The following abbreviations are used to denote where the defined term appeared in the Vorkosigan Saga novels:
B:Barrayar
BA:Brothers in Arms
BI:"The Borders of Infinity"
C:Cetaganda
CC:A Civil Campaign
DD:"Dreamweaver's Dilemma"
DI:Diplomatic Immunity
EA:Ethan of Athos
FF:Falling Free
K:Komarr
L:"Labyrinth"
M:Memory
MD:Mirror Dance
MM:"The Mountains of Mourning"
SH:Shards of Honor
VG:The Vor Game
WA:The Warrior's Apprentice
WG:"Winterfair Gifts"
Terms are listed alphabetically, without regard to punctuation.
Although we have tried to make this concordance as complete as possible, please note that Lois's novels cover more than one thousand years of future history. The writers and editors are all too aware that mistakes are inevitable in such a mammoth work. Comments, questions, and suggestions or additions or corrections may be sent to the following address:
John Helfers
c/o Baen Publishing Enterprises
500 Wait Ave., #6
Wake Forest, NC 27587
Abell:
No first name given. A scholar who produced a turgid general history of Barrayar. Cordelia views a video of his work while she is Aral's prisoner. (SH)
Abromov:
No first name given. A corporal in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he delivers the helmet recorder files of every Dendarii soldier involved in the clone rescue missions on Jackson's Whole to the officer conference room on the Peregrine. (BA)
Aczith:
No first name given. A historian who details the history of Emperor Dorca Vorbarra the Just, Aral's great-grandfather, who ruled at the end of the Time of Isolation. Cordelia views this video while she is Aral's prisoner, trying to gain insight into Barrayaran politics. (SH)
Adumbration of Trigonial Strategy in the War of Minos IV, The:
Title of a set of three military history reading discs Miles purchases on the Jacksonian Consortium jump station to pass the time during his trip home after his Victor Rotha persona is revealed. (VG)
Agba:
One of the welding quaddies Leo trains at the Cay Habitat. He inadvertently almost ruins Leo's plan to create a new vortex mirror by using slurry explosive to blow off clamps while disassembling the station. (FF)
Ahn:
No first name given. A lieutenant and meteorological officer in the Barrayaran military, he is stationed at Lazkowski Base. Miles replaces him on his first assignment after graduating from the Imperial Academy. An unshaven drunkard, approximately forty years old, he has been in the military for twenty years, and is about to retire. He has been Kyril station's only weather officer for fifteen years, and is able to accurately forecast the weather by smell alone. He was an accomplice in covering up Stanis Metzov's murder of a Barrayaran guard corporal who was going to turn Metzov in for killing a Komarran rebel during interrogation. (VG)
Aime Pass:
A pass in the Dendarii Mountains where Piotr takes Cordelia and Gregor to hide from Vordarian's security men. Populated by scattered homesteads, it is also the mail route for Major Klyeuvi. (B)
Aircar:
A cross between a groundcar and a lightflyer, an aircar combines the best of both vehicles. Using anti-gravity technology for lift, it can carry several people, and move either on the ground or through the air, giving it an extended travel range. Miles, Ivan, and Vorob'yev travel to the Celestial Garden on Cetaganda in one. (C)
Alex:
No surname given. The Speaker's deputy in Silvy Vale, he is a hulking young man, big-handed, heavy-browed, thick-necked, and surly. He assists in exhuming Raina Csurik's body for autopsy. (MM)
Alfredi, Marsha:
A lieutenant in the Barrayaran prison camp during the Escobar war, she is the ranking officer there until Cordelia arrives. (SH)
Aljean:
A quaddie zero-gee ballet composer. His most famous work is "The Crossing," about the original quaddies' escape from GalacTech to freedom. (DI)
Allegre, Guy:
A general in the Barrayaran military, he is the Head of Domestic Affairs for Komarr, and Lucas Haroche's counterpart before Lucas is promoted to Simon's position. He accompanies Miles to catch Haroche destroying the evidence that he had infected Simon with the prokaryote organism. After being promoted to acting Chief of Imperial Security, his first act is to arrest Haroche on Miles's order. He is then appointed to the position of Chief of Imperial Security after Miles turns the position down.
After the Komarr investigation, he warns Miles not to speak publicly about the rumors regarding Ekaterin until Imperial Security can learn if there is a security leak regarding the recent events there. Before Miles's wedding, he reports to the wedding party about the poisoned pearls, and lets them know that the people behind the plot have been caught. (CC, M, WG)
Alpha-S-D plasmid-2:
A sexually transmitted disease Elli Quinn mentions as part of her plan to bring biocontrol wardens down on Colonel Millisor at Kline Station. (EA)
Alpha-S-D plasmid-3:
A sexually-transmitted disease Elli Quinn mentions as part of her plan to bring biocontrol wardens down on Colonel Millisor at Kline Station. (EA)
Amor Klyeuvi's nephew:
No name given. He guides Cordelia and Bothari out of the Dendarii Mountains. (B)
Anafi, Ser:
A representative of the Rialto Sharemarket Agency, he contacts Ekaterin Vorsoisson after Etienne's death, trying to collect on her husband's loan, which was lost in an investment in trade fleet shares. He tries to get her to cosign a repayment plan, but Miles thwarts him by putting him in direct contact with Colonel Gibbs as part of the investigation into Etienne's finances. (K)
Anderson, Laureen:
A sergeant and shuttle pilot in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, she is assigned Miles's mission to infiltrate House Ryoval's biological laboratory. She saves Miles, Taura, and Nicol from the pursuing Ryoval security forces, and helps Taura clean up aboard the Ariel. (L)
Andy:
Claire and Tony's baby quaddie, born on the Cay Project Habitat. (FF)
Anti-gravity field:
A null-gee field can be created just about anywhere with the proper equipment, and is often used for sleep and exotic recreation. For those not accustomed to free fall, this can cause drop-nausea. While hosting a quaddie musician, House Fell uses a null-gee bubble to allow her to float while playing her instrument with all four arms. (L)
Anti-gravity freight pallet:
A self-powered lift cart that can move freight, luggage, and other equipment a short distance. Often, the user will ride on the pallet along with the cargo. The pallet eliminates gravity, but not inertia, so the cart and cargo have to be stopped manually. (All)
Anti-gravity lift tubes:
Mechanical elevators have been replaced by anti-gravity lift tubes. The traveler rises or is lowered at a certain speed, depending on the tube's setting. Built-in safety programs provide for controlled lowering in case of power or equipment failure; however, they can also be overridden, as Mark found out while escaping from Baron Ryoval's laboratory. Emergency handholds/ladders are usually built into the tube walls as a safety backup. (All)
Anti-Vor pro-galactic faction:
One of the splinter political groups on Barrayar, they want a written constitution for the government. (VG)
Apmad:
No first name given. The vice president of GalacTech's Operations Department, she is at the high end of middle age and dumpy, with short, frizzy gray hair and serious eyes. She is inspecting Rodeo and the Cay Habitat when Claire and Tony try to escape, and oversees the hearing into the incident. She is prejudiced and appalled by the genetic experimentation that created the quaddies. As a young woman, she'd had four or five pregnancies that were all terminated due to genetic defects, then gave up trying to reproduce, got divorced, and went to work for GalacTech. She sends the order to shut the Cay Project down. (FF)
Apoptotic Prokaryote:
A bioengineered life-form, smaller and simpler than a bacterium, used by General Lucas Haroche to contaminate Simon's memory chip. Once ingested, it manufactures an enzyme that breaks down the chip's protein matrix, in effect eating the proteins to reproduce. After reproducing a certain number of times, it is supposed to self-destruct, leaving no physical evidence of its existence. The original lot was found in the Imperial Security Evidence Room in Aisle Five, Shelf Nine, Bin Twenty-Seven, and was mislabeled as a Komarran virus. It was originally supposed to be used on Simon in a plot created by the Komarran terrorist Ser Galen. (M)
Aragones:
No first name given. A senior partner and doctor at the Beauchene Life Center, he is a big, bluff man with bronze skin, a noble nose, and graying hair, who works in a very cluttered office. He briefs Miles and Elli on the Dendarii mercenaries injured during the Marilac operation. (MD)
Arata, Tav:
A security officer at Kline Station, he is a neurasthenic Eurasian with lank black hair, pale skin, and eyes like needles, who says little but listens a lot. His uniform is mostly black, with an orange collar and side stripe. Assigned to cleaning up the mess left by Quinn, he gets a date with her for his troubles, and no explanation about what happened. (EA)
Ariel:
An Illyrican-made small warship, swift and powerful for its size, that Miles captures after taking Captain Auson and his boarding party prisoner. After taking over the ore refinery orbiting Tau Verde IV, Miles gives it to Bel Thorne as part of the hermaphrodite's brevet promotion. He uses it for the ordnance and scientist pickup at Jackson's Whole, and also in the prisoner escape on Dagoola IV. Posing as Miles, Mark takes the ship on his ill-fated clone rescue mission on Jackson's Whole. (BI, L, WA)
Armsman:
The social title of a Barrayaran retainer who has sworn the armsman's oath to the liege he serves. (All)
Armsman's oath:
The oath that Miles has Arde Mayhew and Baz Jesek swear to confirm their acceptance of him as their liege lord, serving him faithfully until either death of the armsman or his lord, or until the lord releases the armsman from his oath. This can pose problems, as Arde is a Betan and the first ever to swear the oath, and Baz is a deserter from the Barrayaran military, and already liege-sworn to Emperor Gregor. Mark also has Elena swear the oath to him before going to rescue Miles, breaking Barrayaran tradition as well, since a female had never sworn the armsman's oath until that moment. (WA, MD)
Armsmen's Shout:
A Barrayaran wedding tradition, where the twenty sworn armsmen of a lord cheer his marriage. Pym leads the one for Miles after he marries Ekaterin. (WG)
Arozzi:
No first name given. Miles interviews him about Radovas's death, as he has taken over the man's duties until a replacement is found, and is hoping to be permanently promoted into the position. He is involved in the plot to destroy the Barrayaran wormhole, and when he encounters Ekaterin on the jump point station, takes her and Madame Vorthys hostage to prevent discovery of the plan before it can be carried out. (K)
Artificial gravity:
Spacecraft and space habitats use artificial gravity for human health and to compensate for acceleration. The technology behind the system is not explained. Initial prototype systems required heavy power use, but by the time of the Vorkosigan Saga, there's no mention of the power cost. Shuttles and small spacecraft do not have artificial gravity systems. (All except FF)
Arvin:
No first name given. A ghem-lady with blond hair who seduces Ivan at Lord Yenaro's party. She and Lady Benello find Miles and Ivan at the bioestheties exhibition, and take both men over to Lady Veda's exhibit, where Yenaro was unwittingly set up to kill all of them with an asterzine-impregnated carpet. (C)
Aslund:
A cul-de-sac planet like Barrayar, the Hegen Hub is its sole gate to the greater galactic web. They hired the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet for protection when the Cetagandans began making preliminary moves to capture the Hegen Hub. After the brief war with Cetaganda, it cements an alliance with Barrayar, Vervain, and Pol. (VG)
Athos:
A cloistered planet with three moons in a remote sector of space that is inhabited solely by men. Even the word "woman" is an obscenity in their culture. Humans have been living there for approximately two centuries, using uterine replicators and ovarian banks to create future male generations. The men live in communes and everyone pitches in to help with maintaining their society, as that is the only way to earn social duty credits toward having a child. They grow facial hair as a symbol of fatherhood after saving enough credits for a reproduction permit. Life for the planet's inhabitants is peaceful, if fairly rigidly controlled by the government. When their genetic lines begin to die out, they send a representative into the galaxy to procure new ones, and foil a major Cetagandan plot as well. (EA)
Aura detector:
Used in crime scene investigations, it detects the afterimages of human movement for some time afterward. The auras fade over a number of hours. Miles laments that it is too late to use one during his investigation of the murder at Silvy Vale. (MM)
Auson:
No first name given, he is the captain of the Ariel who boards Miles's freighter at Tau Verde to inspect their cargo. A decent soldier, but sloppy after eighteen months of blockade duty. When he tries to take Elena as his hostage, Miles and the rest of his crew capture his boarding party, then take his ship. Auson gets both arms and his nose broken by Elena, then endures a General Ship Inspection by Miles and his crew. He signs the contracts of his men over to Miles, and joins the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. He is promoted to captain of the Triumph after the capture of the ore refinery.
Four years later, he still commands the Triumph under Admiral Oser, but has put on a few pounds. Dismayed to find he must follow Miles's orders again during the Vervain conflict, he demands an apology from Ky Tung before agreeing to help protect the wormhole to Vervain. (VG, WA)
"Autumn Leaves":
The multimedia sculpture that Lord Yanaro creates for the Marilacan embassy welcoming party, it is a fountain that resembles a small mountain, complete with footpaths. Colored flakes swirl in the air around the base, making tunnels that change color, signifying the passing of the seasons. The sculpture is large enough to walk through, and when Miles is led inside by Lord Yenaro, the electromagnetic field powering the sculpture heats up his leg braces enough to burn him, embarrassing him in front of the other guests. (C)
Avakli:
No first name given. A rear admiral in the Barrayaran Imperial Service and a biocyberneticist, he is balding, lean, tall, and intense. He normally does surgery on jump pilots and their implants, and has been called in to consult on Simon's eidetic memory chip failure. (M)
Aziz:
No first name given. One of the injured Dendarii mercenaries at the Beauchene Life Center, he suffered brain damage from the cryogenic preservation process, and has lost his personality and all motor and vocal skills. He will need long-term physical and mental therapy and care to be self-sufficient. During his visit, Miles sets up a trust fund to cover his rehabilitation. (MD)
Ba:
The caste name for the mostly hairless, neuter Cetagandan Imperial slaves. They are of the haut genome, but are not cloned; each one is created individually, as a test subject for potential genetic traits that a haut-lady may wish to introduce into future offspring. Each serves its master for life. (C)
Baba:
A Barrayaran social position held by elderly ladies. They serve as arbitrators between the familes of two people that wish to get married, to ensure that the match is a suitable one for the involved parties. Miles pretends to be one to facilitate Elena Bothari's and Bazik Jesek's marriage. Aly Vorpartril serves as Emperor Gregor's Baba during his wooing of Laisa Toscane, and Alexi Vormoncrief sends one to ask for Ekaterin's hand, with much less positive results. (CC, WA)
Baba of Lairouba:
The hereditary head of state of the planet Lairouba, he has traveled to Earth to discuss right-of-passage through the Western Orion Arm group of planets. Miles is assigned to diplomatic escort duty for one of his four wives during a reception and dinner in his honor, made difficult due to the translator earbugs not arriving in time for the event. (BA)
Baneri:
No first name or rank given. A Marilacan military officer killed during the siege of Fallow Core. (BI)
Bannerji, George:
A captain, he works for GalacTech company security in Shuttleport Three. Alerted by Van Atta about an unspecified threat, he carries an unauthorized weapon during his search, and shoots Tony out of fear. He is officially reprimanded and suspended for two weeks without pay. He redeems himself by not firing on the quaddies' escaping jump ship without the properly signed waste disposal order. (FF)
Barca:
An area on Athos that has both junior and senior representatives on the Population Council, one of whom proposes the idea that the Council bring female fetuses to near-term and harvest new genetic material from them to revitalize the ovarian cultures, eliciting a horrified reaction from the rest of the council. (EA)
Barinth:
A city on Tau Verde IV that Major Daum and Fehun are trying to free from the Pelians. (WA)
Barrayar:
One of the major planets in the Vorkosigan Saga. It is a lush, verdant planet with at least two continents, several mountain ranges, and large areas of deciduous forest. Its standard day is 26.7 hours long. Settled several hundred years before Miles's birth, its population suffered a return to near medieval-technology status when its sole wormhole suddenly closed, leading to what the Barrayarans call the Time of Isolation. It is ruled as an Imperial Empire, with an Emperor as its head, and an aristocratic-military class known as the Vor, which spend as much time jockeying for power with each other as they do ruling the planet.
Barrayar was the target of a failed twenty-year conquest attempt by Cetaganda, which led Barrayar's leaders to conquer Komarr, the planet at the outlet of its wormhole route to human-settled space, for protection. It also launched an ill-fated attempt to conquer Escobar, and settled the planet Sergyar, where Aral Vorkosgian and Cordelia first meet. After the Hegen Hub conflict, it enters into an alliance with Aslund, Pol, and Vervain. (All except FF)
Barrayaran Imperial Embassy:
A Class III embassy located in London, England, on Earth. Miles takes Quinn there to check in with Imperial Security headquarters and get needed money for the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. As Lieutenant Vorkosigan, he is assigned to data analysis and escort duty as needed by the false orders sent by the subverted courier, meant to keep him in place until Ser Galen can kidnap Miles and install Mark in his place. (BA)
Barth:
No first name given. A sergeant at the Barrayaran Embassy on Earth, he escorts Miles and Elli to their first meeting with Captain Galen. Prejudiced against women in the military, he dismisses Elli Quinn as a soldier. While he is escorting Miles to the Dendarii at the spaceport, the two are almost killed by hired assassins, and are saved when Quinn takes out the lift-truck with a rocket launcher. (BA)
Baruch, Cynthia Jane:
A doctor hired to create Athos's ovarian cultures, and who used her own genetic material to help start the planet's all-male population. Children created from her genetic material tend to be excellent doctors. Ethan Urquhart is a CJB-8. (EA)
Base doctor:
No name given. He checks Cordelia out after her journey with Gregor through the Dendarii Mountains, and suggests an exercise program for her, which Cordelia finds grimly ironic. (B)
Base One:
Where Cordelia's survey team had established camp on Sergyar while they were surveying it. It was attacked by the Barrayarans and most of the tents and equipment were destroyed. (SH)
Batman:
A Barrayaran term for a personal servant or valet. For Vor lords, this person is usually an armsman. (All except FF)
Battle armor:
A self-powered, environmentally sealed, personal armor suit that can be used in space or on the surface of planets with no atmosphere. The suit increases the user's strength proportionately, and provides complete protection against stunners and nerve disruptors, most poisons and biological agents, and some protection against plasma arcs and radioactivity. It contains a communications suite and tactical computer, enabling the wearer to be in constant communication with the rest of their unit. Battle armor can also be slaved to a central control computer, enabling the suit to be controlled by an outside person in the event of the wearer's injury or death. (WA, M, MD)
Beaded lizard:
An animal native to Tau Ceti, weighing about fifty kilograms. Miles resists purchasing one for Elena on Beta Colony. (WA)
Beatrice:
No last name given. A tall redhead, she is the leader among the estimated five hundred women at the prison camp on Dagoola IV who have formed an alliance to resist rape and abuse. She is instrumental in reorganizing the camp and Miles becomes very fond of her. He wants her to be one of the new leaders in the re-formed Marilacan Army, but she dies by falling out of the shuttle hatch while trying to free its stuck loading ramp. (BI)
Beauchene Life Center:
An Escobaran cryotherapy facility, headed by Doctor Aragones and Administrator Margara, that treats several injured Dendarii mercenaries after the Marilac operation. Medic Norwood trained in cryogenics there, which is also where he met one of the Duronas, enabling him to send her Miles's body after he is killed on Jackson's Whole. (MD)
Benar, Fehun:
A Felician colonel supposedly in charge of the ore refinery orbiting Tau Verde IV. He has a wife named Miram. Captured and psychologically broken by the Pelians, he was forced to record messages to lure Felician ships to dock at the refinery to be captured. He is recovered after the refinery is taken by the Dendarii, but is catatonic from the torture. (WA)
Benar, Miram:
Fehun Benar's wife. Major Daum asks about her during his conversation with Benar. (WA)
Benello:
No first name given. A ghem-lady with red hair who seduces Ivan at Lord Yenaro's party. The sister of Lady Veda, she and Lady Arvin find Miles and Ivan at the bioestheties exhibition, and escort both men over to Lady Veda's exhibit, where Yenaro was unwittingly set up to kill all of them with asterzine-impregnated carpet. (C)
Beni Ra orbital factory:
A project that Leo Graf worked on for GalacTech, where he found micro-cracks in the reactor coolant lines, saving at least three thousand lives. (FF)
Benin, Dag:
A ghem-colonel in Cetagandan Imperial Security assigned to internal affairs at the Celestial Gardens, he is charged with investigating the death of the Ba Lura. Of middle stature, he wears the dark red dress uniform of the Imperial Security in the Celestial Garden, and full Imperial pattern face paint, base white with black curves and red accents. Miles manipulates him into solving much of the conspiracy, and Benin figures out his superior, Naru, set him up to declare the Ba Lura's murder a suicide rather than actually investigating it. When Ivan tells him Miles has gone to Ilsum Kety's ship, Benin leads security forces there to arrest Kety. The Emperor rewards his service by promoting him to ghem-general.
Several years later, he escorts the haut Pel Navarr to Emperor Gregor's wedding. He also passes along to Miles Emperor Fletchir Giaja's personal condolences on the death of Admiral Naismith, letting Miles know that the Cetagandans know about his alter ego and identity. Benin also tells Miles that the Emperor trusts that Admiral Naismith will stay deceased. When Miles replies that he trusts the admiral will never have to be resurrected again, Benin promises to convey his reply to the Emperor exactly as spoken. (C, CC)
Bernaux:
No first name given. The silver-haired ambassador of the Marilacan embassy, he greets Vorob'yev, Miles, and Ivan at the welcoming party. (C)
Beta Colony:
The first successful space colony, it is located on a hot, barren planet with all of the population living underground. It is known throughout the galaxy for its permissive social attitude, which culminated in the creation of a hermaphrodite class of people. Known for its excellent technology and industrial base, it develops and sells products and services throughout the galaxy. Chalmys DuBauer spent much of his artificially lengthened life span traveling between it and Earth, and Anias Ruey is contemplating making a feelie-dream using it as a background. Cordelia Naismith turns her back on her home when the Betan government tries to use her as a propaganda tool against Barrayar. Miles Vorkosigan finds Arde Mayhew and Baz Jesek there, and takes Elli Quinn back to the colony for reconstructive facial surgery. Mark Vorkosigan and Kareen Koudelka attend school and therapy there. (DD, FF, SH, WA, CC)
Betan Embassy:
Located on Orient IV. Leo learns the Betans demonstrated an artificial gravity device there, rendering the quaddies obsolete before they can finish their training. (FF)
Betan Expeditionary Force:
An all-purpose exploration unit that is made up of the top scientific minds on Beta Colony. Its primary mission is to explore newly discovered planets and regions of space. Cordelia Naismith is a captain in the organization when she meets Aral on the survey planet that will later be named Sergyar, and observes the preparations for the invasion of Escobar. Her survey team is driven off the planet, but instead of warning Beta Colony about Barrayar's plans, they rescue her from the General Vorkraft instead. A documentary, The Thin Blue Line, recounts the Force's heroism in helping to repel the Barrayaran invasion, which disgusts Elena Bothari when she watches it nineteen years later. Doctor Enrique Borgos is tremendously impressed when he learns that Cordelia was a member of the Force. (CC, SH, VG)
Betan Journal of Reproductive Medicine, The:
A magazine Ethan Urquhart reads after its approval by the Athos Board of Censors, wherein he finds an article called "On an Improvement in Permeability of Exchange Membranes in the Uterine Replicator," by Kara Burton M.D., Ph.D., and Elizabeth Naismith, M.S. Bioengineering (Cordelia's mother). Their pictures are in the magazine, and Ethan sees a photo of a woman for the first time in his life. (EA)
Betan Mental Health Board:
Mentioned by Arde Mayhew as people he cannot take hostage. (WA)
Betan rejuvenation treatment:
A rumor with unknown provenance about Admiral Naismith that claims he has undergone a mysterious life-extending treatment at Beta Colony. Baron Fell is extremely interested in finding out more about it, and Miles uses his interest as a bargaining tool at first, but eventually tells him that no such treatment exists. (L)
Bharaputra, Lotus Durona:
Lilly Durona's second daughter, she left her clone family and married Baron Bharaputra. She is Eurasian, with white hair streaked with black wound up in elaborate braids around her head, dark eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin, ivory skin softening with tiny wrinkles. The dark-haired girl Lilly, rescued and then lost in the clone group when she rejoined Baron Bharaputra, is the transplant body Lotus intends to inhabit once the girl has reached the proper age. Lotus is now in her sixties, and ready to undergo the procedure, but is thwarted when Miles convinces young Lilly to escape the Baron's House and join her true family. (MD)
Bharaputra, Vasa Luigi:
The baron of House Bharaputra on Jackson's Whole, he appears to be forty years old, but has been in a clone body for the past twenty years. He has a strong-boned face, with olive skin and dark hair pulled back and held in a gold ring. Miles first encounters him during his first mission to Jackson's Whole to steal his genetic scientist Hugh Canaba.
Miles tries to negotiate with him for the return of Mark, Bel Thorne, and Green Squad after the clone rescue attempt, but ends up trying to break them out himself when the talks break down. The baron is captured by Yellow Squad during that mission, and is released in exchange for the Dendarii's passage out of the Jackson's Whole system. He captures Rowen Durona and Miles after he is resuscitated at the Durona Clinic, and lets Rowan go, not realizing that she and the young clone Lilly have traded places, and sells Miles to Baron Ryoval. (L, MD)
Bianca:
No first name given. A doctor and executive in the Portobello Pharmaceutical Company, he holds degrees in chemistry and psychology, and runs the product development section. Forty, tan and fit, with slightly graying hair, he is married to granddaughter of the company's founder, and lives in a big, beautiful house in Rio de Janeiro. He hires Carlos Diaz to act as his surrogate to hire Anias Ruey to make a disturbing, violent feelie-dream that he plans to use to get his wife to commit suicide so he can inherit her portion of their business. After figuring out his plot, Anias brings the police in, and forces him to give the feelie-dream back to her. (DD)
Bianca, Mrs.:
A woman in her late thirties, she is thin and tense, with dark hair, arrogant eyes, and a feelie-dream implant. She owns sixty percent of her grandfather's company, Portobello Pharmaceutical Company. Married to Doctor Bianca, she is the unknowing target of a plot to kill her by her husband using a feelie-dream to drive her to commit suicide. (DD)
Bier-gift:
A Cetagandan practice of offering gifts to be burned on the funeral bier of a person in their honor. For the Dowager Empress Lisbet Degtiar, Miles presents a sword carried by Dorca Vorbarra in the First Cetagandan War. All of the bier-gifts are placed around the body, and everything is incinerated using plasma-fire. (C)
Bioengineered parasites:
An assassination weapon developed by the Cetagandan Star Crèche, it can be introduced to a victim by various means, including skin contact. The parasites are sometimes protected by micro- encapsulation that can be set to dissolve under specific conditions, including at a predetermined body temperature. Once ingested, they multiply, then switch to producing two chemicals in different vesicles inside their membranes. The vesicles engorge until an increase in the victim's body temperature bursts them, and the chemicals mix, producing a violently exothermic reaction—killing the parasite, damaging the surrounding tissues, and stimulating more nearby parasites to detonate, becoming microscopic bombs. Deceased victims look like they have melted, dissolving into puddles of flesh and bones.
The Cetagandans have the only known antidote for this weapon. A delaying treatment is to cool the body in an ice-water bath and filter the organisms from the victim's blood. However, since they also hide inside tissues, this is not a cure, as energy is continuously drained from the body to create new parasites until death results. The only known person to survive infection without treatment is Russo Gupta. Both Miles and Bel Thorne are infected during the investigation at Graf Station, and are cured by the haut-women of the Star Crèche, although both suffer permanent physical damage. (DI)
Black Escarpment:
Part of a mountain range located deep in Barrayar's Southern Continent, it is where Miles trained in winter maneuvers during his time at the Imperial Academy. (VG, CC)
Black Gang:
The name Mark gives to his various sub-personalities that emerge during his torture by Baron Ryoval, and which stay with him afterward. (MD, CC)
Bleakman, Greg:
Gregor Vorbarra's alias while he is absent without leave from Barrayar. (VG)
Bloody Century:
A term the Barrayarans use to refer to the time of endless fighting on Barrayar before Dorca Vorbarra united all the Vor under his banner. (B)
Blue cheese dressing:
One of the two provisions at Base One that weren't destroyed in the Barrayaran attack. Cordelia, Aral, and Dubauer survive on it during their trip to the supply cache. (SH)
Bobbi:
A quaddie from Gang B on Cay Habitat. (FF)
Body pod:
Also known as a bod pod, it is a cheap, one-size-fits-all emergency survival module in the form of a mostly spherical balloon. A person can quickly enter and seal the pod, then the automatic system will inflate and maintain the internal environment until the inhabitant can be rescued. (All)
Bollan Design:
A Komarran jump-ship powerplant design firm contracted by Soudha to make five experimental Necklin field generators. The chief engineer of the project quit the company to help with the wormhole destruction plot, and is arrested on the jump station with the other collaborators. (K)
Bone replacement:
A medical operation in which weakened or permanently damaged bones are reinforced or replaced by plastic versions. The existing bone marrow is transferred to the new matrix in the artificial bones. Miles undergoes several operations over his lifetime to replace his skeleton with artificial bones. (BA, VG)
Bone, Vicky:
A lieutenant in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, she is the outfit's head accountant, and is a precise, middle-aged, heavyset woman. When the payment for the Marilac operation doesn't arrive from Barrayar, she receives permission from Miles to get creative with the finances, including setting up a short-term loan against the Triumph itself. She also creates the untraceable half-million-Imperial-mark credit chit for Miles to use to try to buy off Galen, which he gives to Mark instead. (BA)
Boni, Sylva:
A deceased Escobaran ensign found in the aftermath of the final battle between Barrayar and Escobar by Falco Ferrell and Tersa Boni. She was Tersa's twenty-year-old daughter, and the reason the medtech asked to be assigned to retrieval duty in that sector. (SH)
Boni, Tersa:
A medtech of the Escobaran Personnel Retrieval and Identification ship, she performs body recovery after the Barrayar-Escobar war, and locates the body of her daughter, Sylva, who was killed in battle. (SH)
Bonn:
No first name given. A lieutenant of Engineering in the Barrayaran military, he is Miles's immediate superior at Lazkowski Base. A slight man in his late twenties with a craggy face, pocked, sallow skin, calculating brown eyes, and competent hands. He oversees the recovery of Miles's scat-cat after his encounter with the mud. Disobeying General Metzov's order to make his men to clean up the fetaine spill, Bonn joins his team when they are ordered to strip down to bare skin. He is arrested with Miles and the rest of the disobeying technicians, but the charges against him and the other men are dropped at Miles's request. (VG)
Bonsanklar:
An ocean resort town on Barrayar for the upper class, where Aral's mother used to take him every summer when he was a boy. After their marriage, Cordelia and Aral are about to visit it when Prime Minister Vortala takes them to see the Emperor regarding Aral's appointment as Regent of Barrayar. (SH)
Borgos, Enrique:
A biochemist and genetic entomologist from Escobar whom Mark brings to Vorkosigan House, he is the creator of the butter bugs. After bailing him out of a legal situation on Escobar involving creditors that had taken his breeding stock and equipment, Mark partners with him to develop the insects and their products for use on Barrayar. Enrique admires smart women, feeling they are wasted on Barrayar, and becomes enamored of Ekaterin, Cordelia, and then Martya.
