legal justification for it is often the common law doctrine of necessity , or some variation of it. One legal theory most frequently associated with martial law
7504-440: The indefinite imprisonment, so Konstantin reluctantly gives his permission. Upon later review of his file, Damon learns that Talley had already undergone the treatment once before at Russell's. 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,
7616-444: The legislation. During Hosni Mubarak 's presidency, parliament had renewed emergency laws every three years since they were imposed. The legislation was extended in 2003 and were due to expire at the end of May 2006; plans were in place to replace it with new anti-terrorism laws. After the Dahab bombings in April of that year, it was renewed for another two years. In May 2008 there was a further extension to June 2010. In May 2010,
7728-481: The long Company War between Earth and the breakaway Union, their number had been whittled down to 15 patchwork ships with waning loyalty to an increasingly indifferent Earth. Losing a war of attrition , Mazian devises a subtle, dangerous plan to establish a firebreak between Union and Earth. The Fleet retreats to Pell after the war. Mazian makes the fateful decision to rebel and attempt to take over Earth itself. Downbelow Station ends with his (implied) failure, and
7840-402: The longest period of martial law in the history of the British colonies on the Australian continent. As of 2023 , martial law has never been declared since federation in 1901. During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev declared martial law. In 2011, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa declared martial law during an anti-government uprising , granting authority to
7952-442: The main sequence. Unlike most works in this universe, the novel Voyager in Night also borrows elements from horror fiction . Cherryh has stated that with two exceptions, the books set in the Alliance–Union universe can be read in any order, "just like real history." The first exception she notes is the two novels Heavy Time and Hellburner , which should be read in that order (as originally published and as compiled together in
8064-548: The mainland to the Chinese Communist Party and retreated to Taiwan in 1949, the perceived need to suppress Communist activities in Taiwan was utilised as a rationale for not lifting martial law until thirty-eight years later in 1987, just prior to the death of then President Chiang Ching-kuo . Taiwan's period of martial law was one of the longest in modern history, after that of Syria (1967–2011). Martial law
8176-436: The merchanter families finally band together to form the Alliance, creating a third, neutral power, soon after a team arrives from Earth to negotiate an end to the conflict. Mazian refuses to accept the peace, and the Fleet continues to fight on, this time in the service of his ambition. When Signy Mallory, one of his most senior captains, learns of his plans to seize control of Earth itself, she and her ship, Norway , defect to
8288-411: The military authority to intervene in national politics to "preserve the constitution and democracy, protect the basic principles of the state and its civil nature, and protect the people's rights and freedoms". The armed forces were separately granted policing responsibilities to arrest civilians and "protect public and vital facilities". The Preparedness Act (SDK 1552/2011, Finnish : valmiuslaki )
8400-549: The military governor of the capital city of Tehran . On 8 September, the government effectively declared martial law on the capital along with several other cities throughout the country, after which further protests erupted that lead to the army opening fire on a group of protesters in Tehran's Jaleh Square on the same day. Estimates on the number of casualties vary; However, according to Iranian human rights activist Emadeddin Baghi ,
8512-492: The military. These announcements could for instance order any civilian laws to come back into force. The military announcements (communiqués) were the de facto only constitution and legal framework for the Egyptian territory. It meant that all affairs of the state were bound by the Geneva Conventions . Under the current president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi , a series of constitutional amendments passed in 2019 granted
8624-408: The new Alliance, becoming the core of its militia. The remainder of the Fleet remains loyal to Mazian, but he is forced to launch his coup attempt prematurely. Forewarned, Earth manages to defend itself. With Earth turned against the "Mazianni", Union sees a chance to finally rid itself of its bitter enemy. Because Union does not dare weaken its forces at this crucial juncture to guard its rear against
8736-530: 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. The Company War is a board game based on Downbelow Station . It
8848-465: The newborn state, the Alliance is able to broker a favorable peace treaty, with Pell Station as its de facto home base. The treaty cedes to the Alliance a monopoly on interstellar commerce, even within Union, giving it the power to shut down stations simply by withholding trade. The Mazianni are gradually driven off, as mentioned in Rimrunners and Merchanter's Luck . In Tripoint , however, it
8960-669: The north. Instructions of the Home Front Command are obligatory under martial law, rather than merely recommended. The order signed by Peretz was in effect for 48 hours and was extended by the Cabinet and the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee over the war's duration. Mauritius is known as being a "Westminster" style of democracy but a peculiar system that was imposed in Mauritius during
9072-630: The novel Angel with the Sword (1985), and the Merovingen Nights series of shared universe anthologies. In addition to the advanced technologies required to mine the asteroids, send slower-than-light vessels to nearby stars, and establish large space stations there, signature futuristic technologies of the Alliance–Union universe are: A broad trend in the Alliance–Union universe is the divergence of fundamental attitudes in planet-dwellers, space station-dwellers, and starship crews. Planet dwellers (ordinary residents of Earth and Cyteen) seem to have many of
