"From my very, very basic understanding, a whole lot of air wouldn't actually solve Komarr's problems on anything more than a temporary basis, where 'temporary' is measured in decades. If you really want to give them a planetary makeover, I'd go for expanding the soletta array. Much harder to hide, but if you're doing it all official-like, you might not have to. And you now have an in with some very official people. We'd just have to get Gregor's okay... please tell me you know who Gregor is."

"I have heard the name. Prefaced by the word 'Emperor'."

"Good. I would've been really embarrassed on your behalf if I'd had to explain that. How would you like to meet him?"

"Sure, why not."

"How do you feel about being gently questioned about your goals and motives under the influence of truth drugs? It isn't strictly necessary to the goal of talking to Gregor or cooperating with his government in general, but my fellow professional paranoids would find it immensely reassuring."

"Are we talking truth drugs that make it impossible to lie or truth drugs such that if the questioning were less gentle I'd be spilling all my deepest secrets?"

"The latter," he says. "I understand if it's not an appealing prospect."

"It is not. There will be none of that."

"I don't suppose I can convince you through the expedient of, oh, volunteering to let you do the same to me?"

"No, not really. It's not so much that I don't think you're operating in good faith, I just have what I believe may be an unusual amount of a thing about mental privacy."

"I do actually have some experience in the art of the extremely well-targeted fast-penta interview," says Miles. "But believe me when I say I understand your concerns."

"So since there will be none of that, what's next?"

"Since there will be none of that, next I generate some goodwill by letting you know that 'fast-penta antagonist' is a substance that exists and does exactly what you'd expect from the name - fast-penta being the galactic truth drug of choice. And I suppose I extend a formal request on behalf of the government of Barrayar that you please not counterfeit our money, and offer to find you a place to sleep if magical demons from the year 2159 do that, and see if I can get into that comconsole to call Illyan and ask if he still wants to shake your hand."

"Thank you... I did have to counterfeit a few marks because a bookkeeper was shouting at me for loitering in his store and not buying anything and I got a random little girl the pop-up book she was looking at rather than continue being yelled at. I can sleep, I can not-sleep if I keep sucking down coffee indefinitely, I've been doing the second thing rather than try to find a place to nap."

"Are you going to drown the planet in pee...? Do feel free not to answer that question unless the answer is pressingly yes," says Miles. "We can arrange a place for you to nap if you'd like one."

The answer not being pressingly yes, Cam doesn't answer the question. "That would be nice, thanks."

The first thing he says when his image materializes over the vid plate is, "Why not."

"Are we going there or the other way 'round?"

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of subjecting you to more walking around inside this building than is strictly necessary. I'll be there in just a minute."

"You're welcome!"

"And I think I'm going to suggest that you meet Gregor sooner rather than later. All evidence certainly seems to imply that you're the most helpful and benign magical demon we could have dreamed of."

"I really, really am, you're, uh, very lucky you got me."