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]

"And he knows what his tells are - with me, with Ivan, I suppose there could be other gaps if he impersonates Miles to you or Cordelia - and could train them away if he were determined to do it, so. Scanner."

[on_my_word]

"Yes."

[isthisart]

She shrugs. "Questions?"

[on_my_word]

"...How was Miles, last you saw him?"

[isthisart]

"Pleased about not being arrested," she says. "Less pleased that he had to ship out immediately after the dust settled, but - stable by Miles standards."

[on_my_word]

"That's something of a relief. Thank you."

[isthisart]

"You're welcome."

Linya settles back into the routine of life-at-home-while-Miles-is-gone. She plays the piano. She works on Little Aral Adri. She calls Ekaterin to make plans for later in the week. She updates the pen manufacturers about projected demand from Earth sellers. She talks to Tsipis. She eats an extremely large bowl of groats for breakfast the first morning after her touchdown, and spends a few hours scanning the university course catalog and writing emails to the professors associated with various classes, and puts out a job ad for someone to go to Komarr to meet Dr. Cheung and help settle him in while he will no doubt still be woozy from the trip. And then it is about lunchtime, and Captain Illyan is expected.

[as_i_remember]

He arrives precisely on time, and sits down to lunch with Linya - Aral and Cordelia have, at his request, made other plans.

"Lady Vorkosigan. How was your trip?"

[isthisart]

"Most of it was pleasant. The unpleasant part was very much so, alas."

[as_i_remember]

"I have heard... some things. I would like to hear more things," says Captain Illyan.

[isthisart]

"Starting from what is most likely to interest you, then - while I was on Earth for tourism, pens, and neuroscience, Miles landed none the wiser, went to the embassy, and encountered Ivan. He was there as himself, so Ivan called me with the cheering news. I didn't ask why he was there or where he'd come from or why he looked like - his turn of phrase was 'inexpertly defrosted hell' - but there was some visiting. We picked out," she adds with a faint smile, "baby names. And then one day when I was at the bank ensuring that my agent could act as such with respect to Earthly and cooperating financial nets, who should I run into but my husband in civilian garb. And no one was looking, so I picked him up, and I was abruptly introduced to Admiral Naismith."

[as_i_remember]

"I see," he says. "Go on."

[isthisart]

"He didn't say anything along the lines of 'play along, undercover', he just fed me unadulterated lies - which might not have worked if one of the Dendarii ships hadn't picked up my job bid for transporting a neuroscientist to Komarr. I didn't think an undercover Miles would have drawn my attention to his mercenary outfit, so I tentatively bought the story, although I did call Miles-qua-Miles to confirm at the earliest opportunity. He told me Naismith was his clone and made excuses for not having ever told me he had a clone and - I was not certain I was getting the truth but I was pretty sure I was getting what Miles wanted me to pretend was the truth, so I proceeded to operate under the supplied assumptions. And then a bit later on Miles was kidnapped and replaced by his actual clone, who I will hereafter refer to as Mark."

[as_i_remember]

"Mm. Yes, I've heard the name. Miles used it in his report, several times in fact."

[isthisart]

"Mark does an exceedingly good impression of Miles. He fooled Ivan for days, although after being told about the swap Ivan retroactively learned a tell which may or may not persist. I was completely unawares - since Naismith had seemed perfectly friendly and disinterested in replacing his original when I met 'him' - until I picked Mark up and kissed him on the forehead and put him down again only to discover that he has a flinch reaction to physical affection. He dropped the act and stunned me. When I woke up I was tied to a chair in a room with Miles on fast-penta mid-recitation-of-Macbeth, and Ser Galen, the orchestrator of the clone plot. They didn't know about my fast-penta immunity, so when they dosed me too I pretended in case - as seemed likely - option two was more primitive. It was convenient that I have, actually, memorized Macbeth and Galen was too enraged to ask me any probing questions."

[as_i_remember]

"That does seem convenient. What was Ivan's tell?"

[isthisart]

"Mark likes him too much."

[as_i_remember]

[isthisart]

"Anyway, then we were put in a cell - in Miles's case back in the cell - with Captain Galeni, Galen's son, who had been kidnapped days previous. Correctly suspecting surveillance I pretended to come down off fast-penta, albeit more gently than Miles did. Having made two mistakes about my husband's identity in a very short span of time I wasn't certain the one I was locked up with was, actually, my husband, which was emotionally distressing in ways that are probably relevant to nothing you're looking for except Miles's decision to completely abandon cover with respect to me, insofar as there was anything to salvage except for dubiously protective uncertainty and confusion."

[as_i_remember]

"Miles's motivations are certainly of deep interest to me."

[isthisart]

"He is motivated," says Linya, "to stop lying to me, at least in cases where the ceiling or a facsimile thereof is not watching us."

[as_i_remember]

"So noted. You may consider yourself de facto cleared to know the identity of Admiral Naismith. Please do not spread it around."

[isthisart]

"I haven't done. I did tell Cordelia and Aral about Mark, though. And give them my medical scan of Miles for comparison. You can have a copy too if you want it."

[as_i_remember]

"Cordelia and Aral are aware of Miles's dual identity and you are free to discuss it with them. As well as me, Gregor, Ivan, and three Dendarii whom you may or may not have met - Elli Quinn, Elena Bothari-Jesek, and Baz Jesek. I would be pleased to receive a copy of your medical scan."

[isthisart]

"I briefly encountered Quinn but neither Jesek," says Linya. "Do you have a pen yet, or...?"