A bit hopeless in social situations, he accidentally reveals that Mark and Kareen had visited the Orb of Unearthly Delights on Beta Colony, to the consternation of Commodore Koudelka. He also tries to ingratiate himself with Miles by genetically engineering the seal of House Vorkosigan on the backs of a group of butter bugs, but inadvertently releases them throughout the house. Eventually bail officers from Escobar show up to arrest him, resulting in the bug butter battle. Miles makes sure that the doctor is not deported. At Miles's wedding, he is taken aside and quietly frisked to be sure that he doesn't have any surprise insect gifts. (CC, WG)
Bothari, Konstantin:
A sergeant in the Barrayaran military, he is a two-meter-tall, broad-shouldered man with a face like an axe blade. His mother, Marusia, was a midwife, abortionist, and prostitute, and she used to sell him to her clients as well. He ran away at age twelve and then ran with gangs till he was sixteen, when he lied about his age so he could join the service.
A paranoid schizophrenic, Bothari is loyal to Aral Vorkosigan and respects him, although he doesn't necessarily like him. He is manipulated and tortured by Admiral Ges Vorrutyer, but kills the admiral when he orders Bothari to rape Cordelia. He cares for Elena Visconti when she is a prisoner of war, and takes responsibility for their daughter, Elena, who was a product of that time. After his discharge from the military, Aral makes him an armsman for House Vorkosigan, and he eventually remembers what had happened during his time serving Admiral Vorrutyer, getting through the healing process with Cordelia's help. During Vordarian's attempted coup, he is first assigned to protect Cordelia and Gregor during their time in the Dendarii Mountains, and later accompanies her into Vorbarr Sultana to rescue Miles, beheading Vidal Vordarian with Koudelka's swordstick at Cordelia's order.
When Miles is still an infant, he saves him from being killed by Piotr Vorkosigan. After Miles washes out of the Imperial Academy, the now gray-haired Bothari is assigned to be Miles's bodyguard. He accompanies Miles and Elena on their trip to Beta Colony, and on the smuggling run to Tau Verde IV. He shows Miles how brutal a military interrogation can be when he tears out a jump pilot's implant, inadvertently killing the man. He is killed by Elena Visconti in front of their daughter. His remains are buried on Barrayar, at the foot of the plot where Cordelia will be buried. (B, SH, WA)
Bothari-Jesek, Cordelia:
The first child of Elena Bothari-Jesek and Baz Jesek, named after Cordelia Vorkosigan. Elena and Baz bring her with them while visiting Barrayar for Miles's wedding. (WG)
Bothari-Jesek, Elena:
The rape child of Sergeant Bothari and Elena Visconti, she was one of the uterine replicator children taken to Barrayar by Aral and Cordelia, and grows up alongside Miles Vorkosigan. She is six feet tall, slim, vibrant, and beautiful, with an elegant, aquiline profile, long, dark, straight hair, which she cuts short later on, and dark eyes. Raised by Bothari, she did not know the truth about her parents' relationship.
During Miles's trip to Beta Colony and Tau Verde IV, she comes into her own as a mercenary commander, winning a pitched battle to capture the last needed payroll to end the Pelian blockade of the planet. She also learns about Bothari and Elena Visconti when Elena kills her father in front of her. She falls in love with Baz Jesek, turning Miles down when he confesses his love for her. After Miles grants them permission to wed, he appoints Elena executive officer of the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet.
She saves Miles's life twice during the Hegen Hub conflict, once after Admiral Oser orders him spaced, and again when Stanis Metzov first tries to kill him. She captures Cavilo and her squad after they are separated from Gregor on the Ariel. During the prisoner rescue at Dagoola IV, she infiltrates the Cetagandan forces, posing as part of the prisoner observation teams. After the Marilac mission, Miles sends her to Tau Ceti's Barrayaran Embassy to find out what happened to the overdue payment. She brings Commodore Destang back along with the Dendarii's money.
Elena becomes the commanding officer of the Peregrine, and after Miles is killed, she takes charge of getting Mark to Barrayar. At first she despises Mark, blaming him for getting Miles killed, but after coming to understand and accept him, she becomes sworn to him as an armswoman to rescue Miles. On Barrayar, Elena burns a death-offering for her father, and when the Dendarii escort the Duronas to Escobar, she visits with her mother as well.
Along with Baz, she resigns from the Dendarii to start a family and pursue a more peaceful career. She asks to be released from her oath as liege-sworn vassal to Miles, which he grants. She returns to Barrayar to attend Miles's wedding and have his parents meet her first child, a daughter she named Cordelia. (B, BA, BI, M, MD, SH, VG, WA, WG)
Boy:
No name given. About ten years old, he brings Kly's horse back to where Cordelia, Gregor, and Bothari are hiding in the Dendarii Mountains during Vordarian's coup attempt. Kly tells Cordelia that Vordarian's men used fast-penta on the boy for interrogation, but all he knew was that the mailman needed his horse. (B)
Brain transplant:
A risky, illegal operation performed by House Bharaputra on Jackson's Whole, in which an elderly person's brain is transplanted into a new, cloned body, enabling them to double or triple their life span. (L, MD)
Breath mask:
A portable breathing unit enabling a person to survive in an atmosphere that lacks oxygen, it contains enough air to last fourteen to sixteen hours. Everyone who travels to Komarr is required to view breath-mask video training. Etienne Vorsoisson dies when he fails to check his mask before taking Miles to the experiment station outside the Serifosa Dome on Komarr. (K)
Brillberries:
A seedy, red berry that grows on Barrayar, occasionally on vines that overhang ravines. Harra had gone to pick brillberries the day her baby was killed. (MM)
Brother's War:
A historical event mentioned by Doctor Yei when comparing the different emphases in the quaddies' education to Leo Graf. (FF)
Brownell:
No first name given. A female security officer on Beta Colony who tries to arrest Arde Mayhew before Miles's intervention. (WA)
Brun:
No first name given. A captain in the Barrayaran military, he is the Fleet Security Commander on the Prince Xav. A lean, tense man, he was in charge of the patrol that shot up the police precinct on Graf Station. He is prejudiced against Komarrans, and thinks Lieutenant Solian deserted his post. (DI)
Bubble-car:
A public transportation system on Komarr. Bubble-cars are like individual monorail cars that travel along a tube-track to their destination. Recently the system has been suffering more traffic jams on certain routes, leading to disagreement in the government over various solutions. Miles and Ekaterin take one of the cars on their shopping trip to the Shuttleport Locks district in the Serifosa Dome. (K)
Buffa:
No first name given. One of Aral Vorkosigan's faithful lieutenants in the Barrayaran military, he oversees the interrogation of Dubauer before Aral stops it. (SH)
Bug butter:
The digested and processed substance regurgitated by the butter bugs after they have eaten raw vegetable matter. It is white and curd-like, bland without adding additional flavors or spices, but rich in nutrients and vitamins, and able to be stored at room temperature. Ma Kosti and Kareen Koudelka use it as ingredients in several dishes at Miles's dinner party without his knowledge, creating ice cream and a garlic spread. Their first hit creation is maple ambrosia, created by blending the butter with maple mead from the Dendarii Mountains, which they serve at the Emperor's wedding reception. (CC)
Burton, Kara:
A Betan doctor, she is the co-author of the article "On an Improvement in Permeability of Exchange Membranes in the Uterine Replicator," in the issue of The Betan Journal of Reproductive Medicine read by Ethan Urquhart. (EA)
Butter bug:
A hideous-looking, bioengineered insect with six legs, a dull-brown carapace, vestigal wings, and a large, pale white abdomen. They have a hive mentality, with a queen that is attended by sterile workers. They eat vegetation, digesting it in their abdomens using special microbes, then regurgitate an edible substance called bug butter. They are reengineered to be more attractive and appealing by Ekaterin Vorsoisson, Mark Vorkosigan, Enrique Borgos, and Kareen Koudelka. (CC)
Butter bug queen:
The reproductive center of a butter bug hive, the queen is much larger than the workers, and can grow larger than a man's hand. Sterile until given the proper hormones, but until she has started reproducing, a queen is fast and agile, as proven by the one that escapes the laboratory in Vorkosigan House, which is eventually caught by Armsman Jankowski's daughter. (CC)
C6-WG:
The shuttle that was supposed to take Miles to Aslund, but instead puts him in a space pod and ejects him near the Ariel. (VG)
Calhoun, Tav:
The man bidding against Arde Mayhew for the RG 132, he is a heavy man in a green sarong. Although he wins the auction for the freighter, he accepts Miles's offer of a promissory note against some of his land holdings on Barrayar, not knowing the acreage is radioactive. When Miles returns to pay off the note, Calhoun becomes violent, having learned of the worthless land and having been shadowed by Barrayaran security agents. He tries to have Miles arrested, but is subdued by Elli Quinn. Miles ties him up and locks him in a storage closet, with the complete payment in his pocket. (WA)
Canaba, Hugh:
A doctor and geneticist, he has tan skin, brown eyes, racially indeterminate features, and short, wavy hair graying at the temples. He is to be picked up by Miles and the Dendarii at Jackson's Whole and taken to Barrayar. An arrogant genius, he also has several genetic samples that must be retrieved before he will leave, forcing Miles to infiltrate House Ryoval's laboratories and rescue Taura in the process.
After his rescue, Hugh has a new identity as Vaughn Weddell, and a new life on his adopted planet, where he works in a laboratory at the Imperial Science Institute. He helps diagnose how Simon's memory chip was contaminated, reconstructing the prokaryote organism and also creating the chelation solution to detect its vector encapsulation, enabling the capture of Lucas Haroche. (L, M)
Cappell:
No first name given. The resident mathematician at the Serifosa Dome Waste Heat Management department on Komarr, he is one of Radovas's coworkers that Miles interviews during his investigation. Involved in the jump-point plot, he is in unrequited love with Marie Trogir. When the engineers vote on whether to try to use their hostages to bargain for escape at the jump station or surrender, he votes to keep going, not wanting Marie to have died for nothing. (K)
Captain:
No name given. Simon Illyan's secretary at Imperial Security headquarters during the investigation into his breakdown, he has been there for two years. (M)
Caravanserai:
A very poor and dangerous area of the Vorbarr Sultana on Barrayar, where Bothari lived as a child. When Cordelia arrives on the planet, it is considered a red-light entertainment area. No electricity grid, no comms, no better than slums. Bothari and Koudelka go there one evening to find female companionship, and end up getting into a brawl which leaves Koudelka severely injured. Later, Cordelia, Droushnakova, Bothari, and Koudelka hide out in the area while preparing to infiltrate the Imperial Residence to find Miles. They also locate Padma and Alys Vorpatril here, and attempt to rescue them as well, but Padma is killed during the improvised operation.
Almost three decades later, when Mark Vorkosigan first visits Barrayar, the area is going through gentrification, and has been greatly improved, although it is still rough in spots. Mark has to fend off local bullies that assault him, almost killing one. A plaque has been placed to mark the exact spot where Padma was killed. (B, MD)
Cavilo:
No first name given. The commander of Randall's Rangers after she had the former leader killed, she is short, attractive, and intense-looking, with close-cropped white-blond hair, elfin-like features, and blue eyes. A sociopath, her only true interest in is herself, and she is adept at using intrigue and seduction to get what she wants.
She first encounters Miles as the arms buyer Livia Nu while he is in his Victor Rotha disguise, and tries to seduce him. She has Sydney Liga, Miles's first contact, killed, and the crime pinned on Rotha. She is working with Stanis Metzov when Miles is recaptured trying to get to Vervain, which has hired the Rangers to protect the planet, unaware that she plans to let the Cetagandans through the wormhole, leaving her to loot Vervain in the confusion afterward.
When Gregor falls into her hands, she tries to seduce and marry him, but is foiled and captured. During the battle with the Cetagandan invasion fleet, she escapes and is raped by Metzov, whom she later kills while he tries to strangle Miles. Holding Miles to his promise of safe passage out of the sector, she accepts a medal of valor on behalf of her ruined mercenary company, and flees the area. (VG)
Cay, Daryl:
A doctor and the former head of the Cay Project at Rodeo, he was several years past retirement age, but was still working when he passed away. (FF)
Cay Project Habitat:
A modular orbital habitat above Rodeo with approximately 1,500 personnel, 494 rotating personnel, and 1,000 permanent inhabitants. Owned by GalacTech, it can be completely self-sustaining, with hydroponic gardens and full living facilities. When Leo Graf is sent there to train quaddies in industrial welding, he ends up leading a revolution, and the quaddies disassemble the entire station and jump it through a wormhole to freedom. (FF)
Cecil:
No first name given. A major in charge of determining the assignments of Barrayaran Imperial Service recruits. About fifty years old, he is an excellent teacher and scholar, lean, even-tempered, and watchful, with a rare, dry wit. Miles discusses his meteorological officer assignment with him, and learns it is a test to see if he is capable of serving on the Prince Serg. (VG)
Cee, Terrence:
The man sought by Colonel Millisor and Captain Rau on Kline Station. Blond-haired, blue-eyed, and in his early twenties. His official designation is L-X-10 Terran-C. The result of a Cetagandan experiment, he was genetically engineered to possess mental telepathy, and was to be used for covert government work. He tried to escape Cetaganda, along with other telepaths, including his lover Janine and four children, and Doctor Jahar, the founder of the project, but only he survived the attempt. He has kept samples of Janine's tissues, and is trying to raise money to remake her at Jackson's Whole. He spliced his genetic material, including the recessive gene that carries the telepathic ability, into the ovarian cultures that were supposed to be shipped to Athos.
After Millisor is killed, Terrence comes to Athos to be alternate parent to Ethan's children that he intends to father by the EQ-1 line, and earn enough parent credits himself to father his own offspring by Janine's ovarian material. During his first trip to the Cetagandan Empire, Miles overhears Millisor getting permission to pursue Terrence, and sends Elli Quinn to Kline Station to investigate. Doctor Hugh Canaba has a sample of Terrence's genetic material, including his telepathy complex. It is one of the samples that Miles has to get out of Taura on Jackson's Whole. (C, EA, L)
Celestial Garden:
The Imperial residence on Cetaganda, called Xanadu by the galactics. It is covered in a six-kilometer-wide force dome, surrounded by a kilometer-wide park, then a circular street, then another park, then an ordinary street, with eight boulevards radiating outward like wheel spokes, putting the garden right in the center of the city. There are more gardens inside, with white-jade paved paths for vehicles and guests. Pavilions are scattered throughout the grounds, with simple, tasteful furnishings, including live plants, flowers, and small fountains. The connecting halls are acoustically designed to be hushed overall, yet also carry occupants' voices clearly to each other. In the middle of the dome area are several elaborate towers. Its servants dress in gray and white. Miles, Ivan, and Vorob'yev attend several functions there during the Empress's funeral ceremonies, including the presenting of funeral gifts and the viewing of the body in state, where Miles sees the dead Ba Lura behind the display bier. (C)
Celestial Lady:
An alternate title for the Cetagandan Empress, used mainly by servants. (C)
Celestial Master:
An alternate title for the Cetagandan Emperor, used mainly by servants. (C)
Cenotaph:
A monument honoring the dead who are destroyed or buried elsewhere, often used to commemorate war deaths. Ky Tung suggests they will use one to remember him when he is pulverized to dust fighting the Cetagandans at Vervain. (VG)
Cetagandan Empire:
The Cetagandan Empire consists of eight developed planets, and an equal fringe of allied and puppet dependencies; its homeworld is Eta Ceta IV, with several other planets considered satrapies, which are ruled by governors. Cetagandans use face paint to denote their rank and clan, which is falling out of favor with the younger generations. They apparently have high artistic tastes, but consider biological childbirth distasteful. They have a complicated system of power involving the ghem and haut castes. The ghem and haut are biological engineers without peer, as evidenced by the otherworldly beauty of their women, but the haut only work in human genetics. Exceptional scientist/artists of the ghem caste are rewarded for their genengineering efforts by having their creations incorporated into the Celestial Garden.
During Piotr Vorkosigan's time, Cetaganda invaded Barrayar, and spent twenty years trying to subjugate the planet. Wanting to control a jump point to the Hegan Hub by conquering Vervain, they suborned Vervain's mercenary hireling Cavilo, who was going to let them in and plunder the planet during the invasion. Held off by the Dendarii and Vervani defense ships, and defeated by the arrival of the Prince Serg, they retreat back to their home space.
During his first visit to Eta Ceta IV, Miles stops a plot to create a war between Barrayar and Cetaganda, and saves the Empire from being taken over by Governor Ilsum Kety, who is holding a copy of the haut gene-bank hostage. He visits the Empire again after being infected with deadly parasites by the renegade ba that had stolen a haut-lord gene bank. (BI, C, DI, VG)
Cetagandan ghem-warriors:
Two dozen mercenaries from that planet are recruited by Bel Thorne, Baz Jesek, and Arde Mayhew for the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. Desperate to get off Tau Verde IV after their contract fell apart, they agree to put aside their differences with any Barrayarans for the duration of the trip. (WA)
Chalopin:
No first name given. The shuttleport administrator on Rodeo, she is well dressed with a swept-back hairstyle. She is displeased about the security incident with Claire and Tony and the additional scrutiny it brings from Vice President Apmad. (FF)
Charles:
No surname given. Chalmys DuBauer's servant. (DD)
Chaste Brotherhoods:
An organization on Athos that abstains from sexual activity of any kind. Ethan Urquhart doubts that his brother Janos will think Terrence Cee is a candidate for membership. (EA)
Chenko:
No first name given. A colonel in the Barrayaran military, he is a neurologist assigned to treat Miles's seizures. A fit and energetic middle-aged man, he and Doctor D'Guise come up with the diagnosis and treatment, although not a cure, to Miles's condition. (M)
Chilian:
No first name given. A ghem-general to Governor Ilsum Kety. His wife is Vio d'Chilian. Chilian is not involved in Kety's plot to take the throne, although his wife is. She and her lover Kety had planned to kill him at their first opportunity. (C)
Chodak, Clive:
A sergeant in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he has black, almond-shaped eyes, dark skin, and a square jaw. During Miles's first mercenary run he is a corporal and one of Ky Tung's commandos, and was promoted to his current rank with the renamed Dendarii/Oseran mercenaries. Recognizing Miles on Pol Station Six, he meets with him privately to fill him in on what has happened during the four years he has been away. Under orders from Elena, he saves Miles and Gregor from being spaced by Admiral Oser. For his actions during the battle against the Cetagandans at Vervain, he is taken on a personal tour of the Prince Serg, followed by lunch with Aral Vorkosigan. (VG)
Christof:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet who is excellent at scouting terrain. (BA)
Civilian Defenders of Garson Transfer Station:
Captured Marilacan civilians held in the prisoner camp on Dagoola IV until being rescued by Miles and the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. (BI)
Claire:
No surname given. A quaddie on the Cay Habitat Station, she is slim and elfin-looking, with short, dark hair that frames her face. She has had a baby, Andy, with another quaddie named Tony, and is the first of five quaddie girls to give birth. She was a welder joiner, but was transferred to housekeeping–nutrition tech and hydroponics since giving birth. When she is told she will not be able to stay in a monogamous relationship with Tony, they both try to escape the Habitat with Andy, resulting in Tony's injury, and Claire being separated from them. When Doctor Curry tries to sedate and sterilize her, she overpowers him and injects him with the sedative instead. She pretends to consider sterilizing him, but leaves him intact. She escapes with Leo and the rest of the quaddies through the wormhole. (FF)
Climbing rose:
A bioengineered, ambulatory rose bush that uses its vines to climb stationary objects, as Ivan finds out at the bioestheties exhibit on Cetaganda. (C)
Clogston, Chris:
A captain in the Barrayaran military, he is the senior fleet surgeon for the military escort of the Komarran trade convoy detained at Graf Station. He confirms that Ker Dubauer is a Cetagandan by analyzing his blood, and also jury-rigs a blood filter to remove the bioengineered parasites from Bel Thorne and Miles, although he eventually has to put both of them into cold stasis to prevent the parasites from killing them. (DI)
Clone:
A perfect copy of a person can be created from the smallest tissue sample of the progenitor, creating an exact physical duplicate. On Jackson's Whole, House Bharaputra runs a thriving business providing cloned bodies for rich, elderly people, who then have their brains transplanted into the new body. The clone created to replace Miles, later named Mark, had to be surgically altered to resemble his progenitor, as the damage done to Miles's body was teratogenic, which meant a clone of him would have developed to its normal height, and with normal bone strength. (L, BA, MD)
Clone crèche:
A facility owned and run by House Bharaputra on Jackson's Whole where clones are created and raised until they are the proper age for a brain transplant. Mark commandeers the Ariel to raid this facility, which also created him, and rescue the fifty clone children there from becoming new bodies for rich clients. He is trapped on the site, and has to be rescued by Miles and the Dendarii, inadvertently causing Miles's death during the operation. (MD)
Cloned organs/tissues:
Replacements for worn or injured organs and tissues may be grown from samples taken from the individual that needs them, assuring rejection-free transplants. It takes an undefined amount of time to grow a cloned organ, and the patient may need artificial life-support or, in extreme cases, cryofreezing to survive until the replacement organ is ready. (All)
Clubhouse:
A hidden meeting area on Cay Habitat created by the quaddies, where they watch forbidden vid dramas and read nonregulation book-discs. (FF)
Collins:
No first name given. A sergeant in the Dendarii Mercenaries, he serves under Bel Thorne and is killed by Stanis Metzov while escorting Miles to the Triumph. (VG)
Comconsole:
A multipurpose communication device that provides telephone/videophone communication, as well as data entry, retrieval, transmission, and storage. Consoles range from low-cost versions to high-end commercial models to secured military versions, each with appropriate degrees of security. Comconsoles also provide access to worldwide sources of information, transfer of documents, and delivery of electronic mail in both printed and video-recording modes. They are able to read and create data cubes or chips, and many also contain a printer allowing the user to make hard copies of documents on flimsies. Programs may be run on the consoles, including image manipulation, computer-assisted design, or entertainment such as designing and viewing a virtual garden. (All)
Comm link:
A small, personal communication device designed to be worn on the wrist or carried in a pocket. Capable of audio transmissions only, one is often keyed to a matching unit as a secured pair. The range varies from a few kilometers to more powerful models capable of surface-to-orbit transmission. With some units, users verbally request the contact number of the person they wish to reach, and calls are readily transferred and can be made into conference calls among multiple participants. (All)
Commodore Vorhalas:
An Imperial Cruiser that one of Miles's classmates gets assigned to as a junior weaponry officer. (VG)
Communication:
There is no faster-than-light communication. Communication within a solar system travels by light-speed signal. Interstellar communication must be carried by a ship through a wormhole, either as a physical object or recorded message. The message is then either physically carried by ship to the next jump point or transmitted at light-speed across the system. In high-traffic areas, jump ships may be maintained at jump points to accumulate signals and, at appropriate intervals, jump through the wormhole, then beam or ship the messages to the next jump point. (All)
Constellation:
Cetagandan term for family or clan. (C)
Contingency Blue:
The full retreat orders Aral issues to the Barrayaran fleet after Prince Serg Vorbarra is killed during the war with Escobar. (SH)
Corbeau, Dmitri:
An ensign and jump pilot in the Barrayaran military, he is tall, with an olive complexion, dark hair, and dark eyes. He is at the center of the initial incident that caused the lockdown of the Komarran fleet at Graf Station. Having fallen in love with a quaddie dancer named Garnet Five, he risks a charge of desertion by asking for asylum there. He is a Sergyaran worm plague survivor, as his parents emigrated there when he was five years old. He volunteers to pilot the Idris out of the Union of Free Habitats space, and sends information about Dubauer back to the quaddies on Graf Station. After Corbeau risks his life to stop the renegade Ba, Miles assigns him as the permanent Barrayaran diplomatic consulate officer at Graf Station. (DI)
Couer:
No first name given. A commodore in the Barrayaran military, he is on Aral's second ship during the war with Escobar. (SH)
Council of Counts:
A ruling party on Barrayar similar to a parliament, they are part of the military aristocracy, and wear scarlet and silver robes while in session. With one representative for each District, they have certain gubernatorial powers, such as voting the approval of new counts, or electing a regent. They vote to confirm Aral as Regent of Barrayar. Miles is brought up on charges in front of them more than once, facing a treason charge after he forms the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, and also before Gregor's wedding, when a group of right-wing counts, spearheaded by Lord Richars, tries to charge him with the murder of Etienne Vorsoisson. All charges are dismissed in both cases. (B, CC, SH, WA)
Council of Ministers:
Part of the joint council session convened to confirm Aral Vorkosigan's appointment as Regent of Barrayar. The ministers wear robes of black and purple with gold chains of office while in session. (B)
Count:
A hereditary title on Barrayar. Counts serve as a combination of ruler and governor of a district, settling disputes among the citizens and representing their district in the Council of Counts. The title was shortened from the word "accountant," as the first "counts" were created by Varadar Tau, an accomplished bandit, to collect taxes during the Time of Isolation. (All except FF)
Crème de meth:
A thick, sweet, green liquor, roughly 60% pure ethanol, that makes the drinker relaxed yet incredibly alert, and also gives a unique sense of confidence and well-being. Miles first tries it at Beta Colony with Arde Mayhew, who had been using it to stay awake for three days. He describes the taste as a cross between horse piss and honey. It also kills hunger and clears the sinuses, but the hangover afterward is terrible, as Miles discovers later. (WA)
Crew, Rosalie:
A wine shop clerk in London who sues Admiral Naismith for a half million credits after she was terrorized and her shop accidentally burned down by three of the Dendarii Free Mercenaries when their credit was denied. When Mark asks about the lawsuit, Miles suggests countersuing for medical damages, as he threw his back out rescuing her. (BA)
"Crossing, The":
A zero-gee ballet about the quaddies' flight to freedom, composed by Aljean, that is performed on Graf Station while Miles and Ekaterin are there. Normally Garnet Five dances the part of Silver, but with her broken arm, she is resigned to watching her understudy perform the role. (DI)
Croye:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Barrayaran Embassy Security on Beta Colony, he is one of the security detail assigned to watch over Miles, who fears if Croye finds out he met with Baz Jesek, he'll deport the deserter back to Barrayar for a swift court-martial and execution. (WA)
Cryo-chamber:
A portable, emergency medical unit used to preserve the recently deceased in cryo-stasis for later resuscitation. It enables a medical technician to drain the blood from a body, replacing it with cryogenic preservation fluid. Miles is placed in one when he is killed during the evacuation from the Bharaputra clone facility on Jackson's Whole. (BA)
Cryo-stasis:
Also known as cryo-freezing, it is a process used to save victims of severe injury, including death. The patient's body is drained of all blood, replacing it with a special cryogenic fluid that preserves tissues at a low temperature. The body is then placed in a cryo-chamber and frozen for later revival at a cryo-revival center. These centers clone tissues and grow needed replacement parts, then transplant them into the person before revival.
The quality of preparation, blood draining, and replacement with cryo-fluid is critical. If the preparation is done by a good medical facility, the chance for successful revival is excellent, though not guaranteed. Major trauma, such as damage suffered in combat and poor or hasty preparation of the body, can let ice crystals form in the tissues during the freezing process, causing varying levels of damage. Excess tissue damage may prevent revival or cause permanent impairment. Tissue damage in the brain can be replaced by cloned neural tissues, but memories, skills, and personality are lost. This may give the resurrected person a range of damage from severe mental disability through loss of personality or skills to varying minor degrees of memory loss. Many cryo patients suffer temporary memory loss due to the procedure. The memory may return slowly or there can be a memory cascade as the associative linkages are recovered.
Cryo-freezing is a last-resort procedure. If the patient can be maintained adequately while replacement organs or tissues are grown, then cryofreezing is avoided. Miles undergoes cryo- stasis after being killed by a needler grenade, and has his heart, lungs, and stomach replaced in the Durona Clinic on Jackson's Whole. (BA, MD)
Crystal Springs:
An area on Athos where Brother Haas lives in a farmer's commune. (EA)
Csurik, Bella:
One of Lem's sisters, she is about to get married. Lem had promised to haul wood for her new cabin on the day Raina was killed. (MM)
Csurik, Dono:
One of Lem's younger brothers, he tried to set Miles's tent on fire after the village celebration, thinking he was in it. After Miles elicits his confession, he leaves the boy's punishment up to the family, even though the attack could have been construed as an assault on the count himself, and therefore treasonous. (MM)
Csurik, Harra:
A tall, lean, blond hill girl with gray eyes, not unattractive, but also not a beauty. She gave birth to a daughter, Raina, with a harelip, who was killed four days later. She accuses her husband of killing the child and walks for four days to Vorkosigan Surleau to seek justice. Her father died in the service as District Militia during the Vordarian Pretendership, and her mother is her only living relative. Once Miles establishes that Harra's mother, Mara Mattulich, killed Raina, he assigns all of her legal rights to Harra, then sends her off to the Hassadar Teacher's College, ensuring a better future for the children of Silvy Vale.
