View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
The following day they visit the 149th Annual Bioestheties Exhibition, Class A, Dedicated to the Memory of the Celestial Lady. This dedication, though rather last-minute, makes it a key stop for offworlders on Eta Ceta for funerary proceedings. Lord Vorreedi is, unexpectedly, present too; he may be hard to slip.
The exhibits are gorgeous. Unnatural colors of various flowers are sufficiently routine to be used as borders for the real show - fish with clan marks on their scales (this exhibitor is about twelve), a pet unicorn (this one is possibly not even an exhibit), a tendril of vine that attempts to entrap Ivan's foot (its keeper dislodges it), and a kitten tree.
Ivan is displeased by the kitten tree, believing there to be glue involved in the attachment of kittens to their pods. He picks one in a determined rescue attempt. It is not ripe; the kitten expires when detached. Vorreedi offers to discreetly dispose of the poor beast, for which Ivan is intensely grateful.
Their erstwhile friend Yenaro is present. When Ivan notices, he points the man out to Miles.
+ Show First Post
middlingalong
middlingalong
"Anyway. I'm supposed to be looking for you. Let's say I found you. We're going back to the embassy."
middlingalong
And so they go.
Ivan refrains from mentioning Miles's fancies about haut-ladies in front of Vorreedi.
Ivan refrains from mentioning Miles's fancies about haut-ladies in front of Vorreedi.
middlingalong
It makes for a quiet ride - but as promised, once they're there, Ivan scurries up to his room, and Vorreedi wants to see Miles in his office - "after you are recovered from your misadventure, perhaps tomorrow morning".
thisvorlunatic
"Of course, sir," he promises, and flees to his room.
The next morning, however, he is unable to avoid reporting to Colonel Vorreedi's office, located among the embassy's ImpSec offices in the second-lowest basement level of the building. He goes in expecting a tough conversation, and Vorreedi does not disappoint.
Through the select application of carefully curated truths, however, he manages to emerge with Vorreedi now under the impression that Miles is a high-level ImpSec operative under cover as a nepotistic deadweight, executing a secret mission with full autonomy, under no constraint but 'deliver success or pay with your ass'. Vorreedi observes that he has been doing this for three years and his ass is still intact. Miles privately suspects that this may be about to change, but aloud only agrees that it is so.
He is a high-level operative under cover as a nepotistic deadweight, that much is true. The fact that his secret mission is spontaneously self-assigned, and he honestly doesn't know what Illyan is going to think of it when he finally makes his report, is something he chooses to keep to himself in the interests of getting to complete that mission.
Speaking of which, the last thing Vorreedi says is that ghem-Colonel Dag Benin is here for another interview - this time specifically asking to talk to both Miles and Ivan. Miles volunteers brightly to go fetch. It's very bad practice to let the suspects confer before the interrogation, but it's not Vorreedi's interrogation; he lets Miles go.
Miles hustles back up to the comfortable diplomatic quarters as fast as humanly possible.
The next morning, however, he is unable to avoid reporting to Colonel Vorreedi's office, located among the embassy's ImpSec offices in the second-lowest basement level of the building. He goes in expecting a tough conversation, and Vorreedi does not disappoint.
Through the select application of carefully curated truths, however, he manages to emerge with Vorreedi now under the impression that Miles is a high-level ImpSec operative under cover as a nepotistic deadweight, executing a secret mission with full autonomy, under no constraint but 'deliver success or pay with your ass'. Vorreedi observes that he has been doing this for three years and his ass is still intact. Miles privately suspects that this may be about to change, but aloud only agrees that it is so.
He is a high-level operative under cover as a nepotistic deadweight, that much is true. The fact that his secret mission is spontaneously self-assigned, and he honestly doesn't know what Illyan is going to think of it when he finally makes his report, is something he chooses to keep to himself in the interests of getting to complete that mission.
