fermata

[isthisart]

Linya sees Dr. Cheung onto a ship other than the Ariel, which agrees to tote him to Komarr very, very slowly, knocking him out for each jump and having someone look after him when he comes around green in the gills. It's not going to be a fun trip for him, but it's better than trying to collaborate with a multi-week conversational turnaround time. It's pricey - the ship has nonperishable cargo with no deadline at its destination and already employs a medtech, but still - but she thinks it's worth it.

Her business on Earth concluded, she examines the list of tourist attractions she didn't get around to, determines that none of them are worth sticking around for, and gets on a much faster vessel and goes all the way home. The first thing she does when there is go looking for whichever of the Count or Countess is easiest to find.

Comments

[isthisart]

"Or we won't. Although he seemed to be over the deathwish by the time he left."

[greatcomposure]

"...The deathwish...?"

[isthisart]

"During the tied-to-a-chair conversation, among other things, he solicited 'better ways to die' than going through with the substitution plot and getting himself killed due to it being a poorly thought out idea."

[greatcomposure]

"...Did he define what qualified as a better way?"

[isthisart]

"That was left unstated. I didn't come up with one he liked, anyway."

[greatcomposure]

"I see. He sounds... complicated."

[isthisart]

"Exceedingly. And he does a very good impression of Miles up until the moment someone touches him - although apparently Ivan can tell on sight because Mark likes him more than Miles does. So I'm probably going to be scanning Miles every time he's out of my sight for more than ten seconds for the next while. Whenever he gets home."

[greatcomposure]

"Yes. Whenever that is."

[isthisart]

"A fact which I am even now, alas, ignorant of."

[greatcomposure]

"Me too. It seems to come with the job."

[isthisart]

"It does." Linya sighs. She pulls her pen from her necklace and sends the medical scan to Cordelia's pen. "There's the scan file, although if you pick up a scanner of your own that prefers another format it'll need conversion."

[greatcomposure]

"Thank you. I'll... just keep it on hand for now." She pauses, then adds, "I think Simon's going to want to talk to you soon. Apparently he's dissatisfied with the reports he received from Earth and wants to hear the in-person perspective of someone who was there for at least some of it."

[isthisart]

"Well, he is welcome to come over and have lunch with me, as long as he remembers that I did not ask to be kidnapped and he is not paying me to be his spy while he does it."

[greatcomposure]

"I'll be sure to tell him so."

[isthisart]

"Any other questions before I go tell Aral about Mark?"

[greatcomposure]

"I don't think so, no."

[isthisart]

"I did tell Mark that you are a nice person to be an unexpected relative to," sighs Linya, and off she goes looking for her father-in-law.

[greatcomposure]

[on_my_word]

Linya's father-in-law may be found in the library, reading the local news.

[isthisart]

Linya knocks on the doorframe to announce her presence.

[on_my_word]

"Welcome home," he says, looking up.

[isthisart]

"Thank you. I've just told Cordelia about the business with Miles's clone. How much do you already know? And," pen woggle, "there's a copy for you of the baseline medical scan that will tell you the difference if you're unsure."

[on_my_word]

"I know there was some business with a clone, and Illyan is quietly tearing his hair out over it."

[isthisart]

"We've been calling the clone Mark, which he will answer to when he is not pretending to be Miles. It was part of a Komarran plot to replace Miles and wreak various havoc. Mark is currently wandering wherever he may please with a pocketful of cash and the principal plotter deceased and has been informed that he is welcome here if ever he wishes to show up."

[on_my_word]

"Well. All right."