When he visits the village ten years later, she is a teacher at the Silvy Vale school, which is named for her daughter. She moved Raina's grave when the valley the town was located in was going to be flooded for the hydroelectric dam, but left her mother's grave where it was. Her husband Lem and she have a four-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl. During his visit, she advises Miles on how to continue living after enduring what others might think is unendurable shame. (M, MM)
Csurik, Lem:
Harra Csurik's husband, whom she accuses of infanticide. When Miles first meets him, he is twenty years old, a carpenter, and has four brothers and three sisters. He is almost certain it was Mara Mattulich who killed Raina, but does not want to accuse her. Miles interrogates him under fast-penta and confirms his innocence. Afterward, he suggests that Lem go with Harra to Hassadar to gain more experience in carpentry. When Miles visits the village ten years later, he has become Speaker of the Vale. (M, MM)
Csurik, Ma:
No first name given. Lem's mother, she is about fifty years old, little, lean, and work-worn. She has five sons and three daughters. She protests Lem's innocence when she meets Miles at the village celebration. (MM)
Csurik, Raina:
Harra and Lem Csurik's newborn daughter, she was killed by her grandmother, Mara Mattulich, when she was four days old. Her grave was moved, along with the rest of Silvy Vale, before the valley was dammed to create hydroelectric power. The village's two-room school is named after her. (M, MM)
Cultured Furs:
A division of GalacTech Bioengineering, a store where Miles purchased a live fur blanket for Elli. (BA)
Curry:
No first name given. A doctor who works under Doctor Minchenko at the Cay Habitat. He gave Claire drugs to dry up her breast milk and did not inform Minchenko about it. Claire overpowers him when he tries to sterilize her, leaving him sedated and tied up under the sterilization shield. (FF)
D-620 Superjumper:
A large cargo transport ship. When empty it resembles a mutant, mechanical squid. The control room and crew quarters are contained in a pod at the front, with four long, braced arms trailing behind. Two of the arms are normal space thrusters, and the other two are the Necklin field generators. In between the arms is the large space for cargo pods. Leo Graf and the quaddies use a D-620 to escape from GalacTech. Two centuries later, Ekaterin buys Nikolai a model of the ship at Graf Station. (DI, FF)
Daccuto scam:
A shady business deal Mrs. Bianca refers to in which her husband was involved. (DD)
Dag:
No surname given. One of Brother Haas's fellow commune members who chided him for growing his parent beard early. (EA)
Dagger:
A weapon Miles brought to Beta Colony as a memento of his grandfather Piotr. It is a priceless antique on Barrayar, with an unusual watermark on the blade, the Vorkosigan seal inlaid in cloisonné, gold, and jewels on the hilt, and a matching lizard-skin sheath. Almost stolen from Miles by Captain Auson. He recovers it, and uses it to help save Kostolitz and himself in a training simulation at the Imperial Academy. Mark takes it from him when they meet on Earth, but Miles recovers it again and later retires it to his room at Vorkosigan House. (MD, WA)
Dagoola IV Top Security Prison Camp #3:
A Cetagandan prison camp where Miles is interned as part of a mission assigned to the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet by Barrayar. It is essentially a holding area encircled by a large force shield that contains latrines and water taps, but nothing else. It has no guards or regulations, and contains 10,214 prisoners. The camp follows the Interstellar Judiciary Commission requirements, but just barely. Each prisoner is implanted with an identification chip that slowly dissolves if they escape the dome, releasing a poison that will kill them in about four hours. Sent to rescue one man, Miles has the Dendarii break in, and saves all but two hundred of the prisoners, most of them lost to a fighter attack that destroyed one of the transport shuttles. (BI)
Dalton Station:
A spaceport where Miles plans to drop off the short-contract personnel the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet hired from Tau Verde IV. (WA)
Damnweed:
A pest plant on Barrayar, which Miles sees in a new light in Ekaterin's pretty virtual garden, composed entirely of native flora. (K)
Danio:
No first name given. A private in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he is one of the three arrested soldiers involved in the wine shop standoff in London. Mark bails him out of jail while posing as Miles/Admiral Naismith, and the real Miles thinks he may be useful in their assignment infiltrating a hostage-holding pirate group. (BA)
Darkoi:
A province on Barrayar. Its leader, Count Vorlakail, was killed under suspicious circumstances, prompting an investigation. The clerk at Siegling's tries to pass off an inferior swordstick, which he claims is Darkoi craftsmanship, to Cordelia. (B)
Darla:
A quaddie who hides video fiction for the group. (FF)
Darobey:
No first name given. A thin man, he is one of Radnov's spies in the communication section on the General Vorkraft. (SH)
Data chip:
A smaller version of the data cube. (All)
Data cube:
An electronic data storage device, similar to the modern flash drive. When the cube is inserted into the proper receptacle on a comconsole, all data contained on it is accessible to the user. It can be secured by encryption programs. (All)
Daum, Carle:
A major in the Felician army, he has dark, almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones, bright copper hair in tight curls, and coffee-with-cream-colored skin. He hires Miles to smuggle weapons to Felice on Tau Verde IV, and accompanies him on the first run. He calls the Pelians "pelicans," and is killed during one of the ship-to-ship battles over the planet. (WA)
d'Chilian, Vio:
A Cetagandan haut-lady and General Chilian's wife, she has rich, dark chocolate hair, light cinnamon eyes, and vanilla-white skin. Miles and Ivan are invited to an exclusive haut garden party, where Vio is the first haut-lady Ivan sees. She is Ilsum Kety's lover, and is involved in the conspiracy to take the throne. She kills the Ba Lura to move the plan forward. When haut-consort Nadina goes to Kety's ship to order the gene-bank copy returned to the planet, she is captured, and Vio is sent down in her float-chair to impersonate her and capture Ivan. After the plan is foiled, her punishment is to either become a ba servant, which would allow her to live inside the Celestial Garden, as she had desperately wished—although not in the manner she had expected—or commit suicide. (C)
Dea:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he is a surgeon, and the assistant to Prime Minister Aral Vorkosigan's personal doctor. He is frustrated because his superior won't let Dea touch their patient. Competent, if not overly imaginative, he performs the autopsy on Raina Csurik, declaring that she was killed by having her neck broken. He saves Fat Ninny by sewing up his neck wound, and also administers fast-penta to Lem Csurik and Mara Mattulich for their interrogations. (MM)
Deal:
The proper word for a standard business arrangement between two parties on Jackson's Whole. Of near-sacrosanct importance, it is the only thing that the barons hold mostly inviolate. (L, MD)
Death-offering:
A Barrayaran custom to burn an offering for the souls of the deceased; usually friends or relatives, sometimes for enemies so that they do not come back to haunt the offerer. Cordelia burns a lock of her hair at Princess Kareen's funeral. Miles burns a lock of his hair, a lock of Elena Visconti's hair, and a lock of Cordelia's hair for Bothari's death-offering. When Elena brings Mark to Barrayar, she burns a death-offering for her father as well. Miles also burns a death-offering for Piotr consisting of juniper bark, a copy of his officer's commission, and a copy of his three-year Imperial Academy transcripts. Harra Csurik burns one for her daughter as well. (BI, MM, SH, WA)
Deem:
A manager in the Sales and Demonstrations department of House Ryoval, he is a very beautiful, young, albino man with blue eyes. He notifies Baron Ryoval of a mauling accident involving Taura, and later speaks with Miles about selling her before the baron interrupts the call. (L)
Deeva Tau love cults, variant practices of:
A method of lovemaking Miles invents, albeit in name only, to daunt Mark from trying to sleep with Elli Quinn while he's impersonating Miles. (BA)
Degtiar, Lisbet:
The late Cetagandan dowager empress, she was a haut-lady, and the mother of Emperor Fletchir Giaja, Also referred to as the Celestial Lady, she controlled the Star Crèche, and with it the genetic heritage and future of the Empire. Her death brings Miles and Ivan to Cetaganda to pay their respects on behalf of Barrayar. Fearing the stagnation of the Empire, her plan to distribute the haut gene bank to the eight haut-governors on the satrapy planets backfires into a conspiracy to overthrow the sitting Emperor. (C)
Degtiar, Rian:
A haut-lady, she is the Servant of the Celestial Lady, and Handmaiden of the Star Crèche. Essentially a lady-in-waiting who is related to the late Empress, three generations removed. She is exceedingly beautiful, with ebony hair, ice blue eyes, and ivory skin. She contacts Miles to get the Great Key back, then works with him to recover the real key and discover which haut governor is behind the plot to take the throne. During the period of mourning for the deceased Empress, Rian acts with the Imperial authority of the Empress, as when she overrides Vio's force screen, something only the Empress could do. She gives Miles a braided lock of her hair to remember her by. During the Dowager Empress's cremation, she is named the next Empress of Cetaganda. (C)
Deleara:
An area on Athos that has a junior, unnamed representative on the Population Council. (EA)
Deleo, Marco:
A lieutenant in the Escobar military, he was twenty-nine years old when he was killed during the Barrayar-Escobar war. His body is recovered by Pilot Officer Ferrell and Medtech Boni. (SH)
Demmi:
No first name given. A pilot with the DFM, he suffered a head wound after the Dagoola IV operation, and gets his jumpset repaired while the Dendarii are on Earth. (BA)
D'Emorie:
No first name given. A Barrayaran major in the Imperial Security division on Komarr, he is in charge of the investigation at the Waste Heat experiment station. He supplies the fast-penta Miles uses to interrogate Doctor Riva. (K)
Dendarii dress uniform:
The standard Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet dress uniform is a gray velvet tunic with silver buttons on the shoulders and white edging, matching gray trousers with white side piping, and synthasuede gray boots. (L)
Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet:
The name of Miles's accidental mercenary group, which he came up with while getting a simple weapons-smuggling job to Tau Verde IV from Carle Daum. During his first adventure as "Admiral Naismith," the outfit swells to three thousand personnel and a fleet of ships, thanks to his brilliant campaign to end the war on that planet. Miles is almost brought up on charges of treason for forming his own private army, but suggests that the Dendarii Mercenaries be given to the Emperor Gregor as a secret Imperial force, under titular command of Imperial Internal Security.
When he rejoins them four years later, the fleet has suffered some setbacks, reduced to a dozen ships with about five thousand personnel total. After Admiral Oser regained control in a financial reorganization, he changed the name back to the Oseran Mercenary Fleet, and contracted with Vervain to protect them against the Cetagandans, or anyone else trying to invade. The Dendarii hold off the Cetagandans long enough for the Barrayarans to come to their rescue. With Admiral Oser killed in action while trying to escape, Miles takes over as liaison officer in his Admiral Naismith persona as the Dendarii are secretly assigned as the Emperor's own fleet.
The Dendarii participate in the prisoner-of-war breakout on Dagoola IV, operations to help Marilac defend itself against a Cetagandan invasion, and a layover on Earth afterward, where they almost go broke while waiting to be paid. When Miles must choose between staying with the Dendarii or taking the Imperial Auditor position on Barrayar, he chooses to stay on his home planet, and makes Elli Quinn the admiral in charge of the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. (BA, BI, VG, WA)
Dendarii Gorge:
A deep, narrow, winding gorge near Vorkosigan Surleau, where Aral wrecked his lightflyer after a bout of drinking. When Miles and Ivan were young men, they would challenge each other to tests of piloting skill, taking a lightflyer through it at reckless speeds. Miles finally won the contest once and for all by running the gorge at night with his eyes closed. (SH)
Dendarii Mountains:
A mountain range on the southern border of the Vorkosigans' District, it is inhabited by hardy hill people. The village of Silvy Vale is located here. During the Cetagandan occupation, Piotr Vorkosigan and his men fought a guerrilla war against the invaders, and were based in the mountains. During Vordarian's Pretendership, Cordelia, Gregor, and Bothari hide among the inhabitants while eluding Vordarian's security forces. (B, M, MM)
Department of Sergyaran Affairs:
A new department in Barrayaran Imperial Security, recently created by Simon Illyan at the Viceroy of Sergyar's request. (M)
Designated Alternate:
A term for the second, male parent in a family on the planet Athos. Like having a son, social duty credits are also needed to qualify for this position. D.A.s, as they are referred to, are known by their luxuriant mustaches, instead of a full beard of a father/primary caregiver. (EA)
Deslaurier:
No first name given. An ensign in the Barrayaran military, he is the acting fleet legal officer on the Prince Xav. Tall, pale, and wan, with a bit of acne still on his face, he is young to be in the position, but had to replace the senior officer who was sent home on bereavement leave when his mother died. (DI)
Desroches:
No first name given; his nickname is "Roachie." The Chief of Staff of the Sevarin District Reproduction Center, he has dark eyes and a black beard and mustache. A friend and colleague of Ethan Urquhart's, he creates the plan to send Ethan off-planet to acquire the needed ovarian cultures for Athos. (EA)
Destang:
No first name given. Stationed at the Barrayaran Embassy on Tau Ceti, he is a commodore, and the leader of Sector Two Security. About sixty years old, he is shorter than average for a Barrayaran, and lean, with gray hair. A young officer during the Cetagandan invasion, he was a middle-ranking officer during the Komarr revolt. He investigated the destruction of the Halomar Barracks, blown up by Komarran terrorists.
Informed by Elena of the problems on Earth, Destang, who had thought Miles missing for the past two months, arrests the compromised courier, and travels to Earth to restore order, including paying the Dendarii and terminating Ser Galen and Miles's clone if possible. In the end, he gives Miles his orders to take the Dendarii and handle the pirate-hostage incident in Sector IV. (BA)
Deveraux:
No first name given. One of the Oseran mercenaries killed in the battle at the ore refinery orbiting Tau Verde IV. (WA)
D'Guise:
No first name given. A captain and doctor in the Barrayaran military, he is a cryonicist assigned to treat Miles's seizure problem. Doctor Chenko and he come up with the diagnosis and treatment, and he wants to write up the case in the Imperial Military medical journal. (M)
d'Har:
No first name given. A Cetagandan haut-lady, older, with silver hair, she issues Miles and Ivan an invitation to an exclusive garden party, from where Miles is taken to confer with the eight haut-consorts to the satrapy governors about how to halt the plan to distribute the copies of the haut gene bank. (C)
Diamant:
No first name given. A general in the Barrayaran military, he was the Chief of Komarran Affairs before Guy Allegre was promoted to the position. He died two years after his retirement. (M)
Diaz, Carlos:
A private inquiry agent in Rio de Janeiro, he has oily, black hair, an inadequate chin, and a smile like a shark. After losing his license, he is employed by Doctor Bianca of Portobello Pharmaceutical Company to commission a perverted feelie-dream composed by Anias Ruey, which he does, posing as Rudolph Kinney. After it is finished, he sabotages her dream synthesizer to kill her and keep the money he was supposed to pay her. He is lured out to Chalmys Dubauer's home, where Chalmys takes him out to the forest, finds out the true nature of his job, then turns him over to Sheriff Yoder. (DD)
Dimir:
No first name given. A captain in the Barrayaran military, he is Ivan's commanding officer, whom Ivan thinks works for Simon Illyan. He left Beta without Ivan on board, but did not show up at the refinery, as his jump ship was sabotaged, killing everyone aboard. Ivan hitched a ride with a Betan vessel to Tau Verde IV, where Miles figures out what happened to Captain Dimir and his ship. (WA)
District Agricultural Fair:
A large celebration and market show in Hassadar that Miles compares the Cetagandan bioestheties exhibition to, finding them completely different. (C)
Dom:
No surname given. A crewman on the courier run to Athos, he is Elli's former schoolmate, and is surprised at her new appearance when he sees her on Kline Station. (EA)
Donnia:
No surname given. A friend of Sonia's, she brings news of the coup to Cordelia and Bothari in the Dendarii Mountains, telling them that Karla Hysopi was taken by Vordarian's men. (B)
"Doreen's Gift":
Title of a contemporary, popular poem that Carlos Diaz requests Anias make a feelie-dream of for his aunt so that Anias will use her sabotaged dream synthesizer. Anias considers it a saccharine piece of doggerel. (DD)
Dowager Empress:
The proper title for Lisbet Degtiar, Empress of Cetaganda. (C)
Downsider:
A slang term, sometimes derogatory, referring to anyone born on a planet. (All)
Dream synthesizer:
A neat black box the size of an "antique book," it has leads that go from the box to circular silver "dreamer implants" in the user's head. It is used to compose feelie-dreams, which are stored using a master cartridge. Just like books, there are a wide range of dreams, from children's stories to romance to pornography, and they can be addicting. A diagnostic test kit comes with the set as a precaution against defects. They are not interchangeable without custom adjustments. Carlos Diaz sabotages Anias Ruey's synthesizer, then requests a feelie-dream from her, hoping that she will use it and inadvertently kill herself. Anias tests her synthesizer before using it, setting off the trap, and destroying it in the process. (DD)
Dress greens:
The standard Barrayaran military dress uniform is a forest-green tunic with a high collar, matching green trousers, and cavalry boots. (BA)
Droushnakovi:
No first name given. A sergeant in the Barrayaran army, he is Ludmilla Droushnakovi's father. He is shorter than his children. (B)
Droushnakovi, Ludmilla:
See Koudelka, Ludmilla Droushnakovi
Dubauer:
No first name given. An ensign and botanist with Betan Astronomical Survey, he has brown hair. Shot by Sergeant Bothari with a nerve disruptor, he survives the normally fatal injury, although it leaves him seriously mentally impaired, reduced to the intelligence of an infant, and unable to speak. Cordelia demands that he accompany Aral and her on their trek to the supply cache, and she gets him through the ordeal, although he is tortured by other Barrayaran soldiers during interrogation while in their custody. Repatriated with the other prisoners of war, he is sent back to Beta Colony, where his mother cares for him. (SH)
DuBauer, Chalmys:
A retired spaceship captain, he is Anias Ruey's closest friend. He is a heavyset man, middle-aged and middle-tall, with sandy hair that's graying at the temples, penetrating gray eyes, and a round face. Made redundant because of wormhole travel technology, he is out of synch with the present time because of the decades of slower-than-light travel for Beta Colony, and his dislocation due to space/light-year travel synchronization. His family passed away long ago, and he has a child on Beta Colony who is now a great-grandmother. Financially comfortable, he lives in an old-fashioned house south of destroyed Cleveland with security gates, protective defenses, a summer house, and a small staff. Indifferent to current culture, he is well thought of in the area and on good terms with local law enforcement. He enjoys gardens, epicurean living, and reconditioning old technical equipment for museums. He interrogates Carlos Diaz to find out the real reason he hired Anias Ruey to create the disturbing feelie-dream. (DD)
Dubauer, Ker:
A Cetagandan Ba passing itself off as a Beta hermaphrodite, it is tall and elegant-looking, with silver hair, dark eyes, and a Betan earring signifying it is romantically attached and not looking. A passenger on the Idris, it has a cargo of uterine replicators that it claims are genetically engineered animals, but are really haut fetuses it has stolen from Cetaganda in order to create its own empire to rule over as both Emperor and Empress. It kills Lieutenant Solian and kidnaps Bel Thorne, using it to gain access to the Idris after setting a biological bomb in the Madame Minchenko Memorial Hall to infect hundreds of quaddies as revenge for interfering with its mission. It is stopped by Miles when he recovers its case of genetic samples and destroys them. Taken back to the Cetagandan Empire, it is turned over to haut-lady Pel Navarr's custody, and shall remain a nameless prisoner for the rest of its life. (DI)
Durham:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he is the pilot of Combat Shuttle A-4, which was hit by enemy fire during the Marilac operation. Although mortally injured and in shock, he gets the shuttle back to the Triumph for evacuation before dying. Placed in cryo-stasis, he is resuscitated at Beauchene Life Center, suffering amnesia from the process, and also because his neural pilot implants were removed. He recovers from his injuries, although it takes at least a year of intense therapy. (MD)
Durona, Chrys:
Miles's physical therapist, her first name is short for chrysanthemum. A clone of Lilly Durona, she is approximately ten years older than Rowan, with wings of blunt-cut black hair shot with silver, and a more serious attitude. She pushes Miles hard on his physical therapy. (MD)
Durona, Hawk:
A male clone of Lilly Durona, he is about thirty years old, and guards Lilly. When Baron Ryoval's men break into the Durona Clinic, he tries to stop them, but is stunned before he can do anything. (MD)
Durona, Lilly:
The lead doctor of the Durona group, she is a century old, with the same dark eyes and ivory skin as the rest of her cloned progeny. She was created on Jackson's Whole as a brilliant research doctor by the previous Baron Ryoval before he was killed by the present baron. She plotted her escape with Ryoval's half-brother, Georish Stauber, now Baron Fell, helping him rise to power. In return, he financed the Durona Research Group, which consists of thirty-six clones of Lilly, all trained in medicine. She revives Miles in the hope that he can help them escape Jackson's Whole, but Mark actually brokers the Deal enabling the Duronas to set up their clinic on Escobar. (MD)
Durona, Poppy:
A doctor at the Durona Research Group that works on Miles, she is ten years older than Chrys, with silver-streaked black hair pulled back in a ponytail. Miles evades her during his second escape attempt from the Durona clinic. (MD)
Durona, Raven:
A young man, exact age unspecified, lean with Eurasian features, who is a male clone of Lilly. He is studying to be a doctor, and serves as an intern at the Durona Clinic where Miles is undergoing rehabilitation. (MD)
Durona, Robin:
A slim, ten-year-old Eurasian boy, he is one of Lilly's two cloned servants who help serve tea to guests. (MD)
Durona, Rose:
Lilly Durona's oldest daughter, and her first clone. Her short hair is almost pure white, and she walks with a carved wooden cane. She oversees the rest of the doctors at the Durona Research Group. (MD)
Durona, Rowan:
The doctor in charge of resuscitating Miles after his death on Jackson's Whole, she is a clone of Lilly Durona. She is Eurasian, tall and slim, with golden skin, black hair, brown eyes, and a coolly arched nose, and wears her hair pulled back in a bun. She falls in love with Miles during his revival and physical therapy, and tries to help him escape Baron Ryoval's men. However, she refuses Miles's order to crash the lightflyer to leave a sign before being captured by Baron Bharaputra's security men. She escapes Bharaputra's security by posing as the clone Lilly, and goes for help, but doesn't return in time to free Miles before he is taken to Ryoval's private laboratory. She decides that a long-term relationship with Miles is not to be, and goes with her clone sisters to Escobar. (MD)
Durona, Violet:
A slim, ten-year-old Eurasian girl, one of Lilly's two cloned servants who help serve tea to guests. (MD)
Durrance:
No first name given. He is the captain of shuttle flight B119 that Ti Gulik copilots. (FF)
Duvallier:
No first name given. A Barrayaran major executed for espionage during one of the riots in Solstice on Komarr. (VG)
Duvi:
No first name given. A sergeant in Barrayaran Imperial Security, he is Vorob'yev's aircar driver on Cetaganda, and drives a bit too adventurously for his superior's taste at times. (C)
Dyeb:
No first name given. A master sergeant in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he is prejudiced about female recruits, thinking they're soft. Miles thinks enrolling Taura in his training course would change his mind rather quickly. (L)
Electron orbit randomizer:
An obsolete Beta Colony beam weapon. Miles encounters one during his Tau Verde IV campaign. The best defense against it is to rephase the mass shields, which Baz Jesek does as soon as he learns the Pelians still use them. (WA)
Emma:
No surname given. A pregnant quaddie scheduled to have her baby terminated, she hides in the Clubhouse instead. (FF)
Emperor's Birthday:
One of the highlights of the Barrayaran year, it is a time of feasting and celebration. It is also when all of the Counts renew their oath of fealty to the Emperor, and pay him a symbolic tax in the form of a small bag of gold. The Emperor's Birthday is also the beginning of a new fiscal year for Barrayar, the date of which changes every time a new Emperor takes the throne. Cordelia attends Gregor's first celebration, where Count Vordarian tells her of Aral's bisexual past. Mark presents his family's tithe to Gregor at the Emperor's Birthday celebration while on Barrayar, and also meets Kareen Koudelka during the celebration. (B, MD)
Enforcers:
A name Miles gives to a group of chosen men who keep order during the food drops at the prisoner camp on Dagoola IV once he begins organizing the inmates for the upcoming escape. (BI)
Environmental Impact Assessment form:
A bureaucratic form that George Bannerji insists must be completed before he fires on the Cay Habitat ship during the quaddies' escape. (FF)
Equinox:
One of Komarr's domed cities, known for its population of wild cockatoos. (K)
Escobar:
A rich trading planet located in a heavily populated star system, like Tau Ceti and Orient IV. Barrayar tries to conquer it using the survey planet (Sergyar) where Aral and Cordelia met as a staging ground, as a wormhole was discovered near it that leads to Escobar, but they are defeated. The Duronas set up their clinic there after leaving Jackson's Whole. (FF, SH, MD)
Estanis:
No first name given. A deceased Cetagandan ghem-general, the official story claims he committed suicide after his Navy's defeat in the Vervain conflict. The rumor is that his "suicide" consisted of thirty-two stab wounds in the back. (C)
Estelle:
A high-end women's clothing store in Vorbarr Sultana for Vor ladies. Alys meets Taura and Roic there to outfit her for Miles's wedding. (WG)
Esterhazy:
No first name given. An armsman at Vorkosigan Surleau, he is forty years old, and in excellent physical condition. During Vordarian's coup, Piotr chooses him to assist in taking Gregor into hiding. He brings horses for Piotr, Cordelia, and Gregor to ride into the Dendarii Mountains, and also tells Cordelia that Karla Hysopi and Elena Bothari were taken by Vordarian's men. He has a four-year-old son. (B)
Eta Ceta IV:
The homeworld of the Cetagandan Empire. Miles and Ivan travel there to pay respects to the deceased Empress. Its cities are attractive and brightly lit, although Miles thinks they are gaudy when he first sees them. Its citizens' taxes are only half of Barrayar's, but Miles's homeworld keeps up with their rival on a military basis with only a quarter of Eta Ceta IV's natural resources. (C, DI)
Euronews Network:
A vidnews network on Earth. Lise Vallerie is one of its reporters. Miles's daring rescue of the clerk from the burning wine shop, along with his interview as Admiral Naismith, is seen by Duv Galeni, getting him in trouble for going absent without leave from the Barrayaran Embassy. (BA)
Explosive ice-die forming:
A real-world technique used by Leo Graf and the quaddies to make a duplicate vortex mirror that matches an existing mirror. First, an ice mold is made by flowing water onto the good mirror in sub-zero refrigeration. Then a metal blank is explosively formed to the ice mold using explosives, which, in Leo's case, is improvised from gasoline. (FF)
Falcon 9 jump ship:
Nikolai owns a model of this fast courier vessel that Miles rode on during some of his Imperial Security missions. He discusses the ship with the boy during their first conversation. (K)
Fallow Core:
A high-tech fortress on Marilac, it was held against a Cetagandan siege by Colonel Guy Tremont and his men until the base was betrayed to the enemy. The 14th Commandos, among others, were captured and imprisoned at the Dagoola prison camp. (BI)
Farr, Andro:
A good-looking Komarran, he approaches Ekaterin, whom he met at a Winterfair reception for Serifosa terraforming employees, to ask if she knows anything about his missing roommate Marie Trogir, who left all of her personal items and cats behind when she was killed in a test run of the wormhole closer. Ekaterin is unable to help him, and her Uncle Vorthys suggests he contact Security about the matter. (K)
Fast-penta:
A powerful truth drug that renders the subject unable to resist answering questions. Its effects include an overwhelmingly strong feeling of happiness and helpfulness, along with relaxing the body. A subject under fast-penta will answer questions literally, requiring skilled interrogation to elicit the desired information. To ensure security, some couriers, military operatives, and other personnel are given an induced allergy treatment so they will die from anaphylactic shock rather than reveal secret information. It is common to administer a test strip to the subject to determine if a natural or induced allergy exists before using the drug. If allowed, the subject will often babble extraneous information that can be embarrassing, as subjects normally remember the interrogation afterward. Some subjects also drool. Due to these embarrassing effects, most people dread being the subject of a fast-penta interrogation. Once the interrogation is complete, an antidote is usually administered, which neutralizes its effects in a few minutes.
Although fast-penta has no truly harmful side effects, afterward many subjects experience a drug hangover, including headache, dizziness, and muddled thinking. Fast-penta interrogation is sufficiently reliable to be admissible in virtually all courts. A court order or voluntary cooperation is required in most jurisdictions. Miles has an unusual reaction to fast-penta, where he babbles a constant stream of useless information, and can even resist the drug's effects by reciting poetry or lines from a play. (All)
Fat Ninny:
The horse Miles rides to Silvy Vale, a thickset roan gelding that imprinted on him when they were both very young. Not wanting to embarrass himself, Miles decides to call him Chieftain if any of the villagers ask his name. Ninny almost is killed by Mara Mattulich after the celebration, suffering a deep neck cut that Doctor Dea treats. When Mark is on Barrayar, he feeds him sugar at Aral's request, to see if the animal is fooled into thinking he is Miles. The horse isn't fooled, only confused. (MD, MM)
Father Frost:
The mythological being that plays a role in the Winterfair festival on Barrayar, similar to Santa Claus. (MD)
Federstok:
A city on Barrayar where an extremely conservative Vor lord declared himself Emperor after Vidal Vordarian's death, but was defeated in less than thirty hours. (B)
Feelie-dreams:
A form of entertainment, a feelie-dream is a type of prerecorded video that can be played inside a user's mind through a cybernetic implant, in effect putting them into the dream story itself. It can also be used as a weapon, as Anias Ruey discovered hundreds of years earlier. Still manufactured during Miles's time, feelie-dreams are popular among the younger generation of Cetagandans, untitled artists, and the idle rich. (C)
Felice:
A nation on Tau Verde IV, currently at war with the Pelians. Miles's first cargo, weapons disguised as agricultural equipment, is supposed to be delivered there through the blockade. (WA)
Fell Station:
A space station orbiting Jackson's Whole, owned by House Fell. Miles and Bel attend a party there, where they meet Baron Fell, Baron Ryoval, and the quaddie musician Nicol. (L)
Ferrell, Falco:
A pilot officer on the Escobaran Personnel Retrieval and Identification ship, he helps Medtech Sylvia Boni recover bodies after the Barrayar-Escobar war. He thinks she is a deviant when she kisses a corpse good-bye, only to learn the body is that of her deceased daughter. (SH)
Fetaine:
An obsolete mutagenic poison invented as a terror weapon on Barrayar. Normal protective equipment is not enough to handle it, as it has an incredibly high penetration value. It is the cause of the near-mutiny at Laskowski Base by the technicians when they refuse to clean up a spill of the toxin. (VG)
Firka:
No first name given. One of Russo Gupta's smuggler friends, he was the bookkeeper of the group, handling false passports, easing them around regulations, and taking care of nosy officials. He was killed by Ker Dubauer after transporting his cargo of stolen haut-fetuses. Gupta used his identity while on Graf Station to try to kill Dubauer. (DI)
Five, Garnet:
A quaddie on Graf Station, she is slim and long-limbed, with white-blond hair, leaf-green eyes, and high cheekbones. She is the quaddie Ensign Corbeau was with when he didn't respond to the crew summons from the Barrayaran escort. In the scuffle to retrieve him, her arm was broken, inflaming tensions between the quaddies, the Barrayarans, and the Komarrans. She is a premier dancer in the Minchenko Memorial Troupe that performs zero-gee ballet. She was with Bel Thorne when both of them were gassed unconscious by Russo Gupta, and awoke to find herself in a recycling bin. After the mystery is solved, Ekaterin calls her to help convince Ensign Corbeau to accept the diplomatic officer position on Graf Station. (DI)
Five-space math:
The complex higher math field that governs the science of wormhole jumps and technology. Miles has a difficult time with his five-space navigation classes at the Imperial Academy, but he passes them. On Komarr, Barto Radovas was a five-space math engineer, as is Doctor Riva. (K, MM)
Flimsy:
The standard means of conveying a hard copy of written or printed documents, the flimsy is a paper-thin sheet of plastic on which text is printed. Most standard comconsoles have built-in printers to create hard copies of documents. (All)
Flipsider:
A derogatory term for a hermaphrodite. (VG)
Float chair:
A device quaddies use to move about more easily in gravity, it is a small, one-person anti-gravity pod. It doesn't have a place for feet, but handles on the floor where the quaddie rests its lower set of hands, with the controls mounted on a central column. (L, DI)
Force screen:
A generated field of pure energy, impenetrable to all physical attacks, and many energy-based ones. The technology behind it is not explained. They are used for defense of ships, buildings, and persons. A force screen can be conformed to the shape of a building or ship or be spherical. A home version may be powerful enough to kill even large insects, and when a larger life-form comes into contact with it, it envelops it in a golden glow. Vehicle-mounted versions provide shielding from debris and radiation for spaceships moving at high velocity. Chalmys DuBauer traps Carlos Diaz outside of the screen surrounding his property to interrogate him about the feelie-dream he hired Anias Ruey to create. A kilometers-wide force screen over the Cetagandan Emperor's Celestial Gardens requires an entire power plant for its maintenance and provides both military and environmental protection. A spherical force screen over the Marilacan prisoner-of-war camp on Dagoola IV shows above ground as an opalescent dome. Personal defense screens are created by a wire mesh suit that protects against nerve disruptor and stunner attacks, and later a personal plasma mirror shield is created that protects against plasma arc blasts. (All except FF)
Fors, Bern:
A sergeant for GalacTech security. Sent out to recover a stolen shuttle on Rodeo, he and his partner are thwarted by Silver and Ivy Minchenko, who use the shuttle's engines to destroy their ground vehicle. (FF)
Foscol, Lena:
An accountant for the Waste Heat Department of the Komarr terraforming project at Serifosa, she is a middle-aged woman with frizzy, gray-blond hair. Involved in Soudha's scheme to destroy the wormhole to Barrayar, she embezzles the money from the terraforming budget to finance the jump-point plot. She is the one who informs Miles that help will be on the way after Etienne and he are chained outside, and calls Ekaterin to get them. She is noticably upset that Etienne died before help arrived. During the final standoff, she votes to continue the hostage situation, wanting to use Ekaterin and Helen Vorthys to escape the standoff at the jump-point station. (K)
14th Commandos:
A captured Marilacan military unit held in the prison camp on Dagoola IV until being rescued by Miles and the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. (BI)
4th Armored All-Terrain Rangers:
A captured Marilacan military unit held in the prison camp on Dagoola IV until being rescued by Miles and the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. (BI)
Framingham:
No first name given. A sergeant of Blue Squad in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he participates in the mission to rescue Mark and the other Dendarii at the clone facility on Jackson's Whole. (MD)
Franklin:
A representative from Barca on the Population Council, Ethan and Desroches discuss the possibility of sending him on the mission and the potential negative repercussions of it. (EA)
Frill:
A derogatory term for a woman used by Barrayans, implying that they are useless decoration. (B)
Frost IV:
A planet that lost its entire computer network system and records in a tectonic occurrence twenty-eight years earlier. Jackson's Whole, which sells complete new identities, often uses it as an origin planet if the buyer fits the correct age range. (BA)
Fuzzy crabs:
Animals native to Sergyar that are the size of a pig, with too many hairy black legs, four beady, black eyes set in neckless heads, and razor-sharp yellow beaks. Aral and Cordelia fend off three of them while burying Reg Rosemont. (SH)
Galen, Rebecca:
One of the two hundred counselors killed in the Solstice Massacre. Her death caused Ser Galen to become a terrorist fighting against Barrayar. In a communiqué between Aral and Simon about Duv Galeni's suitability to join Barrayaran Imperial Security, Aral noted she was one of the few victims who faced her killers when she died. (BA)
Galen, Ser:
The father of Duv Galeni, he is a Komarran terrorist who is behind the plot to replace Miles with Mark, and have him sow chaos on Barrayar. He is about sixty years old, with blue eyes, gray hair, and a thick body, and appears to be an ordinary businessman or teacher. He travels under the name Van der Poole. His sister Rebecca was killed in the Solstice Massacre, and his eldest son died when a bomb Galen made went off prematurely.