9184-463: The novel Angel with the Sword and then continues to the short story anthologies, numbered 1 through 7. Cherryh has been praised for her complex, well-developed alien cultures. Her Alliance–Union universe features numerous sentient alien species, including the following: The novels Port Eternity and Voyager in Night feature additional sentient alien races. The Morgaine books are built around
9296-513: The number of people killed was 88 of which 64 were gunned down in Jaleh Square. The day is often referred to as Black Friday . Unable to control the unrest, the Shah dissolved the civil government headed by Prime Minister Jafar Sharif-Emami on 6 November and appointed General Gholam Reza Azhari as the prime minister whom ultimately failed in his efforts to restore order to the country. As he
9408-559: The omnibus edition Devil to the Belt ). The two are prequels to Downbelow Station , although they can be read either before or after that novel. The second exception is Cyteen and its sequel Regenesis , which are tightly linked and should be read in that order too. The novels in the Faded Sun trilogy are designed to be read in sequence, as are the books within the Chanur and Morgaine series. The Merovingen Nights series begins with
9520-548: 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
9632-511: The part of Reseune, the Cyteen-based center of all research and development concerning human cloning. The Mazianni is a term which refers to the military star-ships and their crews who remain loyal to their commander, the charismatic, ambitious Conrad Mazian, when he renounces his allegiance to Earth. The ships had begun their existence as the 50-ship strong Earth Company Fleet, sent out to enforce Earth's control of its star stations. In
9744-631: The police and military to crack down on protesters. It was lifted on 1 June amid a continuing crackdown on the uprising. Brunei has been under martial law since a rebellion occurred on 8 December 1962 and was put down by British troops from Singapore. The Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah , is presently the head of state and also the Minister of Defense and Commander in Chief of Royal Brunei Armed Forces . Bangladesh
9856-509: The public, as seen in multiple countries listed below. Such incidents may occur after a coup d'état ( Thailand in 2006 and 2014 , and Egypt in 2013 ); when threatened by popular protest (China, Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 ); to suppress political opposition ( martial law in Poland in 1981 ); or to stabilize insurrections or perceived insurrections. Martial law may be declared in cases of major natural disasters; however, most countries use
9968-428: 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
10080-923: The residents of these localities, including residents of Kafr Qasim , were notified. Following the 1967 war, in which the Israeli army occupied the West Bank , Gaza Strip , the Golan Heights in Syria, and the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, martial law over the Palestinian population as well as the Jordanian, Syrian, and Egyptian populations in these areas was put in place. In 1993, the Oslo I agreements facilitated limited self-rule for Palestinians under
10192-547: The same attitudes and concerns as 21st century people in developed countries. The space-dwelling populations find it strange that planet-dwellers fight over things like energy sources and territory (which are plentiful in space) but act in a cavalier and wasteful manner toward their physical environment (which must be carefully tended in space). Space station residents (stationers) tend toward extreme caution towards both their physical as well as social and economic environments, since an unplanned change in any of them could be fatal to
10304-541: The same name (1080/1991) were designed to replace the emergency provisions previously scattered over several different acts. The Icelandic constitution provides no mechanism for the declaration of war, martial law nor state of emergency. The solo mention of Martial Law in the Indian constitution is in Article 34 which gives Parliament the power to indemnify persons in respect of acts done in territories where martial law
10416-662: The situation spirals out of control, the Earth Company commissions the building of 50 military carriers, the "Company Fleet", under the command of Conrad Mazian, to enforce its orders. The situation culminates in 2300 with the declaration of an independent Union by the colonists centered at the Cyteen system, another habitable planet and space station at Lalande 46650 , precipitating outright war. Union augments its population and armed forces with genetically engineered and psychologically conditioned human clones , called azi , which are seen as an abomination by Earth. Fighting between
10528-488: The start of the war. Most of the books set in this universe, however, take place subsequent to the establishment of both the Alliance and the breakaway Union, hence the label "Alliance–Union" universe. Many of the works in this universe are set in space, and are usually described as space opera , while those set on planets can be seen as planetary romances . Works such as Cyteen and Downbelow Station are also regarded as hard science fiction . The "Company Wars" novels and
10640-662: The state of emergency in the country which is claimed to be equivalent to the state of martial law as the constitution of Pakistan of 1973 was suspended, and the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court were fired. On 12 November 2007, Musharraf issued some amendments in the Military Act, which gave the armed forces some additional powers. During the Second World War , President José P. Laurel placed
10752-438: The state of emergency was further extended, albeit with a promise from the government to be applied only to 'Terrorism and Drugs' suspects. On 10 February 2011, during the uprising against his rule , Mubarak promised the deletion of the relevant constitutional article regarding the emergency law in an attempt to please the mass number of protesters that demanded him to resign. The following day, he stepped down and handed control of
10864-566: The universe's structure is "rough at the edges", reading a novel in the series creates the impression that it is part of a larger history yet to be revealed. In a biography of Cherryh in the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction in Literature , M. Keith Booker described the Alliance–Union universe as "so far-reaching that its overall outlines remain unclear and continue to develop". Martial law Martial law
