Tap tap taptaptaptap. "Okay! Callida, I need -" he starts reading off a dazzlingly complex chemical chain, but stops midway after she clears her throat and raises her eyebrows. "Right, I'll just send you a copy. And you!" He points at Dr. Fuller. "Can I have a more complete set of samples from him, do you have them, I want -" and then he starts listing things.

Callida conceals a smile and begins requesting that a - whatever this is - be synthesized at her shuttle's medical bay. Its supplies are modest, but 'modest' with how numerous species are in their galaxy means 'able to synthesize bizarre materials from chemical components on command.'

"Well, this has been fascinating, but I should get back to work," says Simon. "A pleasure meeting you, Lord Callida."

He leaves.

"Pleasure's all mine," says Lord Callida.

Dr. Gelrath gets all desired samples he wants, and has a brief moment of delighted giggling over the results.

"I take it he's still free to be put into a kolto tank?" prompts Callida, amused.

"Oh, that wasn't in question, sorry, I was trying to see if I could use his metabolism's unprecedented reaction to synthesize an improved supplement to kolto itself - he'll be fine, can we just take him to the shuttle now? Please?"

"Alternatively, we can get the kolto tank hauled here," she points out. "Along with necessary medical equipment."

"..... Well, yes," he admits. Sounding like he'd be a bit put out if he couldn't take Lord Vorkosigan back to the shuttle.

"I'd be somewhat more comfortable if the tank were brought to Lieutenant Vorkosigan rather than Lieutenant Vorkosigan being brought to the tank," says Dr. Fuller.

"You can discuss further testing with Miles after he recovers," says Cordelia.

"Yes, and also while I'm doing that we can schedule a kolto tank regimen for this bone density thing, I'm thinking -"

"Why don't you go see to getting all necessary equipment transported? If I just told someone to do it, they'd probably miss something that you wanted," points out Callida.

"That," he says seriously, "is very true. Can I use your authority, please, I don't want someone to start quoting Standard Imperial Medical Practices at me again -"

"Go ahead. But clear any shipments from the fleet itself with me, first."

"Yes!" he agrees, and then he bounces off to go handle that.

"May I," says Lord Callida, "go prepare the patient for the kolto tank? With more serious injuries it's highly recommended that the subject be sedated."

"Sedated with what?" says Dr. Fuller.

Cordelia thinks she knows what, but she lets Callida answer.

"I'll have to check what will work properly with his unique metabolism, so I'm afraid I can't just rattle off an answer for you, but we have several standard chemical solutions for sedation that won't slow down the kolto's effects once he's in the tank," says Callida, smoothly. All true. All also not what she's using. "There should be something suitable."

"You can't check every possible reaction ahead of time, I don't care how fancy your toys are," Dr. Fuller argues. "We have testing equipment on Barrayar too, and it consistently tells us nothing about whether or not a new drug is going to make poor Vorkosigan hallucinate. The boy's a medical miracle in the worst way."

"Do you have a list of the sedatives that won't cause - hallucinations, was it? I can separately test it for something that'll work with kolto, once we translate the chemical composition."

"Yes, of course." He has someone fetch the list, and samples of most of the drugs on it.

The samples will actually be faster than the list, what with different standards for chemical notation, but she'll take the list, too.

"Excellent, thank you." She's probably going to have to actually sedate him, instead of just using the trance. Oh well. A bit annoying, but he can be put in the trance just as well when he's drugged as when he's sober. He'll just burn the drug from his system with lightning speed while he's out.

Not all of the drugs play nice with kolto, but there's two that will.

Dr. Fuller is satisfied with this.

"Have you explained the situation to him already?" she asks of Cordelia. "Even people accustomed to the nature of kolto tanks can be startled at waking up in one. We should be able to avoid it, but I'd still like him appraised of the situation."

"I mentioned it, but I'll explain again now that we know more about the exact approach you're taking."

Nod. "Would you like me to come along to help explain the situation and projected approach?"

"Yes, please."

She leaves the sedation itself in the hands of Dr. Fuller (she suspects she will have opportunity to start the healing trance later) and goes with Cordelia to talk to Lord/Lieutenant Vorkosigan.

"What is it now," Lieutenant Lord Vorkosigan mutters grumpily as they enter his hospital room.

"I've brought Lord Callida to explain the kolto bath and healing trance in more detail," says Cordelia. "After which you will no longer have to be conscious until you're done recovering, a fact which I expect will bring you great joy."

"Oh, I'm ecstatic," he says with false cheer.

Callida looks unoffended by him. She's been there. Stuck in a hospital in pain after a shitty day.

"You'll also recover remarkably quickly, and won't be able to dream or hallucinate, in case you have strange reactions to anything. And we'll have you out of the tank before you wake up, so it won't be alarming."

"Won't be able to hallucinate! Now you're talking," he says.

She smiles, slightly.

"It is looking like I'll have to put you in the trance after your doctor sedates you, though, so, sorry about that."

"Eh. I'll live."

"Or I won't!" she chirps, bright. "So I'd better be pretty sure you will before doing anything."