Supposedly killed in that incident as well, Galen has been living on Earth while training the clone Mark to impersonate Miles. He switches the two brothers, then gets Mark released from jail, kidnaps Ivan, and forces Miles and Duv to meet him at the Thames Tidal Barrier to eliminate Miles. Mark kills him with a nerve disruptor when Galen orders him to kill Miles. (BA)
Galeni, Duv:
A captain in Barrayar's Imperial Security, and the senior military attaché for the Barrayaran Embassy at London, Earth. He is also, by default, chief of Imperial Security there as well as Service Security. In his thirties, with dark hair, hooded, nutmeg-brown eyes, a hard, guarded mouth, and a Roman profile, he is an arresting-looking man with blunt, clean fingers. He was born David Galen of the Galen Orbital Transshipping Warehouse Cartel, once a very wealthy, powerful family. His aunt, Rebecca Galen, died in the Solstice Massacre. Duv's father, Ser, became an active member of the resistance, and was thought to have been killed, along with his oldest son, in an accident with one of his own bombs. Because of his Komarran heritage, he has worked very hard to earn his current position. Duv has a doctoral degree in Modern History and Political Science from the Imperial University at Vorbarr Sultana and at age twenty-six turned down a faculty position at the Belgravia College on Barrayar to go back to the Imperial Service Academy.
He is kidnapped by his father, Ser Galen, who tries to turn him against Barrayar and get him to work for Komarr's freedom. Initially prejudicial toward Miles because he is Aral's son, his attitude changes when the two are held prisoner together. During the events at the Thames Tidal Barrier, Duv takes out two of the Cetagandans sent to kill Miles, and steals their groundcar to get Miles, Ivan, Elli, Mark, and himself out of the area.
A few years later, he is posted in Vorbarr Sultana and involved with Laisa Toscane, which goes awry after Miles invites them to an Imperial State dinner, where she meets Emperor Gregor. When Duv doesn't move fast enough, Laisa falls for Gregor instead. Duv thinks Miles arranged the whole thing, and insults him, but later comes to his senses and apologizes. He also lets Miles know when Simon first begins to exhibit his memory problems. When Haroche can't make his frame of Miles stick, he tries to frame Duv instead, but Miles thwarts him, clearing Duv of all charges. Duv gets over Laisa and falls in love with Delia Koudelka.
During the preparations for Gregor's wedding, he has been promoted to the rank of commodore, and is the Chief of Komarran Affairs for Imperial Security. He also advises Alys on aspects of Komarran tradition and etiquette for the Emperor's wedding. He marries Delia, and they both attend Miles's wedding. (BA, CC, M, WG)
Gamad:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Felician Army, he disagrees with Elena's decision to release the prisoners when the brig was hit by weapons fire during a battle with the Pelians. He also informs Miles that Major Daum was killed during that same battle, and that he is the senior ranking Felician officer until relief arrives. Miles finds him to be an irritating glory-hound. (WA)
Gasoline:
Fuel still used to power land vehicles on more remote planets. When one hundred tons of it is accidentally shipped to the Cay Habitat instead of fuel rods, Leo Graf turns it to his advantage by using the gasoline as an explosive to create a new vortex mirror. (FF)
Gavin:
The head accountant for GalacTech's Operations Department, he appears to be a big, rumpled goon with a broken nose, but speaks precisely, with elegant elocution. During the hearing regarding the Rodeo spaceport security breach, he explains the operational relationship between the Habitat, Rodeo, and Orient IV to Leo. (FF)
Gelle:
No first name given. A Cetagandan ghem-lady, she is beautiful, tall, and elf-like, with blue eyes and blond-white hair that falls halfway to her knees. She talks briefly with Miles and Ivan when they first meet Lord Yenaro, who criticizes her choice of perfume with the outfit she's wearing, irritating her. (C)
General Accounting & Inventory Control:
A bureaucratic office of GalacTech that gives Bruce Van Atta the power to destroy the quaddies by recommending that all "post-fetal experimental tissue cultures" be destroyed by cremation as per IGS Standard Biolab rules. (FF)
Georgos:
No first name given. The Lord Guardian of the Speakers Circle of the Council of Counts, during Vordarian's coup attempt, he is forced to read a public proclamation declaring Aral a traitor, and Vidal Vordarian the Prime Minister and acting Regent. (B)
Georos:
No surname given. The night shift team leader who works with Ethan at the Sevarin District Reproduction Center. (EA)
Gerould:
No first name given. A colonel in the Barrayaran military, he is a tall man in a black, dirty, wrinkled uniform, his face lined with exhaustion. During the Vordarian coup, he informs Aral that the fighting has gone to house-to-house in Marigrad. (B)
Ghem:
Similar to the Vor-class on Barrayar, they are the aristocratic, military elite of Cetaganda. Referred to as ghem-lords and ghem-ladies, they rank under the haut in social and political status. A ghem-lord can acquire a haut-lady as his wife, if given by the Emperor, an honor that cannot be refused. This is seen as the highest social and political reward by the ghem-lords, but is really a way of keeping them under control by the haut. A ghem-lord may have more than one wife, but the haut-wife automatically outranks the ghem-wife, with the haut heirs supplanting the ghem-lord's blood relations. (C)
Giaja, Fletchir:
The Emperor of the Cetagandan Empire. Tall, lean, and hawkish, with dark hair, he is seventy years old when Miles first meets him. He ascended to the throne at age thirty, and has ruled ever since. After learning about the Dowager Empress's plan for the copies of the Star Crèche and the governors, he scolds Rian, Nadina, and Pel Navarr for their part in the plan, reiterating that there can be only one interface between the haut-women and the Empire—the Emperor himself. Otherwise unscrupulous people might seek to take advantage of the power afforded by the gene banks. He awards Miles the Cetagandan Order of Merit for his role in stopping the plot, and has him walk in the funeral procession at his left hand, as a pointed message to the other attendees. He also sends a message to Miles via Dag Benin at Gregor's wedding expressing his condolences on the death of Admiral Naismith. When Miles saves the Cetagandan fetal shipment from a renegade Ba at Graf Station, the Emperor sends a personal message of thanks, but no other reward. (C, CC, DI)
Giaja, Slyke:
A Cetagandan prince, he is a cousin of the Emperor. He is tall and hawkish, as are many of the Imperial haut. Rian Degtiar and Miles initially suspect him of being the traitorous governor, but Lord Yenaro clears him when he reveals that Governor Kety is behind the plot. (C)
Gibbs:
No first name given. A colonel in Barrayaran Imperial Security, he is the financial crimes analyst at Solstice, a spare, middle-aged man with graying hair and a meticulous manner. Miles summons him to Serifosa to track the false accounting on the Waste Heat experiment station. He loves his job, and traces the embezzlement with delight. (K)
Goatbane:
A plant on Barrayar, which Miles sees in a new light in Ekaterin's virtual garden program, composed entirely of native flora. (K)
God the Father:
A religious term used by Athosians. (EA)
"God the Father, Light the Way":
A hymn on Athos that Ethan orders played in a uterine replicator chamber instead of a screechy dance tune. (EA)
Goff:
No first name given. One of the four hired thugs sent to castrate Lord Dono, he is captured by Ivan and Olivia, and is injured in the process. (CC)
Golden Voyage of Marat Galen:
A famous Komarran trade fleet that returned a hundredfold profit to its investors after its run. (K)
Gompf, Laurie:
Hazardous waste management officer on Rodeo. George Bannerji refers to her when he refuses to follow Bruce Van Atta's order to fire on the Habitat ship, saying he should have the proper "hazardous waste disposal" order signed by her first. (FF)
Gonzales, Helmut:
Rio de Janeiro's most successful feelie-dream distributor/marketer, he runs the Sweet Dreams Distributing Company. A large, booming man. Anias describes him as a soulless, inartistic Philistine, but good at his job. He presses her for the sequel to Triad, saying that all royalties from that feelie-dream will be applied to repaying the advance for the sequel until she delivers it. (DD)
Gorge:
One of the sub-personalities Mark creates to survive Baron Ryoval's torture, he comes out when Mark is being force-fed. (MD, CC)
Gottyan, Korabik:
An officer in the Barrayaran military, he is Aral's first officer aboard the General Vorkraft. Tall, with gray hair, he initially sides with the mutineers, but Aral persuades him to join his side after he returns to camp. He is battle-promoted to captain in the Escobar conflict, just before he is killed. (SH)
Gould, Philip:
The Beta Colony president's press secretary, he organized Cordelia's disastrous welcome home celebration. (SH)
Graf, Leo:
A welding engineer with an eighteen-year career with GalacTech, he teaches quality control procedures in free-fall welding and construction. In his mid-forties, he's a stickler for procedure and accuracy, and discovered quality fraud on a previous project. Brought to the Cay Project to teach the quaddies welding techniques, when he learns the entire project is to be scrapped, and the quaddies dumped on Rodeo, he leads a plot to hijack the habitat and take it through the wormhole to freedom. (FF)
Graf Station:
Named after Leo Graf, the space station was originally founded on a small, metallic asteroid, and has been expanded for the past two centuries, including using parts of the original jump ship as construction material. Graf Station is part of a satellite of colonies located within the twin rings of an asteroid belt, collectively known as the Union of Free Habitats. Only Graf Station and a handful of other scattered habitats in the Union maintain gravity and deal with galactics. Along with its Graf Station security force, dressed in slate blue uniforms, it also has Union militia for protection. Sent to the station to investigate a dispute with a Komarran convoy, Miles uncovers a more sinister plot involving a potential war between Barrayar and Cetaganda. (DI)
Grant:
No surname given. Pilot of the shuttle that brings Leo Graf to the Cay Project Habitat. (FF)
Gras-Grace:
No surname given. A stout, red-haired, pleasantly ugly woman, she was the leader of the smuggler crew that included Russo Gupta, Firka, and Hewlitt, and was killed by Ker Dubauer after transporting his cargo of haut-fetuses. She carried separate sets of identification listing her as Grace Nevatta of Jackson's Whole and Louise Latour of Pol. (DI)
Gravitic explosive:
A powerful munition capable of blowing people to bits. Used by Komarran revolutionaries in their terrorist war against Barrayar. (BA)
Gravitic imploder lance:
A short range ship-to-ship weapon system that causes distortion and rending damage to a targeted area. Its operating technology is not specified. When used in the Hegen Hub conflict, the Barrayaran version had triple the range of the Cetagandan one. It is also mentioned in the scientists' conversation as they try to figure out what the Komarran engineers were up to at the experiment station near Serifosa on Komarr. (K, VG)
Gray, Travis:
A technician in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet assigned to the Peregrine, he has been with the mercenaries for six years. He is an expert in communications equipment, and collects classic pre-jump music of Earth origin. Miles mentally reviews his personnel file upon seeing him at a jump-point station near Escobar. (MD)
Great Key of the Star Crèche:
The small rod Miles takes from the Ba Lura when it comes into their ship after landing on the transfer station above Eta Ceta IV. It has decorative glitter on one end that masks dense circuitry, and the other end is covered with a locked cap bearing the Cetagandan Imperial seal, a clawed, screaming bird. Rian has a necklace that is supposed to open the Great Key, enabling it to be used to access the Star Crèche and its data. The key is the only storage device that has the organized information on the hundreds of thousands of haut genome lines in the Star Crèche. Governor Ilsun Kety makes several copies of the Great Key in a plot to win power. When it appears that Miles, Nadina, and Pel Navarr are about to be killed by Kety, Miles and Pel download the Great Key's data into the Cetagandan communication network. (C)
Greatest Escape, The:
A holovid the Marilacans are producing on the prisoner breakout on Dagoola IV. They try to get "Admiral Naismith" to participate as a consultant, but he regretfully refused. (K)
Greenlaw:
No first name given. An older, white-haired quaddie dressed in a velvet-and-silver slashed doublet with matching puffy shorts. She is a Senior Sealer, a minister of downsider affairs that answers to the Board of Directors of the Union of Free Habitats. She has been serving in her position for over forty years and has been all over quaddie space and the two bordering systems. Initially assigned to broker a suitable deal with the Barrayarans regarding the trade fleet and the imprisoned troopers, she doesn't provide a lot of help, and eventually Miles wins the freedom of his men and ships in exchange for the quarantined, contaminated Idris. (DI)
Grishnov:
No first name given. A minister and the head of Political Education on Barrayar. He hopes to rule through Prince Serg once the heir is named Emperor, but is killed during Ezar Vorbarra's governmental purge after the Escobar war. (SH)
Groat:
Another name for the hulled and crushed buckwheat that is grown and eaten on Barrayar, often served boiled with syrup at breakfast. Groats are also used in Barrayaran wedding ceremonies, with the Seconds closing a circle of the grain poured on the ground after the bride and groom step inside. After the vows are completed, the groom's Second opens the circle, collecting a kiss on the cheek from the bride as the married couple exits. (All except FF)
Groundcar:
The standard ground transportation vehicle used throughout the galaxy, they range in size from small cars to cargo trucks. A groundcar uses antigravity technology for lift, and is propelled and controlled by fans. Though they are normally close to the ground, a cargo truck on Earth was raised high enough to try to squash Miles during an assassination attempt. (All)
Grunt:
One of the sub-personalities Mark creates to survive Baron Ryoval's torture, he comes out when Mark is being sexually abused. (CC, MD)
Gulik, Ti:
A jump pilot, he is one of Silver's lovers, and also brings her contraband video fiction. Approximately twenty-five years old, he has brown curly hair, and a mostly easygoing temperament. After unknowingly transporting Claire, Tony, and Andy down to Rodeo, he is fired by Bruce Van Atta, and then is cajoled by Leo Graf and Silver into helping the quaddies escape by piloting the jump ship through the wormhole. He also pilots the shuttle down to Rodeo to collect Tony and Mrs. Minchenko. (FF)
Gum-leaf:
A mild stimulant plant that grows on Barrayar. Its leaves are chewed like tobacco and have a pleasantly bitter, astringent taste. Cordelia tries some during Gregor's escape in the Dendarii Mountains. Mara Mattulich also chews gum-leaf. (B, MM)
Gupta, Russo:
A bioengineered amphibious human, he is tall, with pale, unhealthy-looking skin, dark hair shaved close to his skull, leaving patchy fuzz, a large nose, small ears, long, narrow webbed hands and feet, and gill slits under his ribs that need to be regularly sprayed with water when he is on land. Goes by the nickname Guppy. He was created on Jackson's Whole by House Dyan as one of a set of beings that were to be the stage crew for an underwater ballet troupe. House Ryoval acquired him and the others in a hostile takeover and abandoned him.
He joined with the smuggler band of Firka, Gras-Grace, and Hewlitt, and was the only survivor of Ker Dubauer's attempt to kill them all after they transported his haut-fetus cargo. He tracked Dubauer to Graf Station and tried to kill it with a rivet gun in front of Miles and Bel Thorne. He joined the passenger roster of the Rudra after it was delayed at the station, intending to leave as soon as he had killed Dubauer, or follow the Ba if it got away. He sleep-gassed Bel and Garnet Five, but left them where they were. Caught by quaddies after an all-points bulletin was put out for him, he is interrogated by Miles, who gets the whole story, and pieces together the rest of the ba's plot regarding the haut-fetuses. (DI)
Gustioz, Oscar:
A thin man, somewhere between young and middle-aged, he is a parole officer from Escobar who has come to Barrayar to arrest Doctor Borgos on charges of fraud, grand theft, and skipping bail. He also wanted to arrest Mark, but was thwarted by his Class III Diplomatic Immunity. While he is trying to take Borgos into custody, Kareen and Martya Koudelka pelt him first with butter bugs, then with tubs of bug butter, coating him in the stuff. When Miles arrives, he reviews Gustioz's documentation, and refuses to provide the last form he needs to extradite Borgos back to Escobar. (CC)
Haas:
No surname given. He is referred to as Brother Haas. A farmer on Athos, he is a large man, with red skin from his work and muscular, callused hands. Ethan Urquhart delivers the bad news that his male fetus, which was developing in a uterine replicator, is nonviable due to the deteriorating ovarian cultures. He was hoping for a child from the CJB line to increase the likelihood of a doctor for his commune in Crystal Springs. Ethan persuades him to go with the JJY genetic line instead. (EA)
Half-armor:
A less protective, unsealed suit of armor made for surface encounters on planets with a breathable atmosphere. One of its most useful features is a command headset with built-in telemetry and a projector to put vital information in the wearer's field of vision, controlled by facial movements and voice command. Half-armor can be combined with anti-nerve disruptor and stunner mesh, as well as a personal plasma mirror system. Mark takes Miles's personal set during the clone rescue, leaving Miles with no armor when he lands on Jackson's Whole to save his brother. (MD)
Halify:
No first name given. A general in the Felician military, he offers Miles a new mercenary contract to break the Pelian blockade. (WA)
Handbook:
A portable, electronic document reader commonly used for day-to-day reading and sharing of information. Books are contained on data cubes or data chips. Actual paper books are a luxury item. (All)
Hargraves-Dyne Consortium Station:
A space station orbiting Jackson's Whole. Barrayar keeps a consulate there, which Miles calls for help when he escapes Baron Ryoval's guards at his isolated torture facility. (MD)
Haroche, Lucas:
A general in the Barrayaran military, he is the Head of Domestic Affairs in Imperial Security, responsible for uncovering and tracking treason plots and anti-government groups on Barrayar. A graying man in his fifties, with a deep, rich voice and a Western provincial accent, he has served the Empire for thirty years. He sabotages Simon's eidetic memory chip, and tries to frame Miles, then Duv Galeni for the crime because he wants Simon's job, believing he would be a good Chief of Imperial Security. He is devastated to face Gregor after his exposure and arrest, and be branded a traitor. (M)
Hart:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet and the Ariel's second-in-command, he orders the fast cruiser to dock at Fell Station when driven out of orbit by House Bharaputran security ships. (MD)
Hassadar:
The capital city for the Vorkosigan's District on Barrayar, the city has no strategic military value, and therefore isn't in danger during Vordarian's coup. Piotr transferred the annual tax funds payable to the Imperium by comm link from there to Vorbarr Sultana. Miles sends Harra and Lem Csurik there to be educated and work so they can return to their village and improve it. (B, MM)
Hassadar Fair:
An annual celebration in the city. Serg Karal saw Miles there with his grandfather several years before Miles traveled to Silvy Vale. (MM)
Hathaway:
No first name given. A friend of Grandmother Naismith, he is in charge of a recycling center. Grandmother sends Miles to him to see if he can help with a squatter, Baz Jesek, who has taken up residence on the property. (WA)
Haut:
The highest Cetagandan social class, haut are below the Emperor, but above the ghem. They control genetic engineering and reproduction for their class. Haut-ladies are sequestered and rarely seen, going out in public in float chairs with protective force screens that allow them to see out, but no one to see them. The force screen can be changed to different colors depending on mood. Haut don't marry, but enter into reproductive contracts with each other. A haut-lady can also be assigned as a wife to a ghem-lord by the Emperor as a high social and political honor. (C)
Hegen Alliance:
The alliance of planets that defeated Cetaganda at the battle of Vervain, including Aslund, Barrayar, Pol, and Vervain, negotiated by Gregor Vorbarra and Aral Vorkosigan. (C, VG)
Hegen Hub:
A double star system with no habitable planets and a few space stations and power satellites. More of a route than a place, the Hegen Hub is a vital commerce route to the planets of Aslund, Pol, and Vervain, linking the three planets to Jackson's Whole and the rest of the known universe. It is also of great strategic interest to Barrayar and Cetaganda. When the Cetagandans move against Vervain as a stepping-stone to the Hub, Asland, Barrayar, and Pol come to the planet's defense, defeating the invasion force and setting up the Hegen Alliance. (VG)
Helda:
First name not given, only the first letter F on her uniform nametag. Thin and dour, she is the biocontrol warden in Assimilation Station B, and the real culprit behind the loss of Athos's ovarian material shipment. She hates the planet because her son emigrated there to get away from her, and her bitterness drove her to switch the shipment with nonviable tissue samples. She placed them in a long-term storage area, where Ethan finds them by accident while saying good-bye to Teki, and takes them and Terrance Cee with him back to Athos. (EA)
Helski:
No first name given. A Barrayaran commodore killed in the Escobar war. (SH)
Henbloat:
A plant on Barrayar, which Miles sees in a new light in Ekaterin's virtual garden program, composed entirely of native flora. (K)
Henri:
A research scientist with the Imperial Military Hospital, he is the doctor in charge of the uterine replicator children. At first opposed to the project, he becomes an ardent fan of the technology, and explores using the technology for burn patients. After a visit to check on Elena, Bothari's daughter, he meets Piotr Vorkosigan at Vorkosigan Surleau. He is beaten to death by Vordarian's security forces for not revealing where Miles's replicator is located during the coup. (B)
Hereld, Sandy:
A lieutenant in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, she is the communications officer on the Triumph, and likes to wear unusual hairstyles. She is the first person Mark bluffs past acting as Miles on his way to commandeering the Ariel. (MD)
Hessman:
No first name given. An admiral in the Barrayaran Imperial Navy with a questionable budget that attracts Aral's and Koudelka's attention. He sends Ivan to go look for Miles, but intends for him to be killed on the trip. He turns on his co-conspirator, Count Vordrozha, when Miles accuses him of sabotage and murder in the Council of Counts. (WA)
Hewlett:
A short, mahogany-skinned jump-ship pilot killed by Ker Dubauer after his and the rest of the smuggler crew transported his haut-fetus cargo. Russo Gupta had his identification papers while he was on Graf Station. (DI)
Hexapedal grazers:
A six-legged herd animal on Sergyar. Low-slung and thick-limbed, they exist in several different varieties, are coffee-and-cream-colored, and communicate in hisses and whistles. During their journey to the supply cache, Aral and Cordelia manage to kill and eat one. The meat is edible, but gamy and tough, with a bitter undertaste. (SH)
House Bharaputra:
One of the largest criminal factions on Jackson's Whole, its main enterprise is illegal genetics. Its baron, who was captured by the Dendarii during their retreat after the failed clone rescue, is freed, and later his men capture Miles and hold him prisoner before selling him to Baron Ryoval. Mark also leads a rescue operation to free clones raised in one of the House's laboratories, but is surrounded, and has to be rescued by Miles and the Dendarii, leading to Miles's death during the extraction. (L, MD)
House Dyne:
One of the largest criminal factions on Jackson's Whole, its main enterprise is money laundering. (L)
House Fell:
One of the largest criminal factions on Jackson's Whole, its main enterprise is as an arms dealer, the biggest one "this side of Beta Colony." Miles uses buying arms from them as the pretext to smuggle Hugh Canaba off the planet. After Mark kills Baron Ryoval, he makes a Deal for Baron Fell to acquire the assets of House Ryoval. (L, MD)
House Hargraves:
One of the largest criminal factions on Jackson's Whole, its main enterprise is serving as a galactic fence and middleman for ransom exchange. Miles grudgingly admits that most of the victims it negotiates on behalf of do come back alive. (L)
House Ryoval:
One of the largest criminal factions on Jackson's Whole, its main enterprise is creating life-forms for the purchaser's pleasure, deviant or otherwise. House Ryoval purchased Taura from House Bharaputra, holding her prisoner until Miles rescued her. Miles also destroys Baron Ryoval's entire collection of genetic samples on his way out. Baron Ryoval captures Mark when he returns to Jackson's Whole to rescue clone children, and tortures him for five days until Mark kills him and turns the assets of his House over to Baron Fell. (L, MD)
Howl:
One of the sub-personalities Mark creates to survive Baron Ryoval's torture, he comes out when Mark is physically abused. (MD)
Husavi:
No first name given. The head of civilian security on the Komarr jump-point station, he holds the rank of group commander and wears a blue and orange uniform. He has been having problems with Captain Vorgier over how to handle the hostage-holding engineers, which Miles alleviates upon his arrival. (K)
Hysopi, Karla:
A hired caregiver for Konstantin Bothari's child Elena, she is a military widow with three children of her own, and lives in the village near Vorkosigan Surleau. She is taken, along with Elena, by Vordarian's men during the search for Gregor, and held hostage until being released after the coup is put down. (B)
Idris:
A Toscane Corporation cargo and passenger ship that is part of the Komarran merchant fleet escorted by the Barrayarans. It is a utilitarian vessel consisting of seven huge parallel cylinders, one in the middle surrounded by the other six. The central one in devoted to personnel, with two nacelles opposite each other on the outer ring housing the Necklin rods, enabling the ship to travel through wormholes, and the other four cylinders devoted to cargo. Its normal-space engines are mounted in the vessel's rear, and mass shield generators are in the front. The ship rotates around its central axis to bring whichever cargo cylinder is needed into alignment with the docking bay for loading and unloading of cargo.
Docked at Graf Station for adjustments to its jump drive, the ship ran into complications when the replacement parts didn't pass inspection, and was held until the parts could be repaired or replaced. Lieutenant Solian, the Barrayaran security liaison aboard, then turned up missing. The Idris is also carrying Ker Dubauer's cargo of haut-fetuses, and it attempts to hijack the entire vessel to retrieve them, but is foiled by Miles, Armsman Roic, and Ensign Corbeau. Afterward, Miles leaves the ship to Senior Sealer Greenlaw as compensation for allowing his men and other ships to leave for Cetaganda to avert the impending war between that empire and Barrayar. (DI)
Illyan, Simon:
A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military and one of the Emperor's personal security staff. When Cordelia first meets him, he is young with brown hair and a "bland, puppy face." He has an eidetic memory chip implanted in his brain by order of Emperor Ezar, allowing him to record anything he sees and hears and play it back with perfect recall. The chip has a ninety percent incidence of introducing iatrogenic schizophrenia in its subjects, although Simon is among the fortunate ten percent.
Assigned to Aral Vorkosigan as his personal spy, he is rapidly promoted through the ranks, becoming Security Commander for Aral once he is appointed Regent, when he heads up the investigation into Evon Vorhalas's assassination attempt on Aral. Twenty years later, Simon is chief of Imperial Security on Barrayar, and Miles's overall superior during his tour of duty in Imperial Security. By this time he is slight and aging, with a round face etched with faint lines, a snub nose, and brown hair turning gray at the temples. He has the unenviable job of requesting Miles's resignation from Imperial Security after discovering his falsification of his report on the recovery of Lieutenant Vorberg, and also his lying to the Imperial Military doctors about his seizures.
Shortly thereafter, Simon begins having what appear to be mental lapses, which turn severe enough to require him to be forcibly removed from his position and kept sequestered in the ImpSec HQ hospital for review. The memory chip in his head was sabotaged by General Haroche, forcing him to relive events of the past thirty years as if they were actually happening, and he might have died if not for Miles arriving to help him. After removal of the chip renders him unable to return to his former duties, Simon retires, and becomes romantically involved with Alys Vorpatril. He will have some continuing memory difficulties, but Cordelia buys him a map finder data cube and a personal organizer to help him adapt to his new, more sedate life. He accidentally tips Ekaterin off to Miles's secret courtship at the dinner party. Later, he visits Ekaterin at the Vorthys house to apologize, and interrupts Lieutenant Vormoncrief's assault on her and Nikki. He and Alys attend Miles's wedding. (B, CC, M, MD, SH, WG)
Imperial Auditor:
A career on Barrayar that Miles describes as a cross between a Betan Special Prosecutor, an Inspector General, and a minor deity. Appointed for life, they were originally created by Emperor Voradar Tau to audit his counts, and also served as tax collectors for their Districts. Since that time, their position has grown to encompass investigating any situation that cannot be resolved by normal means. There are nine Imperial Auditors, eight permanent positions, with the ninth left permanently open to install men as needed in that position, then releasing them when their specialized services are no longer required. Stymied by Lucas Haroche over visiting Simon after his breakdown, Miles petitions Gregor, who appoints him as an acting Imperial Auditor. After solving the case, and with the approval of the other four active Auditors, Miles is permanently installed as the eighth Imperial Auditor, the youngest since the Time of Isolation. After that, Miles serves in this capacity on Komarr, Barrayar, and Graf Station. (M, K, CC, DI)
Imperial Military:
Known as ImpMil for short, Barrayar's military force is responsible for carrying out offensive or defensive military campaigns for the Empire. It encompasses both the ground army and the space navy. It is a progressive organization, accepting anyone who can pass the necessary requirements, regardless of their family history or background. Enlisted men often serve in both infantry posts and on warships, as do commissioned and noncommissioned officers. The Imperial Military has defended the planet from invasion by Cetaganda, taken over Komarr, failed to conquer Escobar, and defeated the Cetagandans during the Vervain conflict. (All except FF)
Imperial Residence:
The home of the Emperor on Barrayar, it is a sprawling building that has been added onto in a mix of architectural styles and wings with the succession of new rulers over the centuries. Ludmilla Droushnakova leads Cordelia and Bothari inside to rescue Miles using a network of secret tunnels underneath the structure. (B)
Imperial Security:
Known as ImpSec for short, Barrayar's main law enforcement agency is charged with investigating and neutralizing internal and external threats to the Empire. Headquartered in a windowless building in Vorbarr Sultana, its members are a combination of intelligence analyst and espionage agent, and are sent to every corner of the known universe. Both Miles and Ivan serve in Imperial Security, with Miles forced to resign after lying about his seizures, and Ivan attaining the rank of captain. During his time of service, Miles saves the Emperor Gregor's life and averts a war with Cetaganda. Duv Galeni also serves in Imperial Security, attaining the rank of commodore and heading the department of Domestic Affairs for Komarr. (All except FF)
Incendiary Cat Plot:
A story alluded to, but not told, by Aral Vorkosigan to Mark as an illustration of Barrayar's long political history. (MD)
Interstellar Judiciary Commission:
A board that acts like the present-day United Nations, they have created rules for the treatment of prisoners of war, which the Cetagandans follow in their own way, creating cruel places like the Top Security Camp #3 on Dagoola IV as a result. (BI)
Investigatif Federale Building:
The headquarters of Escobaran law enforcement, it is a forty-five-story-tall glass building. Simon Illyan tells Mark he came close to emigrating when he visited the building. (MD)
Irene:
No last name given. The first bunkmate Cordelia has on the Tau Cetan passenger liner carrying prisoners of war back to Beta Colony. She works with the psychological officers from Escobar to gather information from the prisoners of war during the trip. Cordelia tries to evade her for most of the journey home. (SH)
IV Thalizine 5:
A truth serum substitute used on Silver to interrogate her about Tony's and Claire's escape from the Cay Habitat. (FF)
Iverson:
No first name given. He is a lieutenant in Barrayaran Imperial Security who responds to Miles's call for help from the Ryoval torture facility. He arrives with a hired security team from House Dyne, and insists on clearing the facility himself. (MD)
Jackson's Whole:
A planet where corruption and commerce go hand in hand, and anything can be bought for the right price. Located on one of the Hegen Hub jump routes. Five wormholes lead from Jacksonian territory to half the known galaxy. Founded as a hijackers' base two centuries before Miles was born. The old criminal gangs have become criminal syndicate monopolies known as Houses. The only thing sacred to them is the Deal. The houses are run by barons, men who have schemed, clawed, and killed their way to the top. Miles goes there to pick up a defecting genetic scientist, and ends up rescuing Taura from House Ryoval, destroying Ryoval's private genetic sample collection in the process.
