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Ivan is asleep when it happens, but the captain knocking on his door gets him up quick enough. "What? Where's the fire?" Ivan asks. This was supposed to be a quiet posting. Well, the posting on Earth was supposed to be quiet too, cultural, etcetera, but Xerxes is supposed to be downright boring. Ivan is not supposed to be awakened from his eight hours unexpectedly.
"Murder, not a fire. You're cousin to Lord Mark Vorkosigan, aren't you?" says the captain.
Ivan has to think for a second. "...Yes?"
"Security vid picked him up within radius of a murder. This is the first we knew of him being on the planet, but the locals want us to bring him in so they don't have to it themselves and risk mishandling a Vor lord. Seemed worth consulting you on him - the file on him's really something."
Ivan blinks. "You need to arrest Mark."
"Yes."
"...Sir. Uh, give me a while to try doing it myself. He's... I'm not positive I can succeed but I am pretty sure I can survive trying, and unless he's in a cooperative mood I'm very uncertain anybody else can say the same thing."
"He may have just killed a man."
"I'm aware. He likes me. He doesn't know you from a hole in the ground, or anybody else within fetching distance, sir. Give me his last location and a few hours? Please?"
"By yourself?"
"He wouldn't know anybody you could send with me from a hole in the ground."
The captain chews his lip. "None of your shenanigans, all right?"
"Sir, I'm not the shenanigans one, it's just contagious when m'co- my other cousin's around. I'll see if I can find him, if I find him I'll try to bring him back."
The captain eventually acquiesces. And that is why Ivan is tromping around downtown, debating whether or not to call "Mark? Mark?" like he's looking for a lost dog.
Ivan has to arrest Mark
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middlingalong
middlingalong
"Dear Mother and assorted Vorkosigans, do not break the bank, I have been rescued, I am fine, insert report on local law's progress here."
middlingalong
"I will probably go so far as to include first names when I'm actually recording this."
unmarred
"Yes, I suppose the assorted Vorkosigans you're actually addressing won't be as charmed by the phrase."
middlingalong
"Probably. Also I will probably ask Linyabel to send me a replacement pen. They aren't sold on this planet yet."
unmarred
"Convenient little things, aren't they? I've considered getting one."
middlingalong
"I've gotten very used to having it. Mostly to play games on when I'm bored, which means I won't lose a lot of data, everything important's in my charger still."
unmarred
"I don't like to depend on having things," he says. "The convenience wouldn't be worth it."
unmarred
"You're welcome," says Mark. Again. In a way that might suggest he has more to say and is trying not to.
middlingalong
"Wonder if this'll get Illyan to stop having you followed. Probably not. Might get Miles to yell at him about it though."
middlingalong
"You have solved a murder, rescued a hostage, and if you get three stamps like that on your good civic responsibility card I hear they give you a free ice cream."
