Morton
Names: MortonMorty
First appears in Book 1: Pandora's Star, chapter 4 (THREE)
Appearances
What you know
Book 1: Pandora's Star
- Ch 6Morton, Shaheef's former husband, connected the cases because Cotal was named on the divorce papers as her partner on Tampico.
- Ch 10Morton is Tara's ex-husband; he was away at a conference when she vanished and later received her divorce filing.
- Ch 10Morton is chairman of Gansu Construction, three years out of rejuvenation, and lives in a penthouse in Darklake City.
- Ch 10He is Tara's ex-husband; they co-founded AquaState and were married thirteen years, with no children by premarriage contract.
- Ch 10He alerted the police after noticing Cotal and Tara both needed re-life, suspecting they died together.
- Ch 10He deliberately edited most memories of his past life with Tara away during rejuvenations, keeping only essentials.
- Ch 10He exploits young women's insecurity; he plans to discard Mellanie in about a year and lusts after Paula.
- Ch 10He intends to expand Gansu offplanet and onto new phase three junction worlds, and controls the Gansu board.
- Ch 11Gansu Construction director, Tara's ex-husband, who agreed to the buyout and was served the divorce file after she left.
- Ch 12Morton is chairman of Gansu's parent company and the man who first alerted police; Paula now suspects him of having his partner killed and memory wiped.
- Ch 12Morton is condescending and dismissive toward Mellanie when she is dropped from her diving squad, and he is attracted to Paula Myo.
- Ch 12Morton released the old AquaState accounts to Paula Myo without a court order.
- Ch 14Morton lives in a penthouse with a human butler and is intimate with Mellanie and another young woman. He had earlier told police the victims were murdered.
- Ch 14Morton is a wealthy Oaktier businessman, founder-manager of AquaState and a board member of Gansu, tried for murdering his ex-wife and her lover forty years earlier.
- Ch 14Morton had an affair with the young Mellanie, which damaged her diving career. She publicly stands by him throughout the trial.
- Ch 14Under Paula's cross-examination Morton realises that only he could have known which possessions were Tara's, and breaks down; he is found guilty.
- Ch 14Morton is convicted of a crime committed for his own advancement and sentenced to one hundred and twenty years of life suspension, starting immediately.
- Ch 14The judge calls Morton cold and immoral, someone who sees other people's lives as inconveniences to his ambition.
- Ch 16Morton was convicted of murder and sentenced to a hundred and twenty years; his penthouse was seized by the court-appointed debt-receiver.
Book 2: Judas Unchained
- Ch 5Morton was convicted at trial and put into suspension as a sentence; he is a killer by profile and wakes expecting 120 years to have passed.
- Ch 5Morton accepts at once the offer to fight the Primes in return for having his entire suspension sentence cancelled.
- Ch 5Morton is in a highly realistic navy simulation with full sensorium including smell, which is imperfect.
- Ch 5Morton is a convicted felon serving in a navy squad in exchange for commuted sentence; he is edging ahead in the squad leadership race thanks to management experience.
- Ch 5Morton is irritated by the Cat's recklessness and fears being sent back to suspension because of her; he has an ex-wife.
- Ch 5Morton believes the squad will die as they drop out of the wormhole and never reach Elan itself.
- Ch 5Morton has been in suspension for over two and a half years since his trial and is about to be sent to fight the Primes on Elan.
- Ch 5Morton is skeptical of the Guardians of Selfhood's claims but agrees to send Mellanie classified information about the Primes.
- Ch 5Morton probably killed Tara, according to himself; Mellanie says she doesn't care.
- Ch 5The navy holds the activation codes for Morton's wetwired armament systems and can switch them on and off at will.
- Ch 7Morton is a soldier in Cat's Claws; his most recent stored memory is of a sexual encounter with Mellanie two days before the mission.
- Ch 7Morton takes charge of planning the squad's scouting split, and he becomes embarrassed when squadmates tease him about Mellanie calling him 'Morty'.
- Ch 7Morton leads a close scouting team, recording Prime activity for the navy and trying to stop local survivors from ambushing a Prime patrol.
- Ch 7Morton wonders whether the Primes are clones, suggesting a perfect soldier replicated en masse explains their lack of tactics.
- Ch 7Morton and Rob rescued Simon Rand, the sole ambush survivor, by riding a stream downstream away from the blast.
- Ch 7Morton partners with the Cat to place the main tactical nuke, because he distrusts her and wants to watch her.
- Ch 7Morton persuades the others to delay telling the navy about Bose, trusting Mellanie's warning that the navy cannot be trusted.
- Ch 8Morton has made contact with an alien holding Dudley Bose's Second Chance memories; Mellanie keeps this private from the navy.
- Ch 12Scouts the Regents ridges above the Trine'ba in an armor suit with a sneekbot swarm, looking for Prime traces.
- Ch 13Morton tests Mellanie's identity with a question about her old stylist before trusting the wormhole, and is still strongly attracted to her.
- Ch 13Morton doesn't remember whether he killed his ex-wife; he reacts furiously to Paula Myo, who he feels wrecked his life.
- Ch 15Morton jumps first from the Carbon Goose and leads the assault on Port Evergreen, though no one formally put him in charge.
- Ch 15Morton argues that not pursuing gives the Starflyer a fifteen-hour head start toward its ship, two to three days away.
- Ch 15Morton is skeptical, noting the enemy could fire atom lasers or even a fusion bomb through the wormhole, and calls the plan suicide.
- Ch 15Morton reflects that the urge to act is perhaps how he felt when he killed Tara.
- Ch 19Morton uses accelerants and a powered combat suit, leads the Paris team's targeting, and kills a soldier motile in hand-to-hand combat.
- Ch 19Morton believes the Starflyer must leave the truck to transfer to its ship and would then be vulnerable.
- Ch 19Morton leads the two surviving armor suits in a sprint away from the road after the armored cars are destroyed.
- Ch 19Morton is stunned when the sun suddenly goes dark, with light draining from the veldt as he looks west toward the Dessault Mountains.
- Ch 20Morton survived the storm by burying himself in a crater with Alic, then spent seven hours digging out with nearly drained armor suit power cells.
Connections
- family ofTara Jennifer Shaheefmarried thirteen years
- partner ofMellanie RescoraiRob accuses Morton of being pussy-whipped by Mellanie
- leadsGansu Constructionchairman
- enemy ofPaula Myoshe arrests him
- related toHoward Madocdefense lawyer for
- leadsAquaState
- related toTara Jennifer Shaheefex-partner and victim of his crime
- related toJosephJoseph is cosmetically reprofiled to look like Morton
- member ofCat's Claws
- friend ofRob Tannie
- ally ofRob
- ally ofCat's Claws
- related toGuardians of SelfhoodMorton and his squad could spearhead alongside the Guardians
- ally ofCat Stewart
- member ofParis team
- ally ofAlic Hogansurvived the storm buried together
Key moments
- Book 1 · Ch 10Paula and Hoshe interview Morton
Paula questions Morton about Tara's departure, divorce, finances and enemies, and requests the divorce file and a check on Tara's Tampico shares.
- Book 1 · Ch 10Morton's private reflections
After they leave, Morton reveals his predatory view of Mellanie, his ambitions for Gansu, and unease over Tara and Cotal, then prepares for a party on Resal's boat.
- Book 1 · Ch 12Paula deduces Morton's motive
After Qatux finds no enemies for Tara and Hoshe finds no crime link, Paula concludes Morton killed his partner to profit for both of them, and orders Hoshe to find the bodies.
- Book 1 · Ch 12Paula requests AquaState accounts
Paula calls Morton, who releases the old AquaState financial files and asks her to dinner; she declines for now.
- Book 1 · Ch 14Morton arrested
Paula and Hoshe arrive at Morton's penthouse and arrest him for the bodykill and memory erasure of his ex-wife Tara Jennifer Shaheef and Wyobie Cotal. Morton insists it's a mistake.
- Book 1 · Ch 14Media frenzy and start of the trial
After Morton's arrest is announced, reporters flood Oaktier. The trial opens in a refurbished Court One before a global audience, with Morton and Mellanie presenting careful images.
- Book 1 · Ch 14Paula Myo breaks Morton on the stand
Paula cross-examines Morton herself, showing only he could have known which possessions were Tara's. He breaks down, the jury finds him guilty, and the judge begins sentencing.
- Book 1 · Ch 14Morton sentenced
The judge sentences Morton to 120 years of life suspension. Shaheef shouts at him, Mellanie is restrained, and Morton is led away while the prosecutors celebrate and Paula Myo leaves unmoved.
- Book 2 · Ch 5Morton revived early
Morton is woken after only about two and a half years of suspension and offered full remission of his sentence if he fights the Primes on the Lost23; he accepts immediately.
- Book 2 · Ch 5Simulation ends in nuclear blast
During a simulated infiltration of an alien base, the Cat detonates baby nukes against nearby aliens, ending the exercise. Morton confronts her angrily afterward.
- Book 2 · Ch 5Mellanie visits Morton
Mellanie, grown up, arrives at the barracks and offers Morton a correspondent contract. She and Morton retreat to the rec room and have sex.
- Book 2 · Ch 5Mellanie recruits Morton as a source
In a private simulated space within Morton's inserts, Mellanie tells him about the Starflyer and asks him to smuggle classified Prime information from Elan in his reports; he agrees, and she gives him encryptionware.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Landing on the Prime-held planet
Cat's Claws are fired through a wormhole in bubbles above the Highmarsh Valley during a massive assault. Aerobots fight off Prime flyers while the squad hides, then they travel through the mountains.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Base camp and sensor placement
The squad establishes a base camp in a saddle in the Regents, plants sensors overlooking the Trine'ba and Randtown, and observes heavy Prime activity.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Squad splits to scout
After arguing over Cat's reliability, Morton and Rob scout east of Randtown while Cat, Parker and the Doc go toward Blackwater Crag, avoiding engagement.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Reconnaissance of Randtown
Morton and Rob scout the Prime-occupied town, seeing huge numbers of aliens, a lake bioforming station, and force field generators under construction.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Ravine ambush and battle
Locals ambush a Prime patrol; Morton and Rob kill the remaining aliens, but Doc's HVvixen use brings many flyers.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Parker detonates nukes
Doc dies; Morton hides in the stream with a survivor under his force field as Parker triggers two tactical nukes.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Escape downstream and rescue of Simon Rand
After the nuclear blast, Morton and Rob escape down the stream with the survivor, who identifies himself as Simon Rand, founder of Randtown.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Meeting in the cave and new plan
In the survivors' cave, Cat's Claws treats David and feeds the group. They plan to evacuate them and, following the Cat's idea, plant a nuke at the future force field boundary.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Alien found in ruined house
Morton and the Cat scout a garden to place the nuke. Sneekbots find an unarmored alien alone in a house, linked by cable to a human handheld array.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Bose surrenders
An alien in the ruined house contacts Morton's team electronically, surrenders and identifies itself as Dudley Bose in a Prime motile body, offering information against MorningLightMountain.
- Book 2 · Ch 7Debate over informing the navy
On the mountain saddle, Morton persuades the group to delay telling the navy about Bose. Mellanie's message confirms the secrecy and promises extraction from Elan.
- Book 2 · Ch 8Mellanie reports to Adam Elvin
On a beach near Santa Monica, Mellanie tells Adam she can't trace the lawyers and mentions Morton's contact with Bose's memories; Adam names more Starflyer agents.
- Book 2 · Ch 12Morton scouts Prime activity
Morton, Rob and the Cat scout Prime activity near the Regents, noting farmland preparation and a new chemical plant.
- Book 2 · Ch 12Nova of the staging post star
A Commonwealth ship triggers a nova in MorningLightMountain's staging post star, destroying its wormhole generators, halting the invasion and freezing local Prime motiles temporarily.
- Book 2 · Ch 12Aftermath debate over the Bose motile
Rob expects rescue and release, but the Cat points out they still hold the Bose motile; Rob pressures Morton to hide it from the navy.
- Book 2 · Ch 13Wormhole rescue from the Trine'ba mountains
Morton's team receives Mellanie's message, verifies her, and passes through a wormhole to Augusta with survivors and the Bose motile.
- Book 2 · Ch 13Breakfast confrontation and Dudley's demand
Morton confronts Paula Myo at breakfast. At the meeting, Dudley demands lifeboat berths and reveals the Second Chance's message to the Primes.
- Book 2 · Ch 13Plan to trap the Starflyer
They decide to arrest known agents, set up a secret operation at Narrabri with Morton's squad, and execute the Starflyer quietly once found.
- Book 2 · Ch 15Wormhole lost and race to Port Evergreen
The Guardians find the Half Way wormhole gone, trapping them. Adam decides to fly Carbon Geese to Port Evergreen before the Starflyer blows the last wormhole.
- Book 2 · Ch 15Drop onto Port Evergreen
After launching recon drones and seeing the Starflyer's group stalled, the Carbon Goose is detected when its radar switches on; ten armored figures jump anyway.
- Book 2 · Ch 15Battle of Port Evergreen
Morton's ten armored fighters jump in, destroy Port Evergreen, the Carbon Gooses and a weapons truck, but several trucks, probably with the Starflyer, escape through the wormhole.
- Book 2 · Ch 15Deciding whether to pursue through the wormhole
With eleven minutes left, the team sends sneekbots through, finds enemies waiting, and debates whether to follow with armored cars given the Volvos' cargo.
- Book 2 · Ch 15Carbon Goose lands and plan to reopen wormhole
After landing at Port Evergreen, Adam proposes hijacking the stormrider to power the wormhole. Morton objects, Bradley insists on going, and Qatux offers to compute a new wormhole end location.
- Book 2 · Ch 18Chase down Highway One and the sabotage warning
Stig's convoy races Cruisers south through Highway One's urban stretch while Bradley reassures him. Adam's garbled message reveals sabotage and a likely Starflyer agent in his group, prompting a debate over suspects.
- Book 2 · Ch 18Harvey dies-bound at the Anculan ford
At the Anculan crossing the Guardians find the battlefield and the dying Harvey, who gives Bradley the Starflyer's eighty-seven-minute lead; Bradley takes him along.
- Book 2 · Ch 19Zone killer strike on the convoy
Zone killers destroy most of the Starflyer convoy and a stretch of road, but the MANN truck and seventeen Cruisers survive. Cruisers then slaughter the charging Guardian horses and riders.
- Book 2 · Ch 19Armored cars charge and meet soldier motiles
Bradley orders the armored cars to ram the MANN truck, but hundreds of soldier motiles block the way. Morton kills one in close combat and the Paris team ends up nearly surrounded.
- Book 2 · Ch 19Rob's sacrifice and the dash to the valley
Soldier motiles pin Rob, who detonates his power cells to cover the others. Morton, Cat and Alic ride the armored car to the Institute valley, but the second car is destroyed and the MANN truck reaches the starship first.
- Book 2 · Ch 19Retreat from soldier motiles and sudden darkness
The group's decoy attack on the soldier motiles fails and the second armored car is destroyed. The armor suits flee on foot as the sun suddenly goes dark over the Dessault Mountains.
- Book 2 · Ch 20Morton and Alic dig out
Buried in a crater to survive the storm, Morton and Alic dig through soil for seven hours and emerge into a transformed desert landscape.