10976-571: The war. All of Mazian's recent strategic maneuvers and raids have been leading up to this point. If they can take out Viking 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 Viking to await Mazian's anticipated attack. However, he has an ace up his sleeve. He has pressured Ayres into recording
11088-472: The whole balance of power in the Alliance–Union universe, and became one of the main contributing factors to the outbreak of the Company Wars in 2300. Pell's World and the Hisa feature in a number of Alliance–Union universe novels, in particular Downbelow Station (1981) and Finity's End (1997). Gehenna is a rare habitable Alliance–Union universe planet in the Zeta Reticuli system, and home to
11200-710: Was declared first in 1947 in Taiwan Province after the February 28 incident , then again in 1949 as the Chinese Civil War was also raging across the country despite the democracy promised in the Constitution of the Republic of China (the central government refused to implement the constitution on Taiwan until after 1949). After the Nationalist -led central government of China lost control of
11312-634: Was declared under martial law by the British authorities during the Irish War of Independence . A large portion of Ireland was also under de facto martial law during the Irish Civil War . In late July 1921 Lord Cave ( House of Lords ) ruled on an appeal that:"...the military court, the validity of whose sentence was called into question, was a body possessing no statutory or common law authority...". The Court of Chancery (Ireland) also ruled that
11424-595: Was followed by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Shaukat Aziz . While the government was supposed to be run by an elected prime minister, there was a common understanding that important decisions were made by the President General Musharraf. General Pervez Musharraf pointed out it as an emergency, not Martial Law. The Constitution, Parliament and Provincial Assemblies were suspended and Musharraf issued "Proclamation of Emergency" on 14 October 1999. On 3 November 2007, President General Musharraf declared
11536-535: Was found to have nonsentient life. Two space stations were constructed in orbit around the planet, the Inner and Outer Stations. The planet's atmosphere is toxic to humans and necessitated terraforming and the establishment of enclaves, or semi-encapsulated city-states . Its native life is also toxic, although it was the source of Cyteen's rejuvenation drug. Cyteen features in several of the Alliance–Union universe novels, most notably Cyteen (1988). Planet Merovin
11648-655: Was imposed in Beijing in 1989 following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 by the Communist-ruled government on mainland China. In Egypt, states of emergency were in effect almost continuously from 1967 to 2021. A state of emergency gives military courts the power to try civilians and allows the government to detain for renewable 45-day periods and without court orders anyone deemed to be threatening state security. Public demonstrations are banned under
11760-577: Was imposed until April 27, 1838. Martial law was proclaimed a second time on November 4, 1838, this time by acting Governor John Colborne , and was applied in the district of Montreal until August 24, 1839. In China, martial law in the Beiyang government could be dated back to the final year of the Qing dynasty . The outline of a 1908 draft constitution—modeled on Japan 's Meiji Constitution —included provisions for martial law. The Provisional Government of
11872-538: Was in effect from 1949 to 1966 over some geographical areas of Israel having large Arab populations, primarily the Negev , Galilee , and the Triangle . The residents of these areas were subject to martial law. The Israel Defense Forces enforced strict residency rules. Any Arab not registered in a census taken during November 1948 was deported. Permits from the military governor had to be procured to travel more than
11984-542: Was in force and to legitimize such actions. But in the text itself, there is no mention of any grants of power to declare Martial Law. But the Supreme Court of India in Puttaswamy v. Union of India judgement made it clear that certain rights of life and liberty are natural rights , which cannot be curbed by the state while also upholding the inherent right of issuing writs by Courts. As the power of Martial Law
12096-459: Was initially well received, but it eventually proved unpopular as the military's human rights abuses (e.g. use of torture in intelligence gathering, forced disappearances ), along with the decadence and excess of the Marcos family and their allies, had emerged. Coupled with economic downturns, these factors fermented dissent in various sectors (e.g. the urban middle class ) that crystallised with
12208-492: Was preparing to leave the country, the Shah dissolved the military government and appointed Shapour Bakhtiar , a reformist critic of his rule, as the new prime minister on 4 January 1979. Bakhtiar's government fell on 11 February and gave rise to the Islamic Republic and the creation of a new constitution. Article 79 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran forbids the proclamation of martial law without
12320-406: Was published by Mayfair Games in 1983. Dave Langford reviewed Downbelow Station for White Dwarf #45, and stated that "Cherryh can do better than this-though others have done it far worse." The filk song "Signy Mallory" by Mercedes Lackey and Leslie Fish won the 2005 Pegasus Award for Best Space Opera Song. Alliance%E2%80%93Union universe The Alliance–Union universe
12432-481: Was the first civilian martial law. The third was imposed by the General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq on 5 July 1977. After several tumultuous years, which witnessed the secession of East Pakistan to form Bangladesh, politician Zulfikar Ali Bhutto took over in 1971 as the first civilian martial law administrator in recent history, imposing selective martial law in areas hostile to his rule, such as
12544-483: Was under martial law several times, in the late 70s after Mujib was assassinated , Martial Law was declared temporarily and Hussain Muhammad Ershad declared Martial Law in the early 80s. The War Measures Act was a Parliament of Canada statute that allowed the government to assume sweeping emergency powers, stopping short of martial law, i.e., the military did not administer justice, which remained in
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