A few years later, Mark commandeers a Dendarii ship and commando team to rescue clones from House Bharaputra, but ends up having to be rescued by Miles, who is killed in the attempt and later resuscitated at the Durona Clinic. After being captured and tortured by Baron Ryoval, Mark kills the baron, and makes a Deal with Baron Fell to acquire House Ryoval's assets in exchange for letting the Duronas leave the planet. (L, MD, SH, VG, WA)
Jahar, Faz:
A Cetagandan geneticist who created the telepathy project that spawned Terrence Cee after finding a homeless woman with the ability and creating children from her genetic tissue. Supposedly blown up in a lab accident, in reality he was killed in the resulting explosion when Terrence and Janine sabotaged the laboratories where they had been created. (EA)
Jamie:
A quaddie killed in an accident before Leo Graf came to the Cay Habitat. It is the first experience the quaddies have with death. (FF)
Janine:
Also known as J-9-X-Ceta-G, she was a genetic experiment like Terrence Cee, and first put the notion in his head to escape. He thought of her as a sort of combination sister and lover, even though they shared very few genetic materials. She was the only other survivor of Doctor Jahar's project to reach puberty, and was killed by Captain Rau as they tried to escape. Terrence has genetic samples of her, and is trying to have her cloned once he gets to Jackson's Whole. Once Ethan and Terrence recover the ovarian shipment, Terrence agrees to have her genetic samples used for the next generation of children on Athos. (EA)
Jankowski:
No first name given. He is an armsman for Vorkosigan House. His younger daughter found the escaped butter bug queen. He provides security for Miles's wedding and reception. (CC)
Jarlais:
No first name given. A major in the Barrayaran military, he is the officer on duty at Imperial Security headquarters when Miles attempts to visit Simon. He forwards Miles's request to General Haroche. (M)
Jasi:
No surname given. An Imperial Security medic who arrives with Elena to help Aral during his coronary problem. (MD)
Jean:
No surname given. The midwife who delivered Raina, she has a son of her own. (MM)
Jesek, Bazil:
A thin, dark-haired, dark eyed man in his late twenties. He was a former lieutenant and engineer's assistant on jump-drive engines in the Barrayaran military, but deserted in the heat of battle. Miles takes him off Hathaway's hands, and has him swear fealty to him to get him out of Beta Colony. Baz goes on the Tau Verde IV run, recovers his nerve and composure in the battles that follow, and also falls in love with Elena Bothari, which nearly gets him killed by her father. After initially withholding his permission for them to marry, Miles grants it, also promoting him to commodore and naming him acting commander of the Dendarii Free Mercenaries while Miles goes to clear his name on Barrayar.
He loses command of the fleet when Admiral Oser takes over by subterfuge, and is restored to his position after the Battle of Vervain. Several years later, having secured a lucrative position at an orbiting shipyard at Escobar, he resigns from his post and asks to be released from his armsman's oath to raise a family with his wife Elena, which Miles grants. He comes back to Barrayar with his wife and daughter to attend Miles's wedding. (BA, M, MD, WA, WG)
Jole:
A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he is Aral Vorkosigan's aide-de-camp during the Vervain conflict. Blond, good-looking, and brilliant, he was commended for quick thinking during a shipboard accident, and came to Aral's attention soon after. He accompanies Aral on the Prince Serg when they arrive at Vervain. (VG)
Jollif:
No first name given. The Barrayaran commodore that Ivan Vorpatril serves under during his first military assignment. (VG)
Jon:
A husky quaddie from the pusher crew who goes along to hijack the shuttle used to retrieve Tony and Mrs. Minchenko. (FF)
Joris:
No first name given. An armsman for Lord Dono Vorrutyer, he is driving the lord's car when the attack occurs, and is stunned during the fight. (CC)
Juan:
No surname given. A servant at the Bianca house, he answers the door for Anias and Lieutenant Mendez. (DD)
Jubajoint:
Similar to a cigarette. Bruce Van Atta smokes one in private after disconnecting smoke alarms in his office. (FF)
Jump-pilot implant:
One of the most common cybernetic systems in the Vorkosigan Saga is the jump-pilot implant, which uses surgically implanted viral circuitry and electrodes at the temples that allow a pilot to jack in to a ship's navigation and guidance systems. Each system has to be calibrated to a particular pilot, and forced removal of the system, as Sergeant Bothari does during interrogation of a jump pilot during the Tau Verde IV campaign, can cause mental and physical trauma, and even death. (All)
Jump-point stations:
Self-sustaining space stations that exist to monitor ships entering and exiting wormholes. They all look fairly similar, with merchants selling wares, hotels for transients, and their own security forces. Some, like Graf Station or Kline Station, have been heavily modified and built onto over the decades. (All except DD)
Jupiter Orbital #4:
A station where Leo had a previous mission training a group of roustabouts. He thinks training the quaddies couldn't be any more difficult. (FF)
Kanzian:
No first name given. An admiral in the Barrayaran Imperial Fleet, he is overweight and undertall, with a fringe of graying hair, and resembles a grandfatherly research professor. Assigned to advanced space operations, he is one of two men who Aral considers his superiors in military strategy. During Vordarian's coup, he joins Aral's side. During one of Simon's memory flashbacks, he inquires about Kanzian, who at the time has been dead for five years. Simon had been escorting him out of the capital when Padma Vorpatril was killed. (B, M, SH)
Kara:
A quaddie who works as an infirmary aide on the Cay Habitat, she updates Claire on the status of the revolt. (FF)
Karal, Ma:
No first name given. Serg Karal's wife, she has three boys, and rules her home with a firm but not unyielding hand. (MM)
Karal, Serg:
The Speaker of Silvy Vale for the past sixteen years, he is roughly sixty years old, balding, leathery, and worn, and missing his left hand. He is disappointed that Harra went to see the count over her baby's death, not wanting to cause problems over what he tries to pass off as an accident. He was a corporal in the Barrayaran military for twenty years, where he lost his hand. He doesn't provide a lot of help until the attacks on Miles's tent and his horse, which is an insult to the entire village, not to mention an assault against the Voice of Count Vorkosigan. (MM)
Karal, Zed:
One of Serg Karal's children, he is twelve years old, the middle child of three boys. At the village celebration, he claims that Miles is there to kill Lem Csurik, but Miles explains the true reason he has come to Silvy Vale: to administer justice. Zed and his brothers are in the tent when Dono Csurik tries to burn it, but they all escape unharmed. Almost a decade later, Miles encounters Zed again, now a man with a full, neatly trimmed black beard, when he returns to visit Raina's grave. His older brother married a girl from Seligrad, and his parents spend the winters there, helping with their grandchildren. (M, MM)
Kat:
No surname given. One of the Dendarii mercenaries who clears booby traps on a captured Pelian warship, she disarms one with three seconds to spare. (WA)
Kaymer Orbital Shipyards:
A construction and repair shipyard located in Earth orbit. Miles brings his combat drop shuttles there for repairs after the prisoner breakout on Dagoola IV. He has to settle for placing his payment in escrow until the repairs are made, since the company's representative doesn't quite trust mercenaries. (BA)
Kee:
No first name given. A trooper in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he is killed in action during the Marilac mission. (MD)
Keroslav District:
A district on Barrayar known for its baked goods. After the Singing Open the Great Gates ceremony, Miles makes idle conversation about the district's various baking styles with Voreedi while waiting for his Cetagandan contact to get in touch with him. (C)
Kesterton:
No first name given. A trooper in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he participates in Mark's clone facility raid at Jackson's Whole. (MD)
Kestrel:
The Barrayaran courier ship that delivers Miles's orders to go to Graf Station, and also takes Ekaterin and him to his destination. (DI)
Kety, Islum:
The haut-governor of Sigma Ceta, one of the Cetagandan satrapy worlds. A cousin of the Emperor, he is in his mid-forties, tall, lean, and hawkish, with an artificial touch of gray at his temples. He is behind the conspiracy to overthrow the Emperor, using the power of possessing the Star Crèche and his plan to put a false copy of the Great Key in Miles's possession to provoke a war with Barrayar. He sets up Lord Yenaro to kill Miles and Ivan. His haut-consort is Nadina, whom he kidnaps when she comes to his ship to take back his copy of the Star Crèche. In her place, he sends his mistress, Vio d'Chilian, to capture Ivan. After he is arrested and his plan foiled, he will be forced to retire or commit suicide. (C)
Kevi:
No surname given. An assistant to Emperor Gregor, he is unobtrusive, middle-aged, and intelligent-looking. He shows Ivan and Mark to Gregor's private office in Vorhartung Castle. (MD)
Killer:
One of the separate personalities Mark creates to survive Baron Ryoval's torture. Also known as Other by Mark's various personalities, Killer comes out to murder Baron Ryoval. (MD)
Kim:
No first name given. One of the Oseran mercenaries killed in the battle for the ore refinery orbiting Tau Verde IV. (WA)
Kimura:
No first name given. A sergeant in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet's Yellow Squad, he participates in Miles's attempted rescue of Mark and Green Squad on Jackson's Whole. (MD)
Kitten tree:
A bioengineered tree that sprouts the front half of kittens instead of fruit, on display at the Cetaganda bioestheties exhibit. When Ivan tries to free one of them, he accidentally kills it, as it wasn't designed to survive away from the plant. Vorreedi quietly disposes of the remains. (C)
Kline Station:
A very large space station near a star that has no planets, founded three centuries before Ethan Urquhart first visits it, and built onto ever since. One of the projects the quaddie race was originally created to build, it is within a sub-light boost of six jump points, including to Athos. An independent station, it has a complete internal ecosystem, supplying its own food, heat, light, etc. The station also has environmental police, called biocontrol wardens, who make sure uncleared animals, produce, molds, fungi, and other potentially hazardous material are not brought onto the station. They have pine green uniforms with sky blue accents. Security personnel wear black and orange. Docks and Locks, or maintenance, wears red uniforms. Ethan Urquhart is sent there to acquire new ovarian tissue cultures for his planet, and runs into the various parties chasing after Terrence Cee. (EA, FF)
Klyeuvi, Amor:
Also known as Kly the Mail, he was a major in the Barrayaran military during the reign of Yuri Vorbarra, and fought against the Cetagandan invasion. He wears a worn Imperial Postal Service jacket and clothes made up of other uniform pieces: black fatigue shirt, ancient dress green trousers, and well-oiled officer's knee boots. He is unshaven, his lips are stained black from chewing gum-leaf, and he's missing several teeth, with the others a uniform yellow brown. A friend of Piotr's, he helps Cordelia, Gregor, and Bothari escape from Vordarian's security men. He has ridden the mail circuit for eighteen years, and was an Imperial Ranger for twenty years before that. He has a niece and was married but no children. After his death, he is buried in the cemetery at Vorkosigan Surleau. (B, MD)
Knolly:
No first name given. An admiral in the Barrayaran Imperial Fleet, he suffers from colitis. Referred to as "Jolly Nolly" by Admiral Kanzian, during Vordarian's coup, he is located at Jumppoint Station One, and hasn't answered any messages from either side. Aral and Kanzian plan a private meeting with him to bring him over to their side. (B)
Komarr:
A planet controlled by Barrayar for forty years, it is near a wormhole nexus with routes to Barrayar, Sergyar, Escobar, Pol, the Cetagandan Empire, and several minor routes. An 0.9 standard gravity planet, with an abundant native supply of gaseous nitrogen and water ice, it has an atmosphere with a high CO2 content, but an inadequate greenhouse effect to retain heat. The population lives in domed cities that receive solar heat from a set of mirrors called a hexagonal soletta array. Breath masks are required to go out on the planet's surface. When Cetaganda invaded Barrayar eighty years before Cordelia met Aral, Komarr let them through the wormhole route. Later, Aral was in charge of the campaign to seize the planet, but he was unjustly given the title "The Butcher of Komarr" when his political officer ordered two hundred people from the planet killed against his orders.
Miles's first official assignment as an Imperial Auditor is to assist in the investigation into an accident at the soletta array, damaged by a collision with an inner system ore freighter, threatening to stop the centuries-long terraforming project. Miles thwarts a plot by renegade Komarran engineers to cut Barrayar off from the galaxy by permanently closing the wormhole. He also meets his future wife, Ekaterin, there. Emperor Gregor's wife, Laisa Toscane, is also a Komarran, and their marriage strengthens the relationship between the two planets. (CC, K, M, SH)
Komarr Revolt:
A military action that Aral Vorkosigan dealt with while serving as the Regent of Barrayar. (WA)
Komarran fleet shares:
A risky form of investment, where a person or company buys shares in a Komarran trading fleet, which goes on an extended trip through the galaxy, with any profits to be distributed upon its arrival back home. Etienne Vorsoisson borrows money and invests his family's entire fortune in a trip that goes wrong, losing three-quarters of the investment. (K)
Kosti:
No first name given. A corporal in the Barrayaran military, he is the gate guard at the empty Vorkosigan House when Miles arrives home. About twenty-one years old, he is a tall, blond-haired young man with sharp features. Against regulations, he has adopted a cat that was rescued from the security system. He has a younger brother, Martin, whom Miles hires as a driver until before he goes into the Military Academy. He also receives lunch every day from his mother, whom Miles hires as House Vorkosigan's cook once he sees it. (M)
Kosti, Ma:
No first name given. Her son guards Vorkosigan House as part of Imperial Security security protocol. After seeing the gourmet spread Corporal Kosti receives every day, Miles hires her to cook at Vorkosigan House. Her culinary reputation spreads so fast that everyone wants to hire her away, including Cordelia, who would like to bring her to Sergyar when Aral and she go back. Ma Kosti joins Mark's company when she comes up with many delicious recipes using bug butter, and is upset when Miles doesn't allow her to serve all of the creations at his dinner party. She also assists with creating and distributing the maple ambrosia at the Emperor's wedding reception, and prepares the food for Miles's wedding reception. (CC, M, WG)
Kosti, Martin:
Corporal Kosti's younger brother. A tall, blond young man who looks like his older sibling, but with softer features. He is two months away from the mandatory age of eighteen to apply for Imperial service, so Miles hires him in the interim as his driver and batman. Initially, Martin isn't a very good driver, but improves with experience, and grows on Miles as well. He accompanies Miles to Silvy Vale, and teaches city dances to the kids there. (M)
Kostolitz:
No first name given. A fellow officer's school candidate in the Barrayaran military, he is paired with Miles during the initial physical training, when Miles breaks his legs on the obstacle course. Later, Miles has his revenge during officer school, when he keeps cool during a hazardous exercise and saves both of them from getting "killed." (WA)
Koudelka, Clement:
An ensign in the Barrayaran military, he is one of Aral's loyal men during the mutiny on Sergyar. He is tall with a regular, pleasant face. After he is hit with a nerve disruptor while fighting the mutineers, the nerves in his right leg and left arm are replaced by artificial ones, which render him unable to serve in the infantry. After accepting the position of Regent, Aral promotes him to lieutenant, and makes him his personal secretary.
He carries a spring-loaded swordstick, a weapon of the aristocracy, by Aral's special order. He considers suicide at least once, due to the isolation and prejudice he receives from other Barrayarans. After having sex with Ludmilla Droushnakovi on the night of Aral's assassination attempt, he feels guilty about taking advantage of her, which she proves him wrong about later. His father was a grocer, which enables him to help smuggle Cordelia, Bothari, and Droushnakovi into Vorbarr Sultana to rescue Miles. He is ordered to escort Alys Vorpatril out of the city after they save her from Vordarian's security men.
After the coup is put down, he marries Droushnakovi, and they have four daughters together. He is a commodore by the time Miles becomes an Imperial Auditor, and is very upset at the turn of events between Mark and Kareen, which he finds out in public at the dinner party. With Cordelia's assistance, he agrees to the option arrangement for Mark and Kareen to have a relationship that works for everyone, and even apologizes to Mark for his earlier churlish behavior. He also has to get used to the idea of his daughter Olivia and Count Dono Vorrutyer getting married as well. (B, CC, SH, WA)
Koudelka, Delia:
The first and tallest of Commodore Clement and Ludmilla Koudelka's daughters, she is blond, beautiful, smart, and athletic. Miles escorts her to the Imperial State dinner, as she is quite graceful, and loves to dance. Ivan asks her to marry him, but finds out she has chosen Duv Galeni, and will be marrying him instead. She attends Miles's dinner party with Duv during their engagement, and also attends Miles's wedding. (CC, M, MD, WG)
Koudelka house:
The Koudelkas live in a large, three-story home on the end of a block row right in the middle of Vorbarr Sultana, with windows overlooking a park, only six blocks away from Vorkosigan House. Clement and Ludmilla purchased it twenty-five years ago, when he had been Aral's aide while he was Regent. (CC)
Koudelka, Kareen:
The fourth daughter of Clement and Ludmilla Koudelka, she is a vivacious eighteen-year-old with short, loose, ash-blond curls, electric blue eyes, and a passionate drive. She plans to study at Beta Colony, courtesy of Cordelia Vorkosigan. Mark meets her at the Emperor's Birthday Celebration, then promises her a dance at Winterfair, if he returns alive from his mission to rescue Miles.
After her first year at Beta Colony, she is in an exclusive relationship with Mark, although she cannot bring herself to tell her parents. She wants to go back to school on Beta, but her family is not wealthy, and asks her to consider attending college in Vorbarr Sultana. To earn money, she accepts shares in Mark's butter bug company, first to keep tabs on Doctor Borgos, then becoming the head of marketing. Her parents disapprove of Mark as a suitor, and Kareen is upset at the limited choices she has as a woman on Barrayar. She prefers life on Beta Colony, but does not want to give up her family either. With Cordelia's help, she works out a mutual option between Mark and herself, and brokers an understanding that her parents can accept. Along with her sister Martya, Kareen helps save Doctor Borgos from the Escobaran parole officers. (CC, MD)
Koudelka, Ludmilla Droushnakovi:
When first assigned to Cordelia, she is the servant of the Inner Chamber in the Imperial Residence, and Princess Kareen's personal bodyguard. She is alert, tall, and heavily muscled, with gold-blond hair and blue eyes. At the time of Vordarian's Pretendership, both of her parents are still alive, and she has three older brothers, all in the military along with her father, and a younger sister. She is instrumental in getting Cordelia and Bothari inside the Imperial Residence using hidden tunnels under the compound that Captain Negri showed to her. After Koudelka deflowered her on the night of Aral's assassination attempt, she works through the guilt of not being officially on duty at the time, and eventually makes up with and marries him. She and Kou have four daughters, Delia, Kareen, Olivia, and Martya, planning to marry them off to the surfeit of Barrayaran Vor males that are being born at the same time. She is one of the first ladies on Barrayar to use a uterine replicator for her two youngest daughters. She feels the same as her husband does about Mark and Kareen, but comes to an understanding on the relationship after Cordelia talks to both of them at Kareen's request. She takes over Alys Vorpatril's duties while Alys is on Komarr playing Baba for Gregor's upcoming wedding to Laisa. She and her husband attend Miles's wedding. (B, CC, M, WG)
Koudelka, Martya:
Another of the Koudelkas' four daughters. Ivan escorts her to the Imperial State dinner. Younger, shorter, and tawnier than her sister Delia, Martya is also more acerbic and direct. After Delia turns down Ivan's marriage proposal, he panics and asks Martya to marry him, but her reply is a succinct, "anyone but you." One of the guests at Miles's dinner party, afterward she is assigned to keep an eye on Kareen, and becomes her sister's go-between with Pym, and also good friends with Ekaterin. When Kareen is banned from working in Vorkosigan House, Martya gets in on the butter bug scheme, where she also meets Doctor Borgos, whom she finds quite interesting. She was to be Ekaterin's Second during the wedding ceremony, but stepped aside to give Taura the honor as a reward for stopping the assassination plot. She also kisses Roic on the cheek for saving them all from the terror Miles would have become if Ekaterin had died. (CC, M, WG)
Koudelka, Olivia:
One of the four tall, blond Koudelka sisters, she has an independent streak, and accompanies Martya to help cheer up Tatya Vorbretten during the Cetagandan bloodline scandal. Later she falls in love and gets engaged to Lord Dono Vorrutyer. She always wanted to be a countess, and will have her chance when Dono wins his petition to inherit his brother's District. She attends Miles's wedding. (CC, M)
Kshatryan Foreign Legion:
A remote mercenary group Ivan considers joining to avoid Miles's wrath after learning that Alexi Vormoncrief has proposed to Ekaterin. (CC)
Kshatryan Imperial Mercenaries:
A group of about a dozen men recruited by Captain Thorne, Baz Jesek, and Arde Mayhew on Tau Verde IV for the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. After botching a bodyguarding job, they are desperate to get off the planet. (WA)
Kurin's Hand:
Cavilo's flagship of the Randall's Rangers fleet. (VG)
Kush:
No first name given. A soldier in the Barrayaran military, he is the leader of a patrol on the General Vorkraft that will be part of the attempt to stop the mutineers. (SH)
Kyril Island:
An arctic, egg-shaped island seventy kilometers wide, one hundred sixty kilometers long, and five hundred kilometers from the nearest landmass. At Aral's confirmation ceremony as Regent, Evon Vorhalas mentions the possibility of getting assigned there as punishment. Lazkowski Base, used by the Barrayarans for winter military training, is located there, and is where Miles is sent for a six-month tour of duty as the Chief Meteorological Officer. Alexi Vormoncrief is posted there as punishment for interfering in Miles's and Ekaterin's relationship. (B, CC, VG)
L. Bharaputra & Sons Biological Supply House:
Based on Jackson's Whole, it is one of the largest genetic- engineering companies in the galaxy. Controlled by the ruthless House Bharaputra, it will take extreme measures, including murder, to protect itself. When the Population Council on Athos ordered a supply of ovarian tissues from them, the order was intercepted and lost on Kline Station. The company was also cheated by the Cetagandans in a co- sponsored genetic breeding plot for creating telepathic subjects, and hired Elli Quinn to eliminate Colonel Millisor and his men as revenge. Their representatives are tall, dark-skinned, and wear gaudy, embroidered silk jackets. A pair of them, one dressed in pink and one in brown, are sent to retrieve Baron Luigi Bharaputra's advance payment from Quinn when she takes too long in eliminating Millisor. (EA)
Lai:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Betan military, he is a crew member aboard the Rene Magritte. Slight and thin with a scholarly scoop, he accompanies Lieutenant Stuben aboard the General Vorkraft to rescue Cordelia. (SH)
Lairouba:
A planet that has sent its leader to Earth to participate in talks about the right-of-passage through the group of planets known as the Western Orion Arm. Tau Ceti is the hub of this nexus, and Komarr connects through it by two routes, which is why Barrayar is interested in the discussion. (BA)
Lake:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Oseran Mercenaries, he is pale, blond-haired, and Admiral Oser's right-hand man. Elena Bothari dislikes him intensely. He supervises the attempt to kill Miles on Oser's orders, but Miles escapes with help from loyal Dendarii men, including Clive Chodak. Captured by Cavilo's men, Lake is severely interrogated on the Kurin's Hand. (VG)
Lamitz:
No first name given. A general in the Barrayaran military, referred to as possibly homosexual. (VG)
Lannier, Ma:
No first name given. She taught Harra Csurik reading and writing. (MM)
Lara:
No surname given. A corporal in security on Kline Station, she is average-looking with dark hair. She got her name from her grandmother. When Ethan Urquhart attempts to find out about the attempted attack on him from Colonel Millisor, she thinks he's flirting with her. She is called away to investigate the disappearance of a prisoner, one of Millisor's men who fired a nerve disruptor at Ethan earlier that day. (EA)
Lars:
No surname given. One of two guards Ser Galen used to discipline Mark during his training to impersonate Miles. (MD)
Las Sands:
An area on Athos that has a senior, unnamed representative on the Population Council. (EA)
Latour, Louise:
One of Gras-Grace's aliases, listing her as a citizen of Pol. Russo Gupta carries the identification papers while on Graf Station. (DI)
Lava lamp:
Just like the twentieth-century version. Miles purchases a Jackson's Whole–made one on Komarr as a birthday present for Emperor Gregor. (K)
Lazkowski Base:
Located on Kyril Island on Barrayar, near the Arctic Circle, it is a winter training base for infantry known as Camp Permafrost, with a capacity of six thousand men. After Miles graduates from the Academy, his first assignment is a six-month duty as the camp's Chief Meteorological Officer. Alexi Vormoncrief is posted there as punishment for interfering in Miles's and Ekaterin's relationship. (CC, VG)
Liant:
No first name given. One of the prisoners under Beatrice's command who helps reorganize the prisoners for evacuation on Dagoola IV. (BI)
Liga, Sydney:
An arms buyer on Pol Station Six, he has pale, rabbit-like features, with a protruding lip and dark hair. He meets with Miles, who is posing as the arms dealer Victor Rotha, claiming to need upgraded weapons for his security guards on an asteroid mining facility. He is killed by Cavilo, who tries to pin the crime on Rotha/Miles. (VG)
Lightflyer:
A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that ranges from one- and two-person versions through bigger passenger vehicles that can carry several passengers to large cargo versions. Antigravity technology is used for lift; however, the method of propulsion is not specified. All lightflyer safety restraints and crash protection systems are very effective, making it possible to survive a lightflyer crash that demolishes the vehicle. (All)
Lightner, Peter:
A Betan pilot in Betan Astronomical Survey, he is known as Big Pete. One of Cordelia's crew who helps rescue her, he pilots the stolen shuttle out of the General Vorkraft. (SH)
Lilly Junior:
A tall Eurasian girl unwillingly rescued from the clone crèche on Jackson's Whole, she is a Durona clone meant for Lotus Bharaputra to inhabit. Lotus named her Lilly as revenge on her sister. She escapes from Mark and the Dendarii with Baron Bharaputra and goes back to the Bharaputra residence, where she meets Rowan and Miles, both prisoners. Her conversation with Miles causes her to question her previously unflagging devotion to Lotus, and she escapes the baron's home by posing as Rowan and going to the Durona Clinic. After Mark makes a Deal for the Duronas' freedom, Lilly travels to Escobar with the rest of her clone sisters. (MD)
Live fur:
Created by GalacTech bioengineering, a live fur is a living organism, like a cat, with none of the defects, like claws or shedding or eating or defecation. It is "fed" by an electromagnetic net in its cellular level passively gathering energy from the environment. Miles buys one for Elli, and keeps it in his room at the embassy, where it enjoys purring when petted, and snuggling up to his face while he sleeps. It scares Mark when he first stays in Miles's room, and he throws the fur into a closet. Elli sends one to Miles and Ekaterin as a wedding present. (BA, WG)
Liz:
No surname given. A pleasantly plump, middle-aged Komarran, she is the head of the Carbon Drawdown department in the Serifosa branch of the Terraforming Project. Her department has had great success with introducing peat bogs to the planet. (K)
London Municipal Assizes:
Housed in a big, black crystal building two centuries old, it is where all civil criminals are held for processing. Miles, Elli, Ivan, and Duv Galeni go there to try to get Mark freed into their custody, only to find that Ser Galen has beaten them to him. (BA)
Lord Midnight:
A story Aral relates to Mark about an unusual political benchmark that occurred on Barrayar. During the Time of Isolation, Count Vortala was feuding with his son, so he disinherited him, and persuaded the Council of Counts to approve naming his horse, Midnight, as his heir. The horse died before Vortala, and the son inherited everything anyway. (MD)
Lord Vorloupulous and his 2000 Cooks:
A true story used on Barrayar as an example of violating the letter of the law. When private armies were eliminated by order of Emperor Dorca Vorbarra, Count Vorloupulous called his liveried army "cooks" and armed them with butcher knives. With his army defeated by the Emperor's men, he would have been executed for treason except for the Cetagandan invasion. Vorloupulous's sentence was delayed, he was sent to fight, and he died in battle. (WA)
Lord Vorventa the Twice-Hung:
Miles refers to him during a conversation with Ekaterin about whether criminal charges would be brought against her deceased husband. Vorventa's double demise occurred during the Time of Isolation. (K)
Love in the Gazebo:
One of the contraband video fiction titles Ti Gulik brings to Silver. (FF)
Love-Lies-Itching:
A plant on Barrayar, which Miles sees in a new light in Ekaterin's virtual garden, composed entirely of native flora. (K)
Love's Savage Star:
A holovid Ethan watches while waiting for Quinn to find out what Colonel Millisor is up to. (EA)
Lubachik:
An ensign in the Barrayaran military, he graduates in Miles's class. Painfully earnest, he is assigned to Imperial Security training to learn advanced security and counterassassination techniques. (VG)
Luigi Bharaputra and Sons Household Finance and Holding Company of Jackson's Whole Private Limited:
A powerful lending company that owns the lease contract on the Ariel, and that sends an agent to investigate the insurance claim on the ship. (WA)
Lura:
The Cetagandan Ba, or neuter servant, who enters Miles's ship when he lands at Eta Ceta IV's docking station and leaves him with a fake copy of the Great Key of the Star Crèche and a small nerve disruptor. Hairless, it had disguised itself with a white-haired wig. It was the Dowager Empress's personal attendant for sixty years, but had been tricked by Governor Ilsum Kety into contacting Miles and Ivan and giving up the fake Great Key to provoke a war with Barrayar. It is killed by Vio d'Chilian, and its body left near the Dowager Empress Degtiar's as she lies in state, made to look like it committed suicide. (C)
Leutwyn:
No first name given. Adjudicator called in on Graf Station to judge if warrants could be issued for arrest and fast-penta interrogation, arrived in time to witness the arrival of Russo Gupta and sanction his arrest and interrogation. He also attends the inspection of the Idris, and escapes the ship with Security chief Venn's help after Dubauer hijacks it. (DI)
L-X-10 Terran-C:
The project name for Terrence Cee, Doctor Jahar's genetic- engineering telepathy subject on Cetaganda. (EA)
Mail:
Physical delivery of mail on planets is uncommon in major metropolitan areas, replaced primarily by electronic communication. Special messages, such as the invitations to Emperor Gregor's wedding, are written on parchment and hand-delivered. Some mail is sent by small recording or speaker devices. In the backcountry, such as the Dendarii Mountains on Barrayar, mail was delivered via mounted rider during Ezra Vorbarra's time, but has since been replaced by comconsoles. Since some backcountry people were illiterate, particularly during the Time of Isolation, the mailman might have read the message for the recipient, and written a reply for them as well. (B)
Malka:
One of the four hired thugs sent to castrate Lord Dono, he is captured by Ivan and Olivia, and injured in the process. (CC)
Maree:
No surname given. She is a very pretty clone with blond hair and blue eyes. Her actual age is about ten years old, but she appears to be twenty. She has had surgery done, including giant breast enlargements. After being removed from the clone crèche on Jackson's Whole, she attempts to escape the Peregrine and go back with Baron Bharaputra, but is stopped by Mark. Afterward, he attempts to molest her, but suffers a trauma-induced flashback, rendering him nearly catatonic. She is one of the clones who is set up with an education from Mark's fund after he makes the Deal to get the Duronas off Jackson's Whole. (MD)
Margara:
No first name given. An administrator at Beauchene Life Center. Doctor Aragones advises Miles to speak to her about recertifying the Dendarii medics in the latest triage and cryo-chamber techniques. (MD)
Marilac:
A planet that is key to Cetagandan plans to expand the Empire because of its location near a jump point to Zoave Twilight. The Marilacans have accepted large amounts of aid from the Empire, which Lord Vorob'yev thinks is lulling them into a state of complacency, since they don't think Cetaganda will attack an ally. After the invasion, Miles saves almost ten thousand of their soldiers to form a new guerrilla army to continue fighting, and also uses the Dendarii to smuggle aid to the Marilacans during the war. Eventually, the Cetagandans withdraw their forces without gaining control of the planet. (BI, C)
Marilican Embassy:
Miles and Ivan attend a welcoming party at the embassy for the various planetary diplomats at the start of the Dowager Empress's funeral ceremonies, and first meet Lord Yenaro there. The embassy has a large, elaborate, multimedia sculpture in its lobby entitled "Autumn Leaves." (C)
Mattulich, Mara:
Harra's mother, she is tall, stringy, tough, and chews gum-leaf. Harra is her only surviving daughter, but she gave birth to four other children, two stillborn, and two she killed because each was born deformed. Many of the older generation in Silvy Vale, including Mara's own mother, condoned the practice. Miles sentences her to death, but stays the actual execution, stripping her of all legal rights and placing her in the care of her daughter and the Speaker. After her death, Harra doesn't move her grave, leaving it to be covered by the new lake formed by the hydroelectric dam. (MM)
Mayhew, Arde:
A jump-ship pilot officer from Beta Colony. He lets Cordelia stow away on his cargo run off planet, enabling her to escape to Barrayar. Almost two decades later, he's around forty years old, and is the pilot officer of the jump ship RG 132. His jump implants are obsolete and his career will be over when the ship is sold, so he barricades himself inside and threatens to blow it up when Miles first meets him. Miles buys the ship and swears Arde as his armsman. He rams the Triumph with the RG 132 during the Tau Verde IV campaign, and pilots the Triumph's escape shuttle C-2 when saving Miles and Gregor during the Vervain conflict. He comes to Barrayar to attend the wedding, spending much of his time entertaining Nikolai and the other children with tales of his adventures. (SH, VG, WA, WG)
Maz, Mia:
She works at the Vervani embassy on Eta Ceta IV as the assistant chief of protocol specializing in women's etiquette. About forty years old, she has olive skin, dark curly hair, and loves chocolate desserts. She helps Miles with his investigation, giving him information on the Great Seal, and explaining some of the dizzying Cetagandan social customs. After the coup plot is stopped and the funeral of the Empress is over, she accepts Vorob'yev's proposal of marriage. (C)
McIntyre:
No first name given. A doctor on the Betan survey team, he is also known as Mac. One of Cordelia's crew that rescues her from the General Vorkraft, he tells her Koudelka was the Barrayaran hit by nerve disruptor fire on Sergyar. (SH)
Medical hand scanner:
A portable device used to scan for injuries of bones and soft tissues, and also to detect physical abnormalities in a subject. Miles was going to equip his Dendarii mercenaries with medical scanners to try to catch Mark, until he realized they both had artificial bone replacement in their legs, making them practically identical again. (BA)
Medical stunner:
Used for pain relief and local anesthetic during medical procedures. Miles has a Dendarii doctor numb his broken hand after he gets out of the prison camp on Dagoola IV. (BI)
Mehta:
No first name given. A doctor with the Betan Expeditionary Force Medical Service, she is a slim, tan-skinned woman about Cordelia's age with drawn-back dark hair, and is dressed in a blue uniform. She uses drugs without Cordelia's knowledge to try and get her to talk about her captivity with the Barrayarans. When she advises that Cordelia undergo long-term therapy, Cordelia attacks and subdues her during her escape. (SH)
Memory chip implant:
Simon Illyan's cybernetic eidetic memory chip is the only mention of brain/computer interaction, other than jump-pilot interfaces and feelie-dreams, in the Vorkosigan Saga. The chip, placed between the hemispheres of the brain, is a multilayer sandwich of organic and inorganic components from which thousands of connections go out to various points in the brain itself. Sensory signals for sight and sound pass into and out of the chip, and can give eidetic replay of memories on demand. The chip causes a high rate of schizophrenia in its recipients, with Simon being one of the notable, rare exceptions. His chip is sabotaged by a Komarran bioweapon administered by General Lucas Haroche, causing it to randomly dump stored memories into Simon's brain, creating debilitating hallucinations. It is removed, leaving him perfectly functional, although it necessitates his retirement from Imperial Security. (All except CC, DD, DI, FF)
Mendez:
No first name given. A middle-aged, competent police lieutenant in Rio de Janiero's homicide bureau that is investigating the attempted murder of Anias Ruey. He accompanies her to Doctor Bianca's house, standing by while she gets the feelie-dream back. (DD)
Metropolitan Station:
One of the few orbital arcologies in the Union of Free Habitats that maintains gravity and deals with galactics. (DI)
Metzov, Stanis:
A general in the Barrayaran military, he is the commander of Lazkowski Base on Kyril Island when Miles first meets him. A career officer with thirty-five years in service, he is a tall, hard-bodied man with iron-gray hair and iron-hard eyes. Because of his actions in trying to put down the technicians' insubordination during the fetaine spill incident, he is discharged from the military and turns up near Vervain, working with Cavilo as part of Randall's Rangers. He tries to murder Miles twice, once by shooting him as he is about to board the Triumph, and again in Admiral Oser's former quarters. He is killed by Cavilo before he can get his revenge. (VG)
Millifenigs:
The currency of Felice, which government representatives try to use to pay Miles's mercenary contract. Delisted from the Betan Exchange, the slick, colorful bills are practically worthless on the open market, but Miles considers using them as wallpaper for Vorkosgian House. When the Tau Verde IV war is over, Miles checks the exchange rate to find them listed at 1,206 millifenigs to the Betan dollar. (WA)
Millisor, Ruyst:
A Cetagandan ghem-colonel and counter-intelligence agent, he is an average-looking man with a hard body and eyes like gray chips of granite. He has tracked Terrence Cee across the galaxy, and gets permission from haut-lady Rian Degtiar to pursue him to Jackson's Whole. The trail leads him to Kline Station and the order of modified ovarian cultures that was supposed to be shipped to Athos from House Bharaputra genetics company. His cover on the station is ghem-lord Harman Dal, an art and artifacts dealer. He captures and interrogates Ethan Urquhart, then orders the doctor killed when he yields no useful information. His Cetagandan clan face paint is brilliant blue with yellow, white, and black swirls. After he takes Teki hostage, his room is breached by Biocontrol Warden Helga, and he is arrested after attacking her. Freed by one of his men, he captures Terrence, Ethan, and Elli, and is about to kill the latter two and take Terrence back to the Empire when he is killed by a plasma bolt from the Bharaputran assassins sent to kill him and recover the money the baron paid to Elli Quinn to kill him. (C, EA)
Minchenko, Ivy:
Doctor Minchenko's wife. A frail, silver-haired woman who was a musician on Earth, she loathes Rodeo, in the words of her husband. She plays harpsichord and violin, and begins teaching Silver the latter instrument while waiting for the rescue team to bring Tony back to the shuttle. (FF)
Minchenko Station:
One of the few orbital arcologies in the Union of Free Habitats that maintains gravity and deals with galactics. (DI)
Minchenko, Warren:
The medical/fertility doctor for the Cay Project. Nearing mandatory retirement age, he is old and shrunken, with a leathery face and white hair, but is still vigorous and commanding, and is a reassuring authority figure for the quaddies. He thought he should have been put in charge of the Cay Habitat after Doctor Cay's death. Refusing to evacuate with the rest of the Habitat personnel, he accompanies the fleeing quaddies through the wormhole to freedom. (FF)
Minister of the West:
A title of one of the members of the Council of Ministers on Barrayar. (SH)
Ministry of Political Education:
The official name of the Barrayaran secret police. Aral killed the Political Officer, from the Ministry's military branch, aboard his ship during the Komarr campaign when the man countermanded a direct order and instigated the Solstice Massacre, impugning Aral's honor. The Ministry is dismantled and its headquarters destroyed during Ezar's governmental purge following the war with Escobar. (SH)
Mirror dance:
A Barrayaran dance in which one partner must copy the moves of the other partner as accurately as possible, even down to facial expressions. Either partner can lead, as Cordelia finds out when she tries dancing it with Aral. (B, MD, SH)
Missile:
Not used as a major element in space battles due to the effectiveness of defensive force screens. The one exception is when a sacrifice ship lays down a "sun wall" of nuclear-tipped missilettes deployed as a single unit, creating a planar wave that clears the detonation space of everything, often including the ship that created the wall. (VG)
Moglia:
No first name given. The chief of security at Ryoval Biological Laboratories. Miles interrogates him using fast-penta just before being captured by Ryoval security. Moglia tries to recapture Miles and the rest of his team, holding Miles hostage, but Taura violently convinces him to let them go. (L)
Mok:
No surname given. One of two guards Ser Galen used to discipline Mark during his training to impersonate Miles. (MD)
Molino:
No first name given. Middle-aged and dyspeptic-looking, he is the senior cargomaster of the Komarran trade fleet being held at Graf Station. Responsible for the safe passage of the fleet on its route, the incidents at the Union of Free Habitats are giving him quite a headache. When Lieutenant Solian disappears, he tries to get Admiral Vorpatril to order the fleet to disembark for their next destination, but is overruled. He complains about the station personnel trying to fine the Komarran fleet for the Barrayarans' actions, which Miles dismisses. (DI)
Monorail:
A form of land transportation using a series of linked cars mounted either above or below a central rail system. Some long-distance public transportation on Barrayar and Komarr is done by monorail. (B, K)
Moon Garden Hall:
A domed area on Eta Ceta IV, like a smaller version of the Cetagandan Celestial Garden, but not as lush and ornate. It is roughly three hundred meters in diameter, covering steeply sloping ground, with natural paths leading through the hall. The 149th Annual Bioestheties Exhibition, Class A is held there, dedicated by the ghem-ladies to the memory of the Dowager Empress. Miles sets up a meeting in the hall with Rian Degtiar's servant, but cannot keep it due to meeting Lord Yenaro at his exhibit of perfumed cloth, and thwarting his inadvertent assassination attempt on Miles and Ivan. (C)
Morita Station:
A project that Leo Graf and Bruce Van Atta had both worked on twelve years before their reunion at the Cay Project Habitat. Leo had kicked Bruce into administration to get him out from underfoot during it. (FF)
Mosquitoes:
After a global war, many Earth animals were genetically altered. These new mosquitoes are about five inches long, with powerful venom that would only take a few stings to kill a human. Chalmys traps Carlos Diaz in the forest using a force screen, and questions him about the commissioned feelie-dream while the mosquitoes attack him. (DD)
Mount Sencele:
The mountain where Barrayaran Imperial officer candidates undergo a 100-kilometer endurance march as part of their elimination testing. (WA)
Mourning uniform:
A dress uniform worn by members of the Barrayaran military or Vor Houses when attending an appropriate function. It is like the standard dress uniform, but with the logos and rank insignia stitched in black silk on black cloth. Miles wears his at several functions on Eta Ceta IV. (C)
Mu Ceta:
One of the eight satrapy planets in the Cetagandan Empire. Its forces were defeated when they tried to take Vervain to control the wormhole that connects the Empire to the Hegen Hub. The governor of Mu Ceta is from the Degtiar constellation. He is the present Emperor's half uncle, and much older, although he has been governor for just two years. (C)
Munos:
No first name given. A big man, he is a sergeant in Escobaran law enforcement who assists Gustioz in arresting Doctor Borgos. He is also involved in the bug butter fight. (CC)
Murka:
No first name given. A tall ensign in the Dendarii Free Mercenary fleet, he accompanies Miles to Ryoval's laboratory on Jackson's Whole to try to find Taura. He and the other two Dendarii men are caught while infiltrating the laboratory, but he bluffs his way out, leaving Miles alone inside. Promoted to lieutenant, he is also part of the prisoner rescue on Dagoola IV, and is standing next to Miles when killed by a Cetagandan sniper. Miles pulls his head off while trying to retrieve his command headset, an act that gives him nightmares later. (BI, L)
Mynova:
No first name given. A female trainee on the Ariel, she asks about the pay schedule for the Dendarii mercenaries, inadvertently giving Miles yet another headache to deal with for his "fake" mercenary company. (WA)
Nadina:
No first name given. The haut-lady consort to Ilsum Kety, she is an older, silver-haired woman. She knows about the plan to send copies of the Star Crèche to the eight governors, but not about Kety's plot to take over the Empire, and is held prisoner when she goes to retrieve Kety's copy of the genebank. Her long hair is cut by Miles as a necessary sacrifice during her rescue. (C)
Naismith, Cordelia:
See Vorkosigan, (Naismith) Cordelia
Naismith, Elizabeth:
Cordelia's mother, she is a Betan bioengineer, and the co-author of the article "On an Improvement in Permeability of Exchange Membranes in the Uterine Replicator" in the issue of The Betan Journal of Reproductive Medicine read by Ethan Urquhart. When Miles and Elena visit her on Beta Colony, she is nearly ninety years old, but still as spry and smart as ever. She asks Miles to help her friend Mr. Hathaway with Baz Jesek, helps Miles manipulate Bothari into letting Elena go on the trip to Tau Verde IV, and also takes in Elli Quinn during her reconstructive facial surgery. When Kareen Koudelka goes to school at Beta Colony, she calls Elizabeth "Gran Tante," and both she and Mark grow close to her during their stay. When Commodore Koudelka finds out what Mark and Kareen have been up to there, he angrily refers to her as a "damn Betan pimp." (CC, EA, WA)
Naru:
No first name given. A Cetagandan ghem-general, he is third-in-command in Imperial Security on Eta Ceta IV. He is working with Ilsum Kety to overthrow the Emperor, and comes to Kety's flagship to assist with reproducing copies of the Great Key. After the plot fails, he will be executed for his attempted treason against the Empire. (C)
Natochini:
No first name given. A commander in the Barrayaran military, he is the executive officer of the Prince Serg, and escorts Clive Chodak and Ky Tung on a tour of the ship. (VG)
Navarr, Pel:
The haut-consort of Eta Ceta IV, she is dressed in white, with blond, elaborately braided hair. She takes Miles in her float chair to the Star Crèche, to meet with Rian and the six other haut-consorts to the satrapy governors. She helps Miles to recover the Great Key and rescue the haut-consort Nadina. Miles uses her float chair to broadcast the data in the Great Key and to protect the Key inside until they can be saved by Ivan and ghem- colonel Benin. She attends Gregor's wedding. She helps save Miles's life after he is infected with the bioengineered parasites on Graf Station. (C, CC, DI)
Necklin field generator rod:
The system that generates the warp field used for wormhole jumps. The two rods are placed opposite each other on the sides of the ship. The rods generate the field that twists the spacecraft through the wormhole, also known as five-space. At the end of each rod is a vortex mirror that helps stabilize and guide the field. The rods and their associated vortex mirrors are inside protective hull structures, often as separate cylinders that are an integrated part of the ship's fuselage. (All)
Needle gun:
A weapon that fires dozens of tiny metal needles that expand on impact and tear through a target's body like razors, causing immense, usually fatal damage. There is also a larger, needle grenade version, capable of injuring multiple targets, or causing extensive damage to one person, as happened to Miles when he was shot in the chest with one. The range is undefined, and it is not stated how effective body armor is against one, as Miles wasn't wearing any when he was killed. (All)
Needle ray pistol:
A small, concealable energy pistol. Carlos Diaz pulls one on Chalmys DuBauer when he is trapped outside the energy screen, but he can't use it, owing to some kind of magnetic resonance from the force screen that would overload the pistol's power pack and make it explode. (DD)
Negri:
No first name given. A hard-faced, hard-bodied, bullet-headed man. Although he holds the rank of captain in Barrayaran Imperial Security, he is actually the head of Emperor Ezar Vorbarra's personal security. While he wields tremendous power, he is completely loyal to the Emperor, and is known as his familiar. He plotted with Ezar and Aral to let Prince Serg get killed in the battle with Escobar, preventing Barrayar from being ruled by an insane deviant. He dies while saving young Prince Gregor from Count Vordarian's coup attempt, bringing him to Vorkosigan House before succumbing to his wounds. He is succeeded by Simon Illyan. (B, SH)
Nelson:
A security guard at Shuttleport Three on Rodeo. (FF)
Nerve disruptor:
An energy-based beam weapon that destroys nerve cells, it fires a central beam with a surrounding nimbus. A hit to the head usually results in death. A partial hit may just destroy part of the brain, leaving the victim alive but with major cognitive damage. A direct hit to the body may destroy sensory and control nerves, which may be replaced by artificial systems. A partial hit to the body may cause permanent loss of sensation and/or control to the affected area. In a near-miss, the nimbus may just give a tingling or fried feeling to the affected area, leaving a twitchiness that a victim may recover from. Ensign Dubauer suffers a hit to the head from a nerve disruptor that leaves him a conscious vegetable, unable to communicate or perform anything but basic tasks, like walking or eating. While taking the General Vorkraft back from mutineers, Cordelia is hit by the nimbus of a disruptor shot that leaves a patch of muscle on her leg permanently numb. Clement Koudelka is hit by a disruptor as well, necessitating the replacement of some of his nerves with artificial networks. A nerve disruptor's range is undefined, but is at least line of sight. Effective defenses include space armor, a half-armor suit with a built-in nerve disruptor/stunner shield net, or another body, as Cordelia uses when she takes the engineering section of the General Vorkraft from the mutineers. (All)
Nest of Doom:
A video fiction involving space marines and aliens that Siggy mentions as a possible plan to hijack the shuttle. Silver negates the idea. (FF)
Neuve:
No first name given. A sergeant in the Barrayaran military, he is part of the maintenance detail at Lazkowski Base. Miles is to report to him to oversee basic labor detail as part of his punishment for damaging a remote weather station to save his life. (VG)
Nevatta, Grace:
One of Gras-Grace's fake identities, listing her as a citizen of Jackson's Whole. (DI)
Nevic:
An ally of Ilsum Kety, he is a Cetagandan ghem-lord who pressed a theft charge on Lord Yenaro. (C)
Newt:
A genetically engineered animal that keeps the oxygen-giving algae in check on Kline Station. Also a primary food source on the station, everyone there is very sick of eating it. It has been made into every recipe imaginable, including newt nuggets. Quinn and Ethan Urquhart swap one hundred kilograms of newts with Okita's body to smuggle it into the waste disposal area of the station. (EA)
Nicol:
No surname given. A quaddie, she has ivory skin, blue eyes, and short, clipped ebony hair. She plays a double-sided hammered dulcimer at the party on House Fell's space station. Tricked into an onerous contract, she wants to hire the Dendarii to smuggle her out of Jackson's Whole. Smitten, Bel Thorne takes the job for one Betan dollar, and they get her out alive. When Miles travels to Graf Station, he finds her living with Bel Thorne, and working as a musician with the Minchenko Memorial Troupe. She is a friend of Garnet Five. (DI, L)
Niels:
No first name given. A Barrayaran soldier who fought in the Escobar war, he thinks Aral Vorkosigan is the most cold-blooded bastard he ever met. Carl and Evon Vorhalas refer to him while discussing Aral at the Regent's confirmation ceremony. (B)
Nilesa:
No first name given. A yeoman in the Barrayaran military, he is the camp cook on the survey planet later known as Sergyar. Not held in high esteem by the other men. Cordelia compliments him on his cooking, which improves his demeanor considerably. He repays her kindness by helping her during the mutiny aboard the General Vorkraft. (SH)
Nim:
No first name given. A sergeant in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, Miles assigns him as back-up during the chase and escape with Mark, Ivan, and Duv Galeni at the Thames Tidal Barrier. (BA)
Ninjas of the Twin Stars:
Title of a video fiction enjoyed by some of the quaddies and Ti. (FF)
Norris:
No first name given. He is the operations manager for GalacTech in Rodeo's local space, but is attending a materials development conference on Earth during the quaddie revolt, which leaves Administrator Chalopin officially in charge. (FF)
Norwood:
No first name given. A medic in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he prepped Trooper Philippi's body for cryo-stasis, and refuses to remove it from the chamber when Miles is killed. He helps Elli Quinn prep Miles's body, then ships the entire cryo-chamber to the Durona Clinic. Unfortunately, he is killed shortly thereafter, before he can report exactly what he had done to his superior officer. (MD)
Nout:
No first name given. One of the Ariel's crewmen. Miles puts him in charge of securing the worthless Felician millifenigs. On Jackson's Whole, he has been promoted to corporal, and lets Nicol in to see Miles and Bel Thorne. He also participates in the prisoner rescue on Dagoola IV. (BI, L, WA)
Nuovo Brasilian Military cloning fiasco:
Referred to by Bruce Van Atta in reference to the quaddie program on Cay Habitat. Although not clearly defined, the incident led to a general hysteria and mistrust of many planets regarding genetic manipulation on sentient creatures. (FF)
Oil cakes:
A Barrayaran breakfast dish. (MM)
Okita:
No first name given. One of Millisor's men, he is average-looking, but with dense muscles. He is to kill Ethan after the interrogation by Colonel Millisor and make it look like an accident. Quinn kills him while saving Ethan, ironically in the same fashion that Okita intended to kill Ethan, by pitching him over a catwalk to the floor. (EA)
Ola Three:
One of the Cetagandan satrapy planets, it is near a wormhole to Vega Station. (MD)
Oliver:
No first name given. A burly sergeant in the 14th Commandos, he was captured at Fallow Core, and has spent his time caring for the catatonic General Guy Tremont. He tells Miles that Fallow Core wasn't taken on October 6th, it was betrayed on October 5th. He helps Miles organize the prisoners, and agrees to serve in the new Marilac Army. (BI)
Olney:
No first name given. A corporal of the motor pool at Lazkowski Base, he is tall with black hair and a Greek accent. One of two men who played a dangerous prank on Miles. As punishment he was assigned to clean the recovered scat-cat, then assist Miles and Pattas in cleaning out various drains around the base. (VG)
Olshansky:
No first name given. A colonel in the Barrayaran military, he is the first Head of Domestic Affairs for the planet Sergyar. (M)
120-Day War:
The term used by Escobarans referring to the brief war between Barrayar and their planet. (SH)
Orb of Unearthly Delights, The:
A pleasure dome on Beta Colony. Its services are not quite as wide-ranging as Jackson's Whole, but varied enough to entertain a broad spectrum of guests. Commodore Koudelka is very upset when Doctor Borgos mentions that Mark and Kareen visited the Orb. Miles and Ekaterin also visit the Orb during their stay at Beta Colony during their honeymoon. (CC, DI)
Orbital solar mirrors:
A large array of enormous solar mirrors above Komarr to reflect extra sunshine onto the planet's surface. The increase in solar flux to Komarr's surface is increased by an undefined percentage, adequate to help warm the planet and foster plant growth over a period of centuries. The orbital location of the array is not specified (though it sets after sunset) but seems not to be in Komarran orbit nor as far away as the L5 stable orbit point. The station-keeping method is not specified. (K)
Orient IV:
The planet with whose government GalacTech had entered into a ninety-nine-year lease on Rodeo. When rich mineral deposits were discovered thirty years later, the Orient IV government initiated stricter taxes and other economic penalties to drive GalacTech off-planet and take it back. (FF)
Orient Station:
A space station owned by the government of Orient IV. GalacTech leases about one-quarter of it from them while working on Rodeo and the Cay Habitat Project. (FF)
Oser, Yuan:
Admiral and the commanding officer of the Oseran Free Mercenary Fleet, he has graying hair, a beak-like nose, and a penetrating stare. Miles describes him as having a look that makes junior officers search their consciences. He loses Ky Tung to the Dendarii when he chews him out over losing the Triumph in battle and denies him another command. When Miles breaks the blockade of the wormhole and puts the Oseran mercenaries at odds with their employer over nonpayment of salary, Oser offers to join the Dendarii Mercenaries.
When Miles rejoins the Dendarii four years later, Oser has taken over the Dendarii from Baz Jesek in a bloodless financial reorganization coup and renamed them the Oseran Mercenaries. After capturing Miles, he orders him killed, but then has to work with him against the Cetagandans. When Miles can't convince him to fight, Elena injects him with fast-penta, and they lock him up before the upcoming battle. During combat, he escapes the brig and tries to flee with a few others to the Peregrine, but his shuttle is destroyed by the Cetagandans. (VG, WA)
Oseran Free Mercenary Fleet:
A mercenary group under contract with the "legal" government of Pelias on Tau Verde IV to blockade the wormhole near their planet and search all inbound cargo ships for contraband. After Miles defeats them and breaks the blockade by interrupting the payroll between Pelias and the mercenaries, their leader, Admiral Yuan Oser, offers the rest of his force to the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. (WA)
Other:
Another name for Mark's sub-personality Killer, it comes out to kill Baron Ryoval. (MD)
Outlands:
An area on Athos with no rules, and inhabited by "outlaws," men who have turned their backs on regular society. Janos, Ethan's former partner, goes there to live while Ethan is on his mission to Jackson's Whole. (EA)
Ovarian tissue cultures:
Used to populate Athos with exclusively male citizens. Genetic designations of the various lines include CJB, JJY, LMS, EEH, and others, with a number following the three letters. Doctor Ethan Urquhart is a CJB-8. The initials CJB stand for Cynthia Jane Baruch, a doctor who was hired to create Athos's ovarian cultures, and who used her own genetic material to help start the planet's population. Elli Quinn donates one of her ovaries to the planet, which will be designated EQ-1. (EA)
Overholt:
No first name given. A sergeant in Barrayaran Imperial Security, he is a very large man who escorts Miles home after the Laskowski Base incident. Miles dubs him Overkill. Assigned as Miles's bodyguard during the Hegen Hub mission. They are separated when Miles is captured by Jacksonian Consortium security, and when they are reunited, he's assigned to guard Emperor Gregor until Gregor is safely under Barrayaran protection again. (VG)
Padget:
No first name given. A member of the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he is the jump pilot of the Ariel and pilots the craft while Miles talks to Baron Ryoval as they leave Jackson's Whole. (L)
Parchment:
A rare paper used on Barrayar for three types of messages: Imperial edicts, official edicts from the Council of Counts and the Council of Ministers, and orders from the Council of Counts to their own members. This last group is tied with a particular color of ribbon to denote what type of order it contains. Miles figures out that the order delivered to Captain Dimir to arrest him was tied with a black ribbon, and through that backtracks to the plot to destroy his father by charging him with the violation of Vorloupulous's Law against raising a private army. (WA)
Parnell:
No first name given. The pilot officer of Cordelia's bulk freighter during her decoy run against the Barrayan patrol blockading the wormhole to Escobar. (SH)
Pattas:
No first name given. A technician in the Barrayaran military, he works in the motor pool at Lazkowski Base. One of two men who played a dangerous prank on Miles. As punishment, he was assigned to clean the recovered scat-cat, then assist Miles and Olney in cleaning out various drains around the base. (VG)
Patty:
A pregnant quaddie who was scheduled to have her baby terminated, she hides in the Clubhouse instead. (FF)
Pearson:
No first name given. An engineer in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he is promoted to Fleet Engineer as Baz Jesek's replacement, per his recommendation. (M)
Peat bog:
A successful introduction to the Komarran ecology during its terraforming. The bioengineered strain there gives off six times more oxygen than its Earth counterpart. Miles, Ekaterin, Etienne, Vorthys, Venier, and Nikolai all see it while on a tour of the region around Serifosa. (K)
Pel:
No first name given. A prisoner at the camp on Dagoola IV who assists in the Dendarii rescue mission. (BI)
People's Defense League:
A Barrayaran political splinter group that wants to get rid of the aristocracy, by assassination if necessary. Aral suggests eliminating their platform by making everyone on Barrayar a Vor. (SH)
Peregrine:
A ship in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet whose captain is arrested when he fails to join Miles against the Cetagandan attack on Vervain. The captain and Admiral Oser were trying to reach this ship when their shuttle is destroyed by the Cetagandans during the battle. (VG)
Peritaint:
An artificial poison or biological weapon created by the Durona Research Group for House Fell, which made money selling it, then made even more by selling the antidote. (MD)
Peruvian Moral League:
A citizens' group that condemned Anias Ruey's feelie-dream, Triad, boosting its sales. (DD)
Philip:
No surname given. He heads the Microbial Reclassification Department at the Serifosa branch of the Komarr Terraforming Project. He tracks natural and mutated bacteria, but wants to introduce higher organisms to help stabilize the planet's environment. (K)
Phillipi:
No first name given. An air-bike trooper in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, she dies during the clone raid on Jackson's Whole, but her body is frozen in cryo-stasis. She is dumped by Elli so Miles can be saved, permanently killing her. (MD)
Pitt:
No first name given. Leader of a small group of about fifteen men in the prison camp on Dagoola IV, he and four others beat up Miles upon his arrival, taking everything he has. Pitt has committed other crimes, including rape and murder, but no one is able to hold him accountable. Miles achieves both revenge and a strategic distraction when he falsely accuses him of being a Cetagandan spy, carving the title on his back with a broken water cup. The other prisoners beat him to death. (BI)
Pitt's lieutenant:
A Marilacan, no name given. He acts as Pitt's second-in-command at the Dagoola prison camp and attempts to kill Miles after Pitt's death. Miles shows him mercy and he ends up being rescued along with the others. (BI)
Plasma arc:
A standard military energy-beam weapon, suitable for melting and/or burning. Personal versions range from pistol and rifle-size weapons, powered by self-contained power packs, to large, portable plasma arc systems that can damage vehicles and ships from thousands of meters away. A plasma arc power pack can also be jury-rigged to overload, creating a crude explosive device, as Aral does on Sergyar to start a fire. A wound from a plasma arc can be devastating, like what Elli Quinn suffers during the Tau Verde IV campaign, when a plasma arc shot burns off her face. (All except FF)
Plasma cannon:
A ship-to-ship version of the plasma arc, it is immensely more powerful, with a range of several thousand kilometers. Miles places one in the corridor of the Ariel to neutralize Cavilo's holding Gregor as a hostage. (VG)
Plasma mirror field:
A ship-mounted plasma mirror field that absorbs and reflects an incoming beam, sending it back to hit the attacking vessel. It allows a shuttle to take on a warship and defeat it, as the Escobarans did to the Barrayaran navy during the 120-Day War. (SH)
Plasma mirror field pack:
A self-powered, personal deflection energy field capable of absorbing approximately thirty to forty hits before burning out. During the clone rescue mission on Jackson's Whole, Mark uses his plasma mirror field pack to shield Elli during the extraction. (B, MD)
Plause:
No first name given. An ensign in Miles's class, he is assigned to languages school to learn galactic languages since he already speaks all four native Barrayaran ones perfectly. (VG)
Plumbing:
Frictionless (waterless) or sonic toilets are found in self-contained settings, such as space habitats. In lower-tech settings or in planetary facilities, traditional water-based plumbing is still used, with accompanying pipes and potential drain problems, as occurred when Doctor Borgos tried to dispose of forty kilograms of bug butter by washing it down the sink. Bathing facilities range from historic bathtubs, such as the one in Vorkosigan House where Ivan dunks Miles to snap him out of his depression, to traditional water showers and sonic showers, which use sound waves to remove dead cells and dirt. (All)
Pol:
A neighboring planet of Barrayar, it connects that planet to the Hegen Hub by way of the Komarr nexus. A republic, it joins the Hegen Hub Alliance after the Vervain conflict. (VG)
Pol Station Six:
A jump-point station between Pol and the Hegen Hub. Miles goes there in his Victor Rotha disguise to gather intelligence on the various ship buildups near the Hegen Hub. (VG)
Population Council:
The organization responsible for ensuring safe reproductive ability for Athos's all-male population. They accepted the lowest bid for a new batch of ovarian material from L. Bharaputra & Sons, and received a shipment of nonviable tissue cultures. Their solution is to send Ethan Urquhart into the galaxy to acquire viable cultures. (EA)
Portobello Pharmaceutical Company:
The large company that both Doctor and Mrs. Bianca work in and own. (DD)
Power armor:
A self-contained combat suit used in ship-to-ship boarding and combat in space or other hostile environments. Each armored suit augments the user's physical strength, contains its own power, environmental, and weapons systems, is impervious to stunner and nerve disruptor fire, and can withstand plasma arc fire for a short time. A suit is also capable of being remote-piloted from a central command. Miles and Auson tap into the Oseran suits during the assault on the refinery at Tau Verde IV, programming error codes into the enemy suits to sabotage them. Later during that same campaign, Miles finds one that will fit him, but is rendered incapable of using it by his ulcer. (WA)
Pramod:
A quaddie at the Cay Habitat, he is a striking boy with aquiline nose, brilliant black eyes, wiry muscles, and dark mahogany skin. One of the quickest learners in the engineering class, he is instrumental in helping Leo create the new vortex mirror for their cargo ship. (FF)
Prince Serg:
A new Imperial Cruiser and the most powerful ship in the Barrayaran fleet. If Miles can survive six months at Lazkowski Base, he will be transferred to it. The dreadnought reinforces the Dendarii forces in the fight against the Cetagandans at Vervain. Its gravitic imploder lances have three times the range of the Cetagandan ones. (VG)
Princess Olivia:
An unarmed ship that was hijacked using Lord Vorbataille's yacht. All of the passengers aboard were killed. (WG)
Prisoner of Zenda, The:
A video that Siggy brings to the rest of the quaddies. (FF)
Projector:
A cloaking device Stuben and Lai use to hide their Betan Survey ship from the General Vorkraft's sensors and rescue Cordelia. Later, an improved version is used to project the image of a Betan warship to lure the Barrayaran vessels away from guarding the wormhole so supply ships can reach Escobar. (SH)
Prole:
A slang term, shortened from the word "proletariat," used by the Vor to refer to anyone that isn't in their class. (CC)
Ptarmigan:
No first name given. A lieutenant and shuttle pilot in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he takes all orbit-to-surface flights at combat-drop speed. (BA)
Pym:
No first name given. A retired sergeant in the Barrayaran military, he is an armsman to Aral Vorkosigan, and Bothari's replacement. A tall, habitually fit man graying at the temples, he is always dressed in the brown and silver house uniform. He served twenty years in the Imperial Guard, meeting his wife while on security duty at Vorhartung Castle. Afterward he joined the House Vorkosigan staff, aided by a recommendation from Simon Illyan. He accompanies Miles to solve the infanticide case at Silvy Vale. He escorts Mark and Elena in Vorbarr Sultana to protect Mark after Ivan failed to keep him out of trouble. He also tries to help Miles in his pursuit of Ekaterin, and also feeds information about Mark to Kareen after their forced separation. He is highly insulted by Doctor Borgos's genetic modification of his butter bugs with the Vorkosigan family crest. During Miles's wedding and celebration afterward, he feels so bad about missing the toxic pearls that he gives Roic time off with double holiday pay while he works the night shift. (CC, MD, MM, WG)
Pym, Miss:
No first name given. A daughter of Armsman Pym, she is Ekaterin's personal maid, and is sent to Barrayar while Miles and Ekaterin go to Graf Station. (DI)
Quaddie:
An unofficial nickname for the bioengineered workers on the Cay Project. They are genetically engineered humans with a second set of arms and hands instead of legs and feet. They are literally owned by GalacTech, which tries to dump them on Rodeo when the Cay Project is shut down. Doctor Cay dubbed them Homo quadrimanus. Bruce Van Atta refers to them by the derogatory nickname "chimps." They prefer living in zero-gee, but can move about in artificial gravity with the help of float chairs. After Leo Graf leads the first group to freedom, they establish the Union of Free Habitats in an asteroid belt, and grow to a population of more than a million. Miles meets several during his adventures, including Nicol, a quaddie musician, and Garnet Five, a zero-gee ballet dancer. (DI, FF)
Quaddie approved fiction:
Video fiction approved for the quaddies' viewing by GalacTech personnel. As seen by the titles (The Little Compressor That Could, Bobby BX-99 Solves the Excess Humidity Mystery, Bobby BX-99 and the Plant Virus), they are educational in nature. The quaddies pass them up in favor of more escapist fare. (FF)
Quartz:
A Betan city, of which Cordelia says the president can "put on falsies and go woo the hermaphrodite vote" there before she'd become a government representative. (SH)
Quinn, Elli:
A mercenary in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, she begins as a recruit-trainee, and ends up as admiral in command of the entire organization. Slim but curvy, she has short-cropped, dark, curly hair, a fine, chiseled nose, large eyes, and white skin. Her face was burned off by a plasma arc blast at Tau Verde IV, but Miles paid for reconstructive surgery on Beta Colony.
She was born and raised on Kline Station. Miles sends her there to find out what Colonel Millisor is chasing after, a task she covers by also accepting a contract to eliminate him from House Bharaputra. It is her first intelligence assignment, and while she succeeds in her primary mission, she is unable to convince Terrence Cee to join the Dendarii mercenaries. She donates one of her ovaries to Athos to be the start of a new genetic line: EQ-1.
During the prisoner rescue at Dagoola, she infiltrates the Cetagandan forces, posing as part of the prisoner observation teams. She is one of only three people outside Barrayar who know Miles's true identity, and often serves as his bodyguard. She and Miles fall in love, but she turns down his marriage offer, preferring a mainly physical relationship with Miles in his Admiral Naismith persona rather than the hopeless complications of marrying Lord Vorkosigan. During the incident at the Thames Tidal Barrier she is stunned unconscious, and must be rescued by Miles and Ivan.
She leads the rescue mission for Mark on Jackson's Whole, and almost scuttles the deal to get Miles's cryo-chamber from Baron Bharaputra by threatening him with multi-planet retaliation if the chamber isn't returned. She also accompanies Mark on the trip to the Durona complex to recover Miles, and goes into Ryoval's secret laboratory to find him.
After Elena and Baz resign from the Dendarii, she is promoted to commodore and fleet-second in Baz's place by Miles. However, he also alienates her when he gets his new orders to return to Barrayar, first by not revealing his seizures to Imperial Security, and second by choosing Sergeant Taura to escort him to Tau Ceti. She is very upset at Miles's deception of Simon Illyan, and the increasing uncertainty of their relationship.
When she does see Miles again, he offers her the choice of becoming his wife and joining him on Barrayar, or becoming the admiral of the Dendarii. She chooses the promotion, but asks him to join her instead, and leave Barrayar behind. Miles regretfully declines, accepting his role as Lord Vorkosigan and Imperial Auditor. She is unable to attend Miles's wedding, and a pearl choker arrives supposedly as a wedding gift from her, but she had already sent a living fur along with a naughty limerick. The jewelry is actually an assassination attempt by another party using a neurotoxin to kill Ekaterin and destroy Miles, but the plot is stopped before it can succeed. (BA, BI, CC, EA, M, MD, WA)
Quintillan:
The Minister of the Interior on Barrayar, he works with Aral Vorkosigan. One of the men Aral suggests to be the Regent of Barrayar until Gregor comes of age to rule, he is not a serious candidate because he is not Vor. Two decades later, Aral Vorkosigan is ready to give him the Prime Minister position, but he died in a lightflyer accident before it could be arranged. (MD, SH, WA)
Racozy:
No first name given. Cordelia tells Simon he is one of three men that could replace Aral as Prime Minister. Racozy assumes the position when Aral retires. (MD)
Radials:
A class of animal that lives on Sergyar. One is an aerial, gas-filled jellyfish that lands on the hexapeds and takes blood from them with tendril-like appendages tipped in poison. Others are little, round, underground creatures that move on cilia-like legs. One of the "vampire balloons," as Aral describes them, attacks Dubauer during the trek to the supply cache. (SH)
Radnov:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he is Aral's political officer on the General Vorkraft, and leads a mutiny while Aral is on the survey planet, later named Sergyar. He escapes capture when Aral returns to the on-planet base, and is brought back to the ship by the crew of the Rene Magritte when they rescue Cordelia. He and his men take over the engineering section, and threaten to turn off life-support unless Aral and his officers surrender. Cordelia stuns him and his co-conspirators with help from Nilesa and Tafas. (SH)
Radovas, Barto:
A five-space math engineer, he was hired by Administrator Soudha as part of the terraforming project on Komarr, although he is actually involved in the plan to close the wormhole to Barrayar. After his disappearance, rumors spread that he ran off with Marie Trogir, even though he was married and had three children. He turns up dead in the Soletta Station wreckage, even though he wasn't supposed to be up there. He and his wife are a part of the jump-point plot, and his death was actually part of the Soletta accident, when one of their experiments with the wormhole-closure device caused an ore ship to crash into the mirror array. (K)
Radovas, Mrs.:
No first name given. The widow of Barto Radovas, she is in her late fifties, although she appears fifteen years younger, and is slender and well dressed. When notified of her husband's death, she feigns ignorance of what he was doing, and would have been a penniless widow if not for Miles ordering that she receive survivor's benefits even though Radovas resigned his post five days before dying. She is a leader of the jump-point plot, which Miles discovers just before his capture at the Waste Heat experiment station. During the standoff on the jump station, it is her deciding vote that induces the conspirators to surrender and release their hostages. (K)
Randall's Rangers:
A mercenary group hired by Vervain for protection, unaware that the group's commander, Cavilo, plans to use the mercenaries to rob the planet after letting the Cetagandans into Vervain space. Cavilo changes the uniforms to black and tan after she has Randall murdered. (VG)
Rappelling harness:
A climbing tool consisting of a self-powered spool of drop-wire with retractable handles, a ribbon harness for the user, and a gravitic grappling hook that will attach to just about any surface. Miles uses it several times at the Thames Tidal Barrier on Earth. (BA)
Rathjens:
No first name given. A general in Barrayaran Imperial Security, he is the chief of Imperial Security on Komarr, and is middle-aged, alert, and busy. He dresses in Komarran civilian wear instead of his Barrayaran uniform. Miles calls him at his office in Solstice to discuss the identification of the unknown body found in the solar-array wreckage. (K)
Rau:
No first name given. A Cetagandan ghem-captain working with Colonel Millisor at Kline Station, he kidnaps Ethan Urquhart and brings him to the colonel for interrogation. He is so average- looking Ethan has a hard time remembering his face even when Rau is right in front of him. When dressed as a Cetagandan, his face paint is base red with slashes of orange, black, white, and green. He is killed by assassins from Bharaputra House. (EA)
Razor-grass:
A plant on Barrayar that is not actually a grass, which Miles sees in a new light in Ekaterin's virtual garden, composed entirely of native flora. (K)
Reddi-Meal!:
A prepackaged, self-heating meal sold in Vorbarr Sultana and other Barrayaran cities. Miles lives on them in the first few days after his return to Barrayar before he hires Ma Kosti as Vorkosigan House's cook. (M)
Reed:
No first name given. An investigator with Eurolaw in London, he is charged with looking into the attempted murder of Admiral Naismith at the shuttleport. He interrogates Mark while he is in his Lieutenant Vorkosigan persona, and releases him into Ser Galen's custody before Miles can get him. (BA)
Reformation Army:
The unit title Miles gives the prisoners on Dagoola IV, once he starts reorganizing them for the coming escape. (BI)
Rene Magritte:
A Betan scientific survey ship with a crew of fifty-two, commanded by Cordelia Naismith and sent to a survey planet that has attracted the attention of Barrayar as well. Her crew risks their lives to free Cordelia, bringing a group of Barrayaran mutineers on board the General Vorkraft. (SH)
RG 132:
An obsolete but operational jump-capable cargo ship that Arde Mayhew threatens to destroy at Beta Colony. Miles buys the ship and uses it to transfer weapons to Tau Verde IV. It is damaged beyond repair when Arde uses it to ram the Triumph into the ore refinery, bending the Necklin rods and peeling half the hull off. (WA)
RG Freighter:
On Komarr, Nikolai has a model of this antique cargo-hauling jump ship, which reminds Miles of the RG 132, which he owned briefly when he was seventeen years old. (K)
Rho Ceta:
One of the eight satrapy planets in the Cetagandan Empire, and Barrayar's nearest unallied neighbor. It would expand toward Komarr, except that Barrayar holds two-thirds of the jump points between the two planets. Its governor is Este Rond, and its unnamed Imperial consort has brown hair. (C)
Rigby:
No first name given. A Group-Patroller, or civilian peace officer, on Komarr, she accompanies Miles, Vorthys, Etienne, and Tuomonen to inform Doctor Radovas's wife of his death. (K)
Ritter:
No first name given. The surgeon who performs Cordelia's placental transfer, assisted by Doctor Vaagen and Doctor Henri. Tall, dark-haired, with olive skin and long, lean hands. (B)
Riva:
No first name given. A professor of five-space math at Solstice University, she is called in as a consultant by Imperial Auditor Vorthys to help figure out what the Waste Heat engineering group were building with all of the money siphoned off the project. She is about fifty years old, and is a thin, intense, olive-skinned woman with bright black eyes who paces endlessly while solving a problem. Miles interrogates her under fast-penta when he thinks she is withholding information. Her answers let them discover that the engineers have built a wormhole destroyer, and are planning to close the wormhole to Barrayar. She also figures out that there is a very good chance the device will backlash, and destroy whatever vessel or ship it is on, and it is that sort of backlash that caused the solar-array collision. (K)
Rivek:
No first name given. A commodore in the Barrayaran military stationed in Sector Four, he was concerned with the rescue of Lord Vorvane's wife and children, which Miles handled with the Dendarii a few years earlier. Simon brings it up during one of his flashback moments caused by his malfunctioning memory chip. (M)
River barge:
A large, flat-bottomed boat that carries cargo on a river. Used on Barrayar throughout the Time of Isolation, river barges established the location of Vorbarr Sultana, as the rapids there defined the limits of barge traffic. Afterward, a dam and lock system allows barge traffic to continue upriver from the city. (B, CC)
Road:
In most modern cities, a regular city grid of streets provides organized transportation and defines blocks of property. During Barrayar's Time of Isolation, transportation reverted to horses and mule-drawn carts and wagons. In the old part of some cities, networks of winding streets with very narrow lanes and alleys defy modern traffic, such as in Vorbarr Sultana's Caravanserai district. Country and backcountry roads range from paved highways to dirt paths. Modern cities use automated traffic grids. Barrayar, barely a century past the Time of Isolation, is still improving its infrastructure. It's not until the time of Gregor's wedding that the capital, Vorbarr Sultana, starts implementing automated traffic grids for groundcars and lightflyers. (All)
Rodeo:
A marginal world, home to GalacTech mining and drilling operations. Its surface consists primarily of harsh desert and mountains. GalacTech owns Rodeo on a ninety-nine-year lease with Orient IV, but large mineral deposits make the planet much more interesting to the Orient IV government. GalacTech had planned to dump the quaddies on planet if they were not profitable. (FF)
Roic:
No first name given. An armsman at Vorkosigan House, he usually works the night shift, but is pressed into day duty when Ekaterin first arrives at the house. He is awoken to intervene during the butter bug fight, and greatly embarrassed to be caught in the foyer covered in bug butter and wearing briefs, a backward stunner holster, and nothing else.
Assigned to assist Taura while she's visiting Barrayar, he is intrigued by her and becomes smitten. He proves his loyalty to Vorkosigan House and redeems his honor, which he felt was questioned during the butter bug battle, when he and Taura figure out the assassination plot aimed at Ekaterin, saving her life and Miles's sanity. As his reward, Pym takes over his night shift duty for the next week, while Roic romances Taura after the wedding reception.
He accompanies Miles and Ekaterin on their honeymoon as bodyguard and batman. A former municipal guardsman in Hassadar on Barrayar, he assists in the investigation at Graf Station, and helps Miles take the Idris back from the renegade Cetagandan ba that hijacked it. (CC, DI, WG)
Rond, Este:
The haut-governor of Rho Ceta, he is middle-aged, tall, heavy, and vigorous, with a bullish demeanor. Miles considers him an early suspect in the plot to overthrow the Emperor, but eliminates him in favor of either Slyke Giaja or Ilsum Kety (C)
Rose:
A gentle mare Cordelia rides during Gregor's escape into the Dendarii Mountains. (B)
Rosemont, Reg:
A lieutenant and member of the Betan Astronomical Survey team, he had blond hair and a long body. He was killed by the Barrayarans in the assault on Base One. Cordelia buries him on the planet, and is almost unable to imagine her ship operating without him. She makes sure there is a marker placed at his grave on Sergyar. (SH)
Rotha, Victor:
Miles's cover name for his mission to the Hegen Hub, posing as a weapons procurement agent from Beta Colony. (VG)
Rudy:
A male quaddie at Cay Habitat, he is designated to mate with Claire next. (FF)
Ruey, Anias:
A feelie-dream composer, she has lank, black hair, alive dark eyes, and soft, pale skin. She lives in a Rio apartment with a good view of the sea. She refers to an ex-husband, an ex-guardian aunt, and an ex-boyfriend who works in journalism. Carlos Diaz commissions a dark, violent feelie-dream from her on behalf of his employer, Doctor Bianca. After it is completed, she learns her dream synthesizer has been sabotaged to kill her, and turns amateur detective to figure out who would wants her dead and why. (DD)
Ruibal:
No first name given. A colonel in Barrayaran Imperial Security, he is a neurologist on the team helping Miles to treat Simon. A short, round-faced man, he provides the initial evaluation summary and assists with Simon's case. (M)
Rule 27B:
As defined by Miles: Never make key tactical decisions while having electroconvulsive seizures. (VG)
Ryoval, Ry:
The baron of House Ryoval on Jackson's Whole, a rival of House Bharaputra. He inhabits a clone body, and looks to be in his mid-twenties, with smooth, dark olive skin, a high-bridged nose, and long, shining black hair in a braid. He has a large bodyguard who is biologically enhanced to be an unarmed killing machine. His House's specialty is genetically created slaves made to order for whatever illicit pleasure the buyer has in mind. Baron Fell is his younger half brother. Ryoval killed Fell's clone to take over his House. He wants genetic samples from Miles, Bel Thorne, and Nicol, and offers to trade Taura for them. Instead, Miles steals Taura and Nicol, and destroys his vast library of genetic samples as well. Ryoval has sent several bounty hunters after the admiral. He captures Mark, thinking he is Naismith, and puts him through physical, psychological, and sexual torture. Mark gets revenge by killing Ryoval just before he is going to remove one of Mark's eyes. (L, MD)
S.A.H. Pesodoro:
A South American monetary unit. Carlos Diaz offers to pay Anias Ruey twenty thousand pesodoros to make a violent, disturbing feelie-dream. (DD)
Sahlin:
No first name given. A captain in the Felician military, he accompanies General Halify, and is supposed to take the ordnance shipment Miles brought to Tau Verde IV planetside. (WA)
Saint Simon:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he is part of the engineering staff on the General Vorkraft. Aral authorizes his plan to stop the mutineers. (SH)
Saltpetre Plot, The:
A plot on Barrayar during the Time of Isolation that caused the death of Count Vorvayne, who was hung in stocks until he died. His wife, the sixth Countess Vorvayne, sat at his feet in a hunger strike and died of exposure. Ekaterin remembers this example of a Vor wife's faithfulness to her husband. (K)
Sanctuary Station:
One of the few orbital arcologies in the Union of Free Habitats that maintains gravity and deals with galactics. (DI)
Sardi:
No first name given. A Barrayaran soldier who thinks Aral is a strategic genius. Carl and Evon Vorhalas refer to his opinion while discussing Aral at the Regent's confirmation ceremony. (B)
Satrap governor:
Each of the eight satrapy worlds controlled by the Cetagandan Empire is ruled by a governor, all of whom are chosen from Imperial relations. Each has a haut-lady consort, who keeps an eye on things on each planet for the Empress. They also each have a ghem-general to oversee their planetary armed forces. At the Dowager Empress's funeral, each one has received a copy of the Star Crèche gene bank from the deceased Empress, but none of them has the true Great Key. One governor, Ilsum Kety, had planned to take the throne of the Empire for himself, but his plan is foiled by Miles and Ivan. (C)
Scat-cat:
A small, teardrop-shaped vehicle used to travel around Lazkowski Base and Kyril Island. Miles accidentally sinks one in mud when he is given bad directions during his assignment as Chief Meteorological Officer. Recovered by Lieutenant Bonn, Miles is forced to oversee its cleaning as part of his punishment. (VG)
Schriml:
No first name given. A deputy, he is with Sheriff Yoder at Chalmys DuBauer's house. (DD)
Scrubwire:
A low, round Barrayaran plant with a spicy scent and a dull color. Ekaterin includes it in the display garden near Vorkosigan House for its pleasant smell. (CC)
Seal of the Star Crèche:
The screaming bird sigil on the end of the Great Key that Miles has Mia Maz identify for him. It is used to seal reproductive contracts between Cetagandan haut-lords, indicating the contract has been approved by the Empress. (C)
Second:
The Barrayaran term for best man or maid of honor at a wedding. Miles serves as Gregor's Second during his wedding. For Miles's wedding, Ivan serves as his second, and for saving the bride's life Taura is elevated to Ekaterin's Second in place of Martya Koudelka. (CC, WG)
Senden:
No first name given. A ghem-lady, she is the sister of Lady Benello, and invites Ivan to a court-dance practice during his stay on Eta Ceti IV. (C)
Sendorf:
One of the three men Cordelia tells Simon could be a potential Prime Minister replacement for Aral. (MD)
Sens:
No first name given. One of Radnov's mutineers, he is captured during Aral's return to their camp on Sergyar. (SH)
Sergyar:
Barrayar's colony planet, named after the vile Prince Serg Vorbarra, which was first explored by Cordelia and Aral before they were married. Only inhabited for the past thirty years, there are about one million colonists on-planet. Aral is the Viceroy of Sergyar and has requested a separate Imperial Security Office of Domestic Affairs be created for the growing colony. Sharing their dual appointment with equal political authority, Cordelia is Vicereine of Sergyar in her own right; hers is not a mere courtesy title as Aral's wife. The colony had a problem with an infectious worm plague, but that has been brought under control. Aral and Cordelia return home from the planet for Gregor's wedding. Ensign Dmitri Corbeau is originally from Sergyar. (CC, DI, M)
Serifosa:
One of Komarr's domed cities, it is where the investigation into the solar mirror accident takes place. The Vorsoissons live there until Etienne's death. (K)
Setti:
No first name given. A Cetagandan, he is one of Millisor's men. Quinn kills him in the shuttle bay by tossing him the booby-trapped reader given to Ethan by a Bharaputran assassin. (EA)
Seven Secret Roads of Female Pleasure:
A fictional method of lovemaking Miles invents to prevent Mark from sleeping with Elli Quinn while he's impersonating Miles. (BA)
Sharkbait One:
A jumpscout ship with the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. It scouts for Cetagandans during the Vervain conflict. (VG)
Sharkbait Three:
A jumpscout ship with the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. During the Vervain conflict it announces that help is arriving, and the wormhole must be cleared. (VG)
Ship knits:
Casual wear worn on spaceships, they are like sweat suits, consisting of shapeless, loose, comfortable shirt and pants. (All)
Shock stick:
A melee energy weapon that imparts an electric shock when it hits a target. Often used as a control or punishment device, it has adjustable power settings that cause varying levels of pain. At higher settings, repeated hits can shock a subject unconscious. Ser Galen used a shock stock to punish Mark during his training, and Miles is hit by them several times, including once to the face on Ilsum Kety's ship during his mission in the Cetagandan Empire. (BA, C, MD, VG)
Shuttle:
A small, self-powered, environmentally sealed transport craft used for surface-to-orbit transportation. The means of power and propulsion is not specified. Anti-gravity is used for liftoff and touchdown, so there are no blast effects from a propulsion system. Reentry friction does cause hull heating. Shuttles come in many models, from simple drop versions that carry passengers and cargo, to armed and armored military models capable of transporting fifty to sixty soldiers or civilians, as during the prisoner-of-war breakout on Dagoola IV. (All)
Shuttle A-4:
A fully loaded combat shuttle destroyed by a Cetagandan fighter during the prisoner rescue on Dagoola IV. (BI)
Shuttle B-7:
An empty combat shuttle destroyed by a Cetagandan fighter during the prisoner rescue on Dagoola IV. (BI)
Shuttleport Locks:
An import and shopping district in Serifosa Dome on Komarr. Ekaterin takes Miles shopping there, where he purchases Gregor's lava lamp, and the miniature planet jewelry for Delia Koudelka and Laisa Toscane, along with the miniature Barrayar pendant he gives to Ekaterin after she helps foil the Komarran engineers' wormhole plot. (K)
"Siege of the Silver Moon, The":
A Barrayaran childhood ballad and drinking song about a Vor lord and a witch woman who ride in a magic mortar and pestle, which they use to grind their enemies' bones. Miles hums a bit of it while first talking to Arde Mayhew on Beta Colony. (WA)
Siegel:
No first name or rank given. A soldier in the Barrayaran military, he is the leader of a patrol on the General Vorkraft that attempts to stop the mutineers. (SH)
Siegling's:
A high-class weapons store in the Vorbarr Sultana, where Cordelia buys Koudelka a swordstick. Thickly carpeted, with wooden paneling. The smell inside reminds her a bit of the armory aboard her Betan survey ship. The clerk tries to sell her an inferior weapon, but Cordelia demands and receives the very best. (B)
Siembieda, Ryan:
A hazel-eyed engineering tech sergeant with the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he was killed at Mahata Solaris during an assault by a Cetagandan hit team trying to kill Miles. Cryogenically frozen, he was thawed and resuscitated on Earth. Miles fills him in on what had happened on their way back to the Dendarii fleet at the spaceport. (BA)
Siggy:
A quaddie who brings contraband video fiction to Claire and Silver. He discusses a potential plan to take the jump ship based on what he saw in another video, Nest of Doom, involving space marines against aliens, but Silver scuttles his idea. (FF)
Sigma Ceta:
One of the eight satrapy planets in the Cetagandan Empire, it borders the Vega Station group. Its governor is Ilsum Kety, much like Slyke Giaja, and cousin to him through their mothers, who were half sisters through different constellations. (C)
Silica:
One of the main cities on Beta Colony, it is known for its university. (B, WA)
Silica Hospital:
A medical facility on Beta Colony. Elizabeth Naismith is employed there as a medical equipment and maintenance engineer. (B)
Silica Zoo:
Located on Beta Colony, the Silica Zoo maintains habitats underground for humans and animals alike. (WA)
Silver:
A quaddie on the Cay Project Habitat, she is one of the ringleaders in the revolt against GalacTech. She has medium-length, platinum-blond hair, a sharp facial-bone structure, and works in hydroponics. A good friend to Tony and Claire, she has a purely sexual relationship with Van Atta, which she uses to get information from him. She's also sleeping with Ti, the shuttle pilot, and leverages their relationship to involve him in the quaddie revolt. She accompanies Ti to transfer Mrs. Minchenko and rescue Tony from Rodeo. Silver begins learning how to play the violin, taught by Mrs. Minchenko, while waiting for the rescue party to return to the shuttle. Two centuries later, she is a heroine to countless quaddie descendants, and her relationship with Leo and the flight to free space has been immortalized in zero-gee ballet. (DI, FF)
Silvy Vale:
A small village in the Dendarii Mountains on Barrayar. Miles first visited it to solve the murder of the infant Raina Csurik. He goes back after resigning from Imperial Security to try to get some perspective on his life by visiting Raina's grave, only to find the graveyard has been moved owing to flooding caused by their new hydroelectric dam. The village now has reliable power, and the citizens are building a new clinic and will soon have a full-time doctor on site supplied by Countess Vorkosigan's Hassadar medical program. (M, MM)
Sim:
No first name given. A trooper in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet who participates in the prisoner rescue on Dagoola IV. (BI)
Simka, Sri:
A military historian, he wrote two books on military tactics about campaigns on Walshea and Skya IV. Ky Tung mentions his work during his first conversation with Miles. (WA)
Sinda:
A female quaddie at the Cay Project, she is scheduled to mate with Tony next. (FF)
Singing Open the Great Gates:
A Cetagandan ceremony featuring a large chorus of several hundred female and male ghem, who sing an incredible, multipart song that lasts about thirty minutes. Miles and Ivan attend the performance during the Dowager Empress's funeral ceremonies. (C)
Sink of Sin:
A religious term on Athos that refers to a man's soul being drained away when he looks at a woman. Ethan is concerned that he might feel its effect when he looks upon the faces of the female doctors in an issue of The Betan Journal of Reproductive Medicine. (EA)
Sir Randan and the Bartered Bride:
One of the contraband video fiction titles Ti Gulik brings to Silver. (FF)
Sir Randan's Folly:
One of the contraband video fiction titles Ti Gulik brings to Silver. (FF)
Sircoj:
No first name given. A major in the Barrayaran military, he oversees gate security at the Tannery Base shuttleport after Vordarian's coup attempt, and notifies Cordelia of Doctor Vaagen's arrival. (B)
Sixteen, Pramod:
A quaddie airseal technician on a work crew in Freight Bay Two on Graf Station who helps catch Russo Gupta. (DI)
Skellytum:
A tall maroon-colored plant with a barrel-shaped trunk and raised tendrils that is native to Barrayar. Ekaterin owns a bright red miniature one that is seventy years old. She inherited it from her grandmother many years ago, and uses bonsai techniques to keep it small. Etienne smashes it when Ekaterin tells him she is leaving, and Miles salvages it, although she will have to repot a cutting from it instead of trying to save the entire plant. Ekaterin plants the salvaged cutting in the garden near Vorkosigan House before quitting as Miles's designer. She returns to find him watering it the wrong way, not having read her detailed instructions. (CC, K)
Sleep gas:
A standard tranquilizer gas that can be administered by grenade or in an aerosol spray. Safe and effective, it is often used in police or hostage situations. (All)
Sleeptimer:
A time-release sleep aid that can be calibrated for varying durations of effect. Cordelia suggests Miles use one to snatch some sleep before his wedding. (WG)
Smetani:
No first name given. A corporal in Barrayaran Imperial Security, he mans the front desk when Miles brings his little group to headquarters to arrest Lucas Haroche. Miles orders him not to inform Haroche about his appearance there, which is seconded by Simon Illyan. (M)
Smolyani:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he pilots the courier jump ship Kestrel, and delivers Miles's orders to go to Graf Station in the Union of Free Habitats. He also transports Miles, Ekaterin, and Roic to the station. (DI)
Social duty credits:
Part of a government program on Athos, social duty credits are earned via volunteer work and service to society, to be used toward gaining sons and becoming a designated alternate parent. They can also be used to pay fines, as Janos does when he is arrested for destruction of public property and assault and battery on his boss. (EA)
Soletta Station:
The name for the orbital solar mirror array, and the space station that supports it, in orbit around Komarr. The station was damaged, and six technicians were killed as a result of Barto Radovas and Marie Trogir's experiment with one of the wormhole- closing devices, which created an energy backlash that drove an ore freighter into the solar mirrors, rendering four of the seven panels inoperable. As his wedding present to Komarr, Gregor funds the repair of the station, as well as expanding the solar program to aid the terraforming process. (CC, K)
Solian:
No first name given. A Komarran serving as the Barrayaran security liaison aboard the trade ship Idris, he went missing while the ship was docked at Graf Station. Captain Brun thinks he deserted, because some personal effects and a valise are missing but uniforms were left. About four liters of blood, presumably his, were found in an airlock, so he is assumed dead. The blood was planted by Russo Gupta to try to draw attention to the Idris, so that Ker Dubauer wouldn't get away. Solian fell victim to the same deadly biotoxin that killed the smugglers, administered by Dubauer. His remains are found in another body pod on the Idris. (DI)
Solstice:
The domed capital city of Komarr, it is occasionally rocked by riots caused by Komarrans protesting Barrayar's control of their planet. It is where the infamous Solstice Massacre occurred, with a plaque erected in the martyrs' honor on the site. (K)
Solstice Massacre:
Occurring during the conquest of Komarr, it saddled Aral Vorkosigan with the nickname "The Butcher of Komarr." Two hundred Komarran counselors, including Ser Galen's sister Rebecca, were killed by order of Aral's political officer, who was then killed by Aral when he found out what had happened. A plaque memorializes the site in Solstice. Miles visited the site with Duv Galeni, who burned a death offering for his aunt there. (BA, K, VG)
Solstice University:
The main university on Komarr. Imperial Auditor Vorthys once taught a course there, and he requests the assistance of a university professor, Doctor Riva, while investigating the solar mirror array accident at the Waste Heat experiment station. (K)
Soltoxin:
The poison gas used in an assassination attempt against Aral by Evon Vorhalas, which caught Cordelia as well. Soltoxin is a slow-acting poison that will turn the lungs to jelly within an hour if the antidote is not quickly administered. A delaying first-aid treatment is to wash the gas from the skin and mouth to minimize absorption. The antidote is an inhaled gas that is a violent teratogen, destroying bone growth in a fetus. The antidote damages the fetal Miles, weakening his skeleton, and causing him to be transferred to a uterine replicator for regenerative calcium treatments. In adults, since their bones have already reached maturity, the antidote induces a tendency toward arthritic-like breakdowns that are treatable. Soltoxin also causes testicular scarring in males on the cellular level, often rendering survivors sterile. (B)
Sonia:
No surname given. Amor Klyeuvi's niece, she is an aged woman, with gray hair in a long braid down her back. She gives sweet cakes to the boy who brings Kly's mount back to his hiding place. (B)
Sonic grenade:
An airtube-launched grenade that killed Aral's mother when one was shot into her stomach during Yuri Vorbarra's Massacre. It is also used in an assassination attempt against Aral's motorcade in Vorbarr Sultana after he is named Regent. Although the technology isn't defined, the weapon is powerful enough to make a large hole in the street after missing the armored groundcar. The weapon might have been older ordnance with a possibly defective tracker, as the security didn't detect a ranging pulse before the attack. (B, SH)
Sonic toilet:
A standing lavatory disposal device on jump stations that uses sound waves to break apart waste matter. Ekaterin tries to clog one using her shoes while being held prisoner to cause a maintenance alert, but it disposes of her footwear without any problem. (K)
Soudha:
No first name given. He is an administrator and the department head of Waste Heat Management at the Serifosa branch of the Komarr Terraforming Project. A big, square-handed man in his late forties, he gives Andro Farr the runaround about Marie, then spreads the story that she ran off with Barto Radovas. He is siphoning money from the terraforming project by creating a fake experimental department and employees, then using the funds to build a wormhole-destruction device that will collapse the jump point between Komarr and Barrayar, leaving the latter planet cut off from the rest of the universe. Along with Barto and Madame Radovas, Marie Trogir, Lena Foscol, Cappell, and Arrozi, he considers himself to be a Komarran patriot doing what is best for his planet, with humane limits on loss of life, but a previous test of the device caused the Soletta Station accident, and the group doesn't realize that their device has a very good chance of destroying them and the entire jump-point station. After their device is destroyed by Ekaterin, he votes to stop the standoff, and surrender to the authorities. (K)
South Province:
An area on Athos where Ethan Urquhart's family comes from. (EA)
Soya oatmeal:
One of the two provisions at Base One that weren't destroyed in the Barrayaran attack. Cordelia, Aral, and Dubauer survive on it during their trip to the supply cache. (SH)
Spacer's Union:
A galaxywide union for the men and women who work on projects in near and deep space. Leo Graf sees potential problems with them when the effectively enslaved quaddies arrive to compete for work. (FF)
Spaceship:
A powered, self-contained vehicle capable of traveling between planets or stars. The propulsion system is not specified, and neither is the fuel that powers the ships. The fuel used is sufficiently compact that refueling does not affect most trips, and multiple jumps between solar systems are possible without refueling. Fuel cost and efficiency are important to the economy of commercial ships. Acceleration forces are high, ranging from 15g to 100g, and are compensated for by artificial gravity so the crew and passengers only feel one-gee during that time. There are many different kinds of ships, some that lack jump capacity, and are designed solely to travel within one solar system, and others equipped with Necklin field generators to travel through wormholes, enabling them to cross vast distances quickly. Interstellar ships need a jump pilot with a cybernetic link to the ship to control the jump, in effect making them part of the ship while they are jacked in. The jump pilot's cybernetic link includes expensive micro-viral circuitry implanted by delicate surgery into the pilot's brain. Metal contact points for the control headset show on the forehead. The jump can take several subjective hours for the pilot, but little or no subjective time for the passengers. If a person feels unusual subjective effects during jumps, it may be appropriate to screen them to see if they can be jump pilots. (All)
Speaker:
The title for the leader of any village in the Dendarii Mountains. Serg Karal is the Speaker of Silvy Vale when Miles first visits, and is replaced by Lem Csurik when he returns ten years later. (MM, M)
Sphaleros:
No first name given. A ground-captain in Imperial Security, he comes to the Vorthys house to assist Nikolai after he calls Emperor Gregor for help when Vassily and Hugo try to remove him. He escorts everyone in the house to Vorhartung Castle to meet with Gregor personally. (CC)
Sprague, Joan:
A commodore in the Escobaran military and Irene's boss, she is a steady-eyed older woman who is a psychiatrist. After interviewing Cordelia, she recommends further therapy. Her reports arrive too late to prevent Cordelia's disastrous homecoming at Beta Colony. (SH)
Star Crèche:
The Cetagandan haut caste's gene bank, which contains the genetic information on every haut-lord and lady. It is what the haut use to procreate, with great ceremony and detailed contracts between the two parties. Births are carried to term by uterine replicator. The Empress has the ultimate approval over every new child, and she can decide to terminate contracts as well. Any child born becomes, in effect, the property of the father's constellation (i.e., clan). (C)
Stauber, Georish:
The baron of House Fell, he is a surprisingly old, fat, jovial man, balding with liver spots and a white fringe of hair, and red cheeks. Baron Ryoval is actually his older brother, who had Stauber's clone killed before he could be transplanted. Stauber is very interested in the Betan rejuvenation treatment Admiral Naismith is rumored to have undergone. He trades information to let Miles and the Ariel leave Jackson's Whole unmolested. Later, he assists Mark, who is posing as Miles, to broker a trade for Miles's cryo-chamber with House Bharaputra. He is also the founder of the Durona Group, and knows Lilly Durona quite well. After Ryoval's death, Mark negotiates a Deal with Stauber that gives House Fell control of House Ryoval's complete assets in exchange for letting the Durona Group go, along with a significant payment to Mark as the negotiating agent. (L, MD)
Steady Freddy:
No last name given. The public's nickname for the Betan president. Lots of people did not vote for him and like to say so. Cordelia accidentally kicks him in the groin during her homecoming on Beta Colony. (SH)
Strangle vine:
A hardy weed that grows wild on Barrayar's southern continent. Ekaterin suggests that Doctor Borgos modify the butter bugs to eat it, providing him with a potentially lucrative market. (CC)
Stuben:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Betan Expeditionary Force, he is the chief zoologist of the survey expedition on Sergyar. Shorter than Aral, with shoulder-length brown hair that is later cut very short for the rescue attempt. When Cordelia orders him to head back to Beta and report about Barrayar's plans to invade Escobar, he disobeys and launches a rescue mission for her instead. (SH)
Stunner:
An energy weapon firing a beam that knocks a target unconscious upon impact. A stunner produces a central beam with a surrounding nimbus that can affect one to three victims. A near-miss may cause tingling or numbness. It doesn't cause permanent harm unless a victim has an underlying health problem like a heart condition. Recovery symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and headache, which can be minimized by administering synergine. A stunner's range is undefined, but is at least line of sight. Space armor or half armor with a built-in nerve disruptor/stunner shield net protects against it. (All)
Suegar:
No first name given. A prisoner for three years in the camp at Dagoola IV, he has seen much and is now starving and borderline insane. A self-styled prophet, he carries a torn piece of paper that he calls scripture, which he got during the fighting at Port Lisma. He is looking for someone he calls "The One," who will help all of the prisoners escape. Miles seizes on this to formulate a plan, and enlists Suegar to help him by being his guide. He takes a bad beating, but escapes with Miles in the end. (BI)
Sumner:
No first name given. A trooper in the Dendarii Free Mercenaries who participates in the clone raid. (MD)
Sun wall:
A combat tactic of taking a wormhole involving a sacrifice ship that lays down a wall of nuclear-tipped misslettes, creating a planar wave that eliminates anything in the local space, including the ship that created the wave. (VG)
Surgeon:
No name given, he is one of four men over forty years old serving on the General Vorkraft. He treats Dubauer and Aral in Sickbay. (SH)
Sweet Dreams Distributing Company:
The company that Anias Ruey is under contract with for her feelie-dreams. It is owned and operated by Helmut Gonzales. (DD)
Sword Swallower:
The nickname for the first plasma mirror system, invented by Beta Colony, which turns an attacker's energy weapon against the attacking ship. The Escobarans used it to repel the Barrayaran invasion. (SH)
Swordstick:
A personal weapon on Barrayar, it is a hardwood cane that conceals a spring-loaded sword blade. It can be carried only by a member of the Vor class. Cordelia buys one for Koudelka, which Aral allows him to carry as a weapon issued by the Regent. During the mission to rescue Miles in the Imperial Residence, Bothari uses it to decapitate Vordarian. (B)
Sylveth:
No last name given. The blond, lovely daughter of the Lord Mayor of London and his formidable wife, whom Miles escorts to an embassy function. Miles uses Ivan and her to leave the Barrayaran embassy unnoticed to attend to the wine shop incident, and later teases Ivan, who may have bought her lingerie. (BA)
Synergine:
A general stabilizing drug used to counteract a variety of injuries, including shock. Miles suggests it be given to Ivan to counteract the aftereffects of the drug Vio used to paralyze him during the Great Key plot. (All)
Szabo:
No first name given. A white-haired, grim-looking man dressed in a blue and gray uniform, he is the senior armsman for Count Vorrutyer. After Count Pierre's death, and upon hearing Lady Donna's plan to gain control of her brother's district, he gave his personal word to assist her, and escorted her to Beta Colony for the sex-change operation. Although he was escorting Lord Dono on the night of the attempted assault, he was stunned before he could stop the attackers. (CC)
Tabbi:
One of the welding quaddies at Cay Station that Leo trained.
Tabor:
A ghem-lieutenant military attaché of Cetaganda's Earth embassy. A young man. His face is painted yellow and black, befitting his military rank. Miles meets him at the Barrayaran Embassy, and is warned by Duv Galeni that he is spying on them. He is involved in the incident at the Thames Tidal Barrier, ostensibly sent to kill Miles, and is subdued by Duv Galeni, who drops him and his partner off at the Cetagandan embassy, but takes their groundcar. (BA)
Tacti-Go:
A strategy game that has no unexpected variables or random factors, popular with Barrayaran children. Gregor brings a set to play with Miles during his house arrest. Miles, bored with the game by age fourteen, handicaps himself to not insult his Emperor by beating him too quickly. (VG)
Tafas:
No first name given. A Barrayaran crew member on the General Vorkraft, he works with Radnov, but ultimately helps Cordelia stop the mutiny. (SH)
Tailor, William:
A commodore in the Betan Expeditionary Force, he introduces Doctor Mehta to Cordelia. (SH)
Tanery Base Shuttleport:
A military shuttleport on Barrayar. During Vordarian's coup attempt, Piotr theorizes Aral will go there to open communications with the Imperial space fleet to try to bring them over to his side. After their stay in the Dendarii Mountains, Cordelia is brought there, as Aral made it his base of operations while he fights Vordarian. (B)
Tangle field:
Used by police for arresting or restraining suspects, it is a grenade-sized device that can be thrown at a fleeing target. Upon impact, it tangles around the person's limbs, effectively restraining them while also imparting a burning sensation to inhibit further resistance. (VG)
Tarpan, Luca:
The true brains behind the assassination attempt on Ekaterin, he has ties to the House Bharaputra syndicate on Jackson's Whole. He ordered the attempt on her life to sow confusion and cover his escape from Barrayar, leaving Lord Vorbataille as a sacrificial goat. (WG)
Tarski:
No first name given. An officer in the Barrayaran military. Baz Jesek mentions him as an example of someone who was infuriatingly correct all the time. (WA)
Tatya:
One of Ivan's many girlfriends, she brings flowers to his flat in Vorbarr Sultana. (VG)
Tau Ceta V:
One of the Cetagandan satrapy planets. (C)
Tau Ceti:
A star roughly 11.9 light-years away from Earth, it is a common jump point for spaceships on their way to more distant outposts. (SH, M)
Tau Verde IV:
A planet containing the two warring nations of Felice and Pelias. Miles accepts a weapons-smuggling job to pay off Arde Mayhew's debt, and his involvement in ending the war also leads to the creation of the Dendarii Free Mercenaries. (WA)
Taura:
A genetically engineered super-soldier created by Hugh Canaba, she is the only one of her kind. Sixteen years old when Miles first meets her during his first mission to Jackson's Whole, she is eight feet tall and weighs roughly three hundred pounds. She is humanoid, with ivory skin, dark curly hair with burgundy highlights, claws, and fangs. Her face is lupine, with a long jaw, flat nose, light hazel eyes, ridged brows, and high cheekbones. She is very intelligent, with an IQ of 135. Although she is very strong, her metabolism runs very fast, which causes problems with her appetite and energy. Originally known as Nine, as she was the ninth out of ten test subjects. Miles renames her Taura when he rescues her from House Ryoval. She joins the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, whose doctors work on slowing her metabolism. After their first sexual encounter on Jackson's Whole, they have a brief romantic reacquaintance during the escape trip.
Eventually she becomes the sergeant in charge of Green Squad during Mark's raid to free the clone children. She is a sometime, if not constant, lover of Miles before his relationship with Elli Quinn. She is Miles's bodyguard on the trip to Tau Ceti when he heads back to Barrayar. Miles makes Elli promise to let him know when her time is up as they still have not found a way to slow her metabolism any further. He wants to be there when she dies to fulfill the promise he made to her long ago.
During her first visit to Barrayar, she is twenty-six, and has been told for the past four years that each one will be her last. She has gray hairs, but dyes them to match her natural color. She has come to attend Miles's wedding, and is a bit melancholy over the match but approves. When the gift of pearls, supposedly from Elli Quinn, is presented to Ekaterin, Taura sees they appear dirty with her enhanced vision. When Ekaterin becomes sick, she realizes the problem but is afraid Elli will be blamed, not knowing she would never have sent such a murderous gift. Roic catches her trying to borrow the pearls for analysis and convinces her to let Imperial Security do the job, which is fortunate for Ekaterin. She gets to be Ekaterin's Second as her reward, and after the reception is over, she and Roic retire for a private celebration of their own. (L, M, MD, WG)
Teddie:
A quaddie on Cay Habitat who trades shifts with Silver so she could see Claire after Andy was taken from her. (FF)
Teki:
A cousin of Elli Quinn's who works on Kline Station, and who helps her expose one of Colonel Millisor's men. Ethan meets him later, and finds out his helpfulness was not accidental. He gets snatched by Millisor and worked over, but is rescued by Elli when she calls Biocontrol to Millisor's room. When Helda is dismissed for misconduct, he becomes the temporary head of Assimilation Unit B on the station. Through him, Ethan and Terrence Cee find the missing ovarian cultures meant for Athos. (EA)
Tesslev:
No first name given. Piotr Vorkosigan refers to him as the best lieutenant he ever had. The son of a tailor, he fought in the guerrilla campaign against the Cetagandans in the Dendarii Mountains, and was killed in action. (WA)
Thames Tidal Barrier:
Also jokingly known as the King Canute Memorial, it is a huge dike that protects London from the sea. Watchtowers spaced a kilometer apart house engineers and technicians who watch for damage to the massive seawall. Ser Galen locks Ivan in a pumping station access well, to be killed when the high tide comes in, and has Miles and Duv Galeni meet him and Mark in Section Six, among the auxiliary pumping stations. Miles, Duv, and Mark must navigate their way through the section to rescue Ivan and Elli, avoid the Barrayaran and Cetagandan hit squads, and get out alive. (BA)
Thermal mine:
A portable munition that releases a large amount of thermal energy upon detonation. During the clone rescue mission on Jackson's Whole, House Bharaputra guards used a thermal mine to completely destroy a Dendarii combat shuttle's cockpit and kill the pilot. (MD)
Thin Blue Line, The:
A holovid documentary made on Beta Colony of the Barrayaran invasion of Escobar nineteen years ago, when Aral re-met Cordelia. Named for the blue uniforms of the Betan Expeditionary Force, of which Cordelia was a member during that time. Elena sees it and is very upset at what she terms the "fictions" perpetuated by the Betans. (WA)
3rd Armored All-Terrain Rangers:
A captured Marilacan military unit held in the prison camp on Dagoola IV until being rescued by Miles and the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. (BI)
Third Cetagandan War:
A military action that Aral Vorkosigan participated in while serving as the Regent of Barrayar. (WA)
Thorne, Bel:
A Betan hermaphrodite, it has soft, short brown hair, and a chiseled, beardless face. Formerly a lieutenant in the Oseran Mercenary Fleet, it starts over as a trainee-ensign in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. It gains a brevet promotion to captain after successfully leading the ore refinery takeover operation at Tau Verde IV.
Four years later, while on picket duty near Vervain, Bel rescues Miles after he is freed by Cavilo to infiltrate the Dendarii. It is instrumental in assisting Miles in retaking the Dendarii from Admiral Oser. It also participates in the prison break on Dagoola IV. During the mission to Jackson's Whole, Bel is attracted to Nicol at first sight, and is furious when Barons Fell and Ryoval discuss selling her, or selling a genetic sample of her. Bel agrees to smuggle Nicol out of Jackson's Whole for one Betan dollar, on Miles's condition that the operation be kept top secret. During the Dendarii's time on Earth, Bel is sent to testify on Private Danio's behalf in London.
When Mark impersonates Miles to launch his mission to Jackson's Whole, it is not fooled, but goes along with his plan because it wants to rescue the clone children too. For its error, Miles makes it resign from the Dendarii, but he suggests it apply to Imperial Security for an undercover position. Bel has had a crush on Miles for a long time, and kisses him passionately before leaving.
Later, Miles learns Bel has become the assistant portmaster at Graf Station, and also the Imperial Security civilian employee/informer on Graf Station. It is considering becoming a permanent civilian and wants Miles to relieve it of its Imperial Security duties. Kidnapped by Ker Dubauer, Bel takes the ba aboard the Idris to retrieve genetic samples of the haut-fetuses; then the ba infects Bel with the same biotoxin it used to kill the smugglers. Found by Miles, Bel is cured of the poison at the last minute, leaving permanent injuries. Bel receives a Warrant of the Celestial House from the Cetagandans in acknowledgment of the actions in saving the haut-lords' children. (BA, BI, DI, L, MD, VG)
Time of Isolation:
A period on Barrayar that occurred after the first wave of fifty thousand colonists arrived, only to find that the wormhole they had used to get there had mysteriously closed. Their terraforming project collapsed, and the intervening period degenerated into a time of near-feudalism and violent wars. Approximately seventy-five years before Aral and Cordelia met on Sergyar, the Time of Isolation ended when a new wormhole was discovered and Barrayar rejoined the rest of the galaxy, catching up with the rest of the inhabited planets as quickly as possible. (MM, SH)
Timmons:
No first name given. A customs agent on Beta Colony, he repeatedly catches Bothari trying to smuggle assorted weapons past the security checkpoint. (WA)
Tonkin:
No first name given. A trooper in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he participates in the rescue mission on Jackson's Whole, and is with Medic Norwood and Mark when Norwood sends Miles's cryo-chamber to the Durona Group, although he doesn't know what the medic did with Miles's body. Mark uses Tonkin's helmet recorder to figure out what happened to his brother. (MD)
Tony:
Also known as TY-776-424-XG, he is a pink-faced quaddie with tight, blond curls. He is a grade-two welder and joiner, and a permanent resident on the Cay Project Habitat. He is Claire's mate, and Andy's father. He tries to escape Cay Habitat with both of them, but is shot during the attempt, and hospitalized. He is rescued by Ti and Doctor Minchenko. (FF)
Toranira:
A planet that controls the other end of one of the jump points from Vega Station. Sometimes it is Cetaganda's ally and sometimes the Empire's enemy, but is currently upholding the arms embargo imposed on Vega Station by the Cetagandans. Miles's plan had been to smuggle three warships from the Dendarii fleet there, and leave them to pick up three brand-new warships at Illyrica, but Mark has derailed his scheme by stealing the Ariel. (MD)
Toscane, Anna:
Laisa's aunt, a sixty-year-old, married, gray-haired heiress whom Ivan must escort to the Komarran delegation welcoming party. She thinks he is a nice young man, and shows him a picture of her seven-year-old granddaughter, on whom she dotes, boring Ivan. (CC)
Toscane, Laisa:
See Vorbarra, Laisa Toscane.
Tractor beam:
A ship-mounted directed-gravity beam that can be used to seize and immobilize vehicles, and pull or push them as necessary. Primarily used as a tool rather than a weapon, but the pilot of a Dendarii combat shuttle uses its tractor beam to slam a pursuing aircar into the ground. (L)
"Tragedy of the Maiden of the Lake":
A Barrayaran legend. When Vorkosigan Surleau was besieged by the forces of Hazelbright, they held out as long as they could, but before the town could fall, the unnamed Maiden of the Lake asked her brother to kill her so she wouldn't suffer abuse at the hands of the invaders. He did so, not knowing that the siege would be lifted the next day by her betrothed, General Count Selig Vorkosigan. Many poems, plays, and songs about the event have been written and performed on Barrayar. Ekaterin ponders the story while being held prisoner by the Komarran engineers. (K)
Transient:
Term used by space station inhabitants for anyone from off- station. (All)
Translator earbug:
A small device, designed to be worn in a person's ear, that can instantly translate a spoken language into the wearer's native tongue. Miles attends a dinner on Earth that is made more difficult when the earbugs do not arrive in time for the event. (BA)
Trans-Stellar Transport:
Also known as TST, it is a transport company GalacTech works with. Ti wanted to be a jump pilot for them. (FF)
Tremont, Guy:
The commanding officer of the 14th Commandos Division and the hero of the siege of Fallow Core, he is the man at the prison camp on Dagoola IV that Miles came to rescue. When Miles finds him, he is lying in his own waste, catatonic and emaciated, and dies soon afterward. (BI)
Triad:
The title of Anias Ruey's romantic feelie-dream. She has been commissioned to make a sequel to it, as it has sold quite well. (DD)
Tris:
No first name given. The leader of the women prisoners at Dagoola, she is a former frontline trooper, well-muscled, with dark, rage-filled eyes. Miles convinces her to help organize the camp around the ration drops in preparation for the Dendarii breakout. He also recruits her in the end for the new Reformation Army. She escapes with the rest of the prisoners when the Dendarii arrive. (BI)
Triumph:
A Betan-built ship, it is classed as a pocket dreadnought, with a crew of sixty. Under the command of Captain Ky Tung, the ship is disabled when Arde Mayhew uses his freighter to ram it into the ore refinery supplying Tau Verde IV. When it is freed, it is given to Captain Auson to command after the battle. It participates in the prisoner escape on Dagoola IV. Later, it is the flagship of the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. Miles has to take out a loan against it while on Earth to cover payroll and expenses. (BA, BI, WA)
Trogir, Marie:
An engineering technician in the Waste Heat Management department at Serifosa on Komarr. She lives with Andro Farr and has gone missing. Rumors supported by Soudha claim she ran off with Doctor Radovas. One of the Komarrans that created the jump-point destruction device, she died in the Soletta Station accident, but her body, crushed into the wreckage, wasn't found until after the case was wrapped up, and the other engineers are stopped from setting off the device. (K)
Truzillo:
No first name given. An officer in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he is the captain-owner of the Jayhawk. Miles asks Baz to convince him to trade his ship for a brand-new Illyrican-made warship, part of a solution to an arms embargo at Vega Station. (MD)
Tsipis:
No first name given. The Vorkosigan family business manager, he handles the household accounts. He sets up Miles's accounts to handle the day-to-day operation of Vorkosigan House, and would like to discuss a more aggressive investing strategy with him as well. (M)
Tung, Ky:
The captain of the Triumph when Miles first meets him at Tau Verde IV, he is a squat, hard-edged Eurasian, about fifty years old. He and his crew are captured at the refinery after Arde Mayhew rams the RG 132 into his warship. He is a citizen of the People's Democracy of Greater South America. A military history buff, he was a junior lieutenant in the Selby Fleet at Komarr, and a great admirer of Aral Vorkosigan, having read Aral's report on Komarr eleven times. After being reprimanded by Admiral Oser in front of his crew, and not given another command, the angry Tung leaves the Oseran fleet and joins the Dendarii Mercenaries.
Demoted to personnel officer by Admiral Oser after he retook the Dendarii four years later, Tung helps rescue Miles and Gregor. Arrested by Oser for his actions, he is freed by Miles again in exchange for restoring him to command. For his actions during the Vervain conflict, he is taken on a personal tour of the Prince Serg, followed by lunch with Aral.
Promoted to commodore in the Dendarii Mercenaries, he leads the rescue of Miles and the prisoners on Dagoola IV. He has a daughter on Earth who has a new first grandson. His sister is from Brazil and he visits her and her family during the fleet's layover. He turns in his resignation there to marry to his second cousin, once removed, and retire. (BA, BI, VG, WA)
Tuomonen:
No first name given. A captain in Barrayar Imperial Security, he is the head of the Serifosa office. He is in his late twenties and fit, with dark hair and brown eyes. He married a Komarran woman five years ago, one year after his posting to the planet, and has one daughter.
He is a smart, conscientious man, and he and Miles get along well, but he is very upset when Miles ends up hurt at the experimental plant after neglecting to tell him that Etienne was taking him there. He interrogates Ekaterin about her husband's death with skill and grace, although he does have to bring up an embarrassing theory about Miles possibly eloping with Ekaterin after killing her husband. Facing a black mark on his record because he didn't uncover the conspiracy to close Barrayar's wormhole, he's told by Miles to look him up if his military career ever comes to a standstill, as he could use a good assistant. (K)
Ullery:
No first name given. A physician and the senior officer of the survey party, directly under Reg Rosemont in the chain of command, who fills Cordelia in on what happened at Base One. (SH)
Undress greens:
A casual Barrayaran military outfit, consisting of a high-collared tunic, side-piped trousers, and half-boots. Miles and Ivan wear undress greens to the first party they attend on Eta Ceta IV in the Cetagandan Empire. (C)
Ungari:
A captain in Imperial Security, he is bland like Illyan, but attractive, and somewhat stockier. About thirty-five years old, he has been working as a galactic operative for ten years. He is in charge of the mission to gather intelligence regarding the activity around the Hegen Hub with Miles, but everything goes awry, and nearly ruins his career. (VG)
Unicorn and Wild Animal Park:
A division of GalacTech Bioengineering, it is an animal park that Ryan Siembieda toured during his time on Earth after being revived from cryo-preservation. (BA)
Union of Free Habitats:
Located on the edge of Sector V, it is a group of space habitats located in the ring of one of two asteroid belts circling their star. Contains the arcologies Graf Station, Metropolitan Station, Minchenko Station, Sanctuary Station, and Union Station. Emperor Gregor sends Miles there to adjudicate a dispute between Graf Station and the Barrayaran escort ships accompanying a Komarran trade fleet, and he uncovers a plan to spark a war between Cetaganda and Barrayar in the process. (DI)
Union Station:
One of the few orbital arcologies in the Union of Free Habitats, or Quaddiespace, that maintains gravity and deals with galactics. (DI)
United Brethren String Chamber Orchestra:
A classical orchestra on Athos, one of their hymns is "God the Father, Light the Way." Ethan orders this song played in one of the uterine replicator chambers instead of a screechy dance tune. (EA)
Upsider:
A term used to refer to someone born on a space station. (All)
Urquhart, Bret:
Ethan Urquhart's youngest brother, he plays piccolo in the army regimental band on Athos. (EA)
Urquhart, Ethan:
A doctor and the Chief of Reproductive Biology at the Sevarin District Reproduction Center on Athos. Six feet tall with dark hair, he is constantly mistaken for a twenty-year-old due to his lack of a beard. He was raised by his father and his designated alternate parent on a fish farm in the South Province, and is the eldest of five male children, followed by Steve and Stanislaus from the D.A.'s genetics, then Janos, also from the D.A.'s genetics, and last is Bret from his father. He served in Athos's military as a master sergeant in the Medical Corps. Sent by the Population Council of Athos to replenish their ovarian cultures to maintain their population, he encounters women for the first time, and risks his life to recover a shipment of cultures for his planet's future. (EA)
Urquhart, