façade

[isthisart]

Linya gradually feels her way around being proper friends with Ekaterin, not wishing to wreck things with a premature "will you be my Second at my duplicate wedding" request. There is companionable gardening. There is, when Linya and Jocelyn make an unexpected sudden breakthrough in causing the nibs to behave, which holds when they fabricate a prototype and test it out, a fountain pen for Ekaterin. (In addition to Miles's and Count Vorkosigan's. And one for Emperor Gregor, which has got to be worth all the R&D in advertising alone.) When Miles's legs are more or less completely healed, they skip off to Vorkosigan Surleau for a few days and he teaches her to fly a lightflyer, which she enjoys very much and picks up very quickly. Linya writes Miles a song. (It has no words, she doesn't feel up to lyrics, but it is very pretty and slightly different every time she plays/sings it.) With the nibs handled and all the Barrayaran languages learned Linya spends more time reading textbooks and signs up for a university placement exam to see how far ahead into advanced classes on various things she can skip, and awaits her results.

And snuggles her tiny Barrayaran.

Comments

[thisvorlunatic]

"If you can land a shuttle in commercial parking, by all means do so, and I'll meet you there. I feel that the residents of this town would be alarmed by a full-on emergency pickup in the middle of the street."

[whyexit]

"Dispatching," chirps Thorne, "and then operation Screw It He's Not Worth That Much Money Watch Us Innocently Saunter is go." It salutes.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles chuckles. "All right. See you soon."

He cuts the com and goes to wait for rescue.

[alicornucopia]

Eventually a shuttle appears! It is very tidily landed. Its pilot is surprised to see Asterion. "Uh, sir? What's that?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"This is Recruit-trainee Asterion," chirps Miles. "He'll be signing on officially as soon as we get topside."

[ofthestars]

Recruit-trainee Asterion smiles in a fang-concealing manner.

[alicornucopia]

"...yessir," says the pilot, and without further ado she hauls Miles and Asterion up to the Ariel.

[whyexit]

Where Thorne is delivering an award-winning performance.

"No, you listen, Baron," it's telling Ryoval, "let me tell you what we're doing here in the first place, I told him it was a, what'd I say, wretched hive, scum, villainy, the works, but good old native Betan weapons won't do, he wants to drag us all the way out here and get sidetracked stealing your super-soldier? As if regular soldiers aren't good enough, and if after that he expects us to cough up the kind of money you're talking about -"

"Captain -"

"- I won't hear of it, that comes out of my crew's pockets," Thorne says over Ryoval. "Nope, he's the one who snuck into your facility on a side mission and he didn't leave us near enough spare cash, tightfisted bastard, to put together a ransom that doesn't take from the, I remind you mercenaries, that he hired -"

"Perhaps an alternative arrangement -"

"Look, Baron, at this point I'm inclined to let you have him," snorts Thorne, "after the insult - what, rank-and-file don't look imposing enough in a uniform, do we? - no, no, I think you can keep him, don't bother compiling the footage, we've got other places to be to recover from this fiasco and I've got people to jockey with for a promotion to the empty chair -"

"Captain Thorne -"

"Have lots of fun, Baron," says Thorne, and the comm winks out.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles, haunting the door to Nav and Com well out of range of the vid pickup, applauds lightly.

"Beautiful. Simply beautiful. I am the proudest Admiral who ever lived."

[whyexit]

Thorne grins. "For my encore, I backpedal with Fell, I went to him after Ryoval didn't seem to want to deal in good faith."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I adore you. You're adorable. Go on, don't let me stop you - by the way, I brought back a stray, Recruit-trainee Asterion is considerably more human than advertised and was invaluable in securing my escape. I sent him off with Laureen for as many square meals as he can fit in his stomach - Ryoval's people have been starving that overengineered metabolism for the past three days, he needs it."

[whyexit]

"Sure thing, sir," blinks Thorne. "Uh, fair warning, I was casting about for things which might interest Fell and all he wanted was the secret of the Betan rejuv treatment..."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Ha. Lucky we don't have to give it to him, I suppose."

[whyexit]

"Mm-hm." Thorne double checks the scope of the comm pickup and calls Fell.

"Hullo, Baron. I appreciate your willingness to entertain my request but it turns out we've managed without."

[pythbox]

"Oh?" says the Baron. "A pity... I stood to benefit considerably from that trade." He sighs. "But I admit I'm glad not to give up the quaddie musician. Her musical ability is beyond compare. Unique and precious."

[whyexit]

"Incomparable, Baron," agrees Thorne. "I won't waste any more of your time."

Thorne ends the call.

"Sir, Nicol's on board - I invited her over when I got back to the ship under cover of philandering - we can saunter right now if there's nothing else. Medtech's here too nice and cozy."

[thisvorlunatic]

"And how'd she take to this cover—? Never mind," says Miles, "an honourable herm doesn't kiss and tell, I'm sure - I'm almost tempted to call Fell back, to deal for her aboveboard now that I know his price, but I'm not sure even I could convince him to trade her for the real secret of the Betan rejuvenation treatment. And you know how convincing I can be. Still, it would certainly be convenient not to have to dodge armed pursuit on our way out of the system."

[whyexit]

The comm beeps. It's Ryoval.

"...Sir?" asks Thorne. "Suppose armed pursuit is more or less likely if I take this?"

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles moves to the side, to be more sure he's out of the frame of their vid pickup while still being able to see Ryoval should they take the call.

"Take it. I hunger for information," he says.

[whyexit]

Thorne answers. "Baron?"

"You lying freak!" roars Ryoval, frothing slightly. "There isn't going to be a bunker deep enough for you or your little mutant admiral to burrow in - I'll put a price on your heads that will have every bounty hunter in the galaxy all over you like a second skin - you'll not eat or sleep - I'll have you -"

[thisvorlunatic]

Ah. Miles smiles slightly, despite a shiver of apprehension. The Baron must have discovered the condition of his freezers, and presumably checked the sub-basement and found his prisoners vanished. But why does Ryoval expect them to escape? They haven't even undocked from Fell Station yet. A simple application of a large sum of money to the problem would surely tempt Fell to hold them for Ryoval's pleasure... Perhaps Miles can find out. He steps into range of the vid pickup.

"Good morning, Baron." Is it morning? It's past midnight, he's pretty sure. Close enough. "I hope it finds you well. And how do you plan to pay all these bounty hunters?"

[alicornucopia]

"Did my dear little brother put you up to this?" hisses Ryoval, wiping some of the excess spittle from the corner of his mouth.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles blinks. "Who?"

[alicornucopia]

"Baron Fell!" exclaims Ryoval, livid.

[thisvorlunatic]

"I... was unaware of the relation," says Miles. "Little brother?" He could swear he's heard something about - right, Nicol mentioned Fell's half-brother as a prime suspect in the murder of his clone. Said half-brother presumably being Ryoval... and why did the mission briefing not cover this little wrinkle? All the detail he could desire on the subject of House Bharaputra, who have barely featured in this drama at all, and nothing about the Ryoval-Fell connection. He's going to have some sharp words for Illyan when he gets back. In the meantime, he itches to undock, but he is not yet ready to provoke Fell so openly.