Speaking of which, the last thing Vorreedi says is that ghem-Colonel Dag Benin is here for another interview - this time specifically asking to talk to both Miles and Ivan. Miles volunteers brightly to go fetch. It's very bad practice to let the suspects confer before the interrogation, but it's not Vorreedi's interrogation; he lets Miles go.
Miles hustles back up to the comfortable diplomatic quarters as fast as humanly possible.
middlingalong
"What's climbed up your trouser leg, then?" asks Ivan, when he's let Miles into the room.
thisvorlunatic
"Dag Benin. Here. Asking to talk to both of us, with Vorreedi sitting in. Get up, get dressed, come downstairs, let me do the talking, back up whatever I say."
thisvorlunatic
"Obviously Benin finally traced Ba Lura to our little encounter at the pod dock, and now he wants to ask us pointed questions. I propose to spill very nearly all of the beans - just without mentioning the Great Key or anything that followed from it. No haut shenanigans whatsoever. Bring the nerve disruptor - I might want to let him have it as evidence, in fact I probably will - but don't pull it out until I tell you, in case I change my mind. This is going to be a little delicate. I don't want to obstruct his investigation, it'll suit me just fine if he nails the governor for murder, but I don't want him to stumble on what's really going on. Too high a risk something will leak before we're ready to move."
middlingalong
"And then whatever would happen to your imaginary romance, perish the thought," says Ivan, though he's already fetching out and pocketing the disruptor.
thisvorlunatic
"I'm less concerned with imaginary romance, more concerned with setting off a civil war that ends with the Cetagandan Empire split into multiple scrambling squabbling conquest-happy pieces," says Miles.
middlingalong
"Do you realize how pissed Vorreedi and the ambassador are going to be when they ultimately find out, well, everything?"
thisvorlunatic
"Vorreedi's under control, at least for now; I've got him convinced I'm on a secret mission from Simon Illyan."
thisvorlunatic
"Only because he didn't know about any of this in time to give me a secret mission," says Miles. "I'm hoping to produce results he'll find hard to argue with. If I don't, we will all have bigger problems."
middlingalong
"I'm pretty sure no matter what Illyan knew he wouldn't be authorizing you to woo haut-ladies. I'd apologize for being hung up on that part but you think you are wooing a haut-lady."
thisvorlunatic
"Honestly, it's less of a romance and more of an assisted escape. Besides, what's he going to do if I pull it off? Confiscate her? Not bloody likely. Illyan has more sense than that."
middlingalong
Ivan shakes his head, muttering about the time they were eight and Miles had him and Elena dig a tunnel, which collapsed, but he pulls his half-boots on and pats the pocket with the nerve disruptor.
thisvorlunatic
Miles growls at this reminder. Down to the conference room they go.
middlingalong
Ivan pulls on his best poker face.
Vorreedi is present, eliminating the need for a separate guard for Miles in Benin's presence.
Vorreedi is present, eliminating the need for a separate guard for Miles in Benin's presence.
thisvorlunatic
There follows a very surprising interview, at least for Vorreedi and Benin. Miles is in more or less complete control the whole time.
Benin's opening shot is a pointed question about where Miles might have seen the Ba Lura before its body turned up in the rotunda; Miles serenely answers that there was indeed such a meeting, and proceeds to tell him the entire story of the brief encounter, only omitting the Great Key itself - he claims that the ba was reaching for the nerve disruptor in its trouser pocket all along.
When Benin and Vorreedi both ask, in somewhat politer terms, just what the hell he thought he was doing keeping this story to himself, he explains that as senior envoy he considered it his duty to suppress the incident in order to avoid fostering tension between their empires, since news of the assault could not fail to serve as an agitating influence.
Next, Benin requests proof. "We still have the captured nerve disruptor," says Miles, gesturing to Ivan.
Benin's opening shot is a pointed question about where Miles might have seen the Ba Lura before its body turned up in the rotunda; Miles serenely answers that there was indeed such a meeting, and proceeds to tell him the entire story of the brief encounter, only omitting the Great Key itself - he claims that the ba was reaching for the nerve disruptor in its trouser pocket all along.
When Benin and Vorreedi both ask, in somewhat politer terms, just what the hell he thought he was doing keeping this story to himself, he explains that as senior envoy he considered it his duty to suppress the incident in order to avoid fostering tension between their empires, since news of the assault could not fail to serve as an agitating influence.
Next, Benin requests proof. "We still have the captured nerve disruptor," says Miles, gesturing to Ivan.
middlingalong
Ivan produces it, with the ginger motions of someone producing a deadly weapon in the presence of people who might take exception to it. He avoids eye contact with the colonel and Vorreedi both.
thisvorlunatic
Vorreedi examines the device, checks the safety lock, and then hands it to Benin, who makes a similar investigation.
"I'd be happy to turn it over, of course," says Miles. "Perhaps in exchange for whatever information it yields to you, if you are feeling generous."
Benin responds noncommittally to this request, and essays a single parting shot about Miles's conversations with haut-ladies, which Miles deflects with a shrug and a reminder that he can hardly be said to know the haut Lisbet Serise, having met her all of once to receive some disappointing news in brief and then stand around awkwardly in the hall outside her office while she dealt with mysterious haut-business. Benin concedes the point.
As the ghem-colonel prepares to leave, Miles inquires whether he took the advice Miles offered him at their previous conversation, about being sure to get over the head of whoever may try to interfere with his investigation. Benin answers thoughtfully that it went better than he expected. Miles is satisfied by this response.
As soon as Vorreedi has Miles and Ivan alone, he aims an arresting glare at Miles and says pointedly, "I am not a mushroom, Lieutenant Vorkosigan."
To be kept in the dark and fed on horseshit, Miles mentally completes the phrase. "Sir, apply to my commander—" Illyan, chief of ImpSec, therefore equally Vorreedi's commander, "—be cleared, and all my knowledge will be at your disposal. Until then - I must rely on my judgment. Which says that in this situation, I should treat all pertinent information as radioactive material, to be stored and handled with utmost care and not given out without a damn good reason."
Vorreedi makes a few disgruntled noises, but releases Ivan and Miles to return to their suite.
"I'd be happy to turn it over, of course," says Miles. "Perhaps in exchange for whatever information it yields to you, if you are feeling generous."
Benin responds noncommittally to this request, and essays a single parting shot about Miles's conversations with haut-ladies, which Miles deflects with a shrug and a reminder that he can hardly be said to know the haut Lisbet Serise, having met her all of once to receive some disappointing news in brief and then stand around awkwardly in the hall outside her office while she dealt with mysterious haut-business. Benin concedes the point.
As the ghem-colonel prepares to leave, Miles inquires whether he took the advice Miles offered him at their previous conversation, about being sure to get over the head of whoever may try to interfere with his investigation. Benin answers thoughtfully that it went better than he expected. Miles is satisfied by this response.
As soon as Vorreedi has Miles and Ivan alone, he aims an arresting glare at Miles and says pointedly, "I am not a mushroom, Lieutenant Vorkosigan."
To be kept in the dark and fed on horseshit, Miles mentally completes the phrase. "Sir, apply to my commander—" Illyan, chief of ImpSec, therefore equally Vorreedi's commander, "—be cleared, and all my knowledge will be at your disposal. Until then - I must rely on my judgment. Which says that in this situation, I should treat all pertinent information as radioactive material, to be stored and handled with utmost care and not given out without a damn good reason."
Vorreedi makes a few disgruntled noises, but releases Ivan and Miles to return to their suite.
middlingalong
Ivan is disgruntled, once the need for the poker face has passed.
They find, in their suite, a short-notice invitation to a garden party at the Lady d'Har's.
"It has both our names on it," observes Ivan with surprise.
They find, in their suite, a short-notice invitation to a garden party at the Lady d'Har's.
"It has both our names on it," observes Ivan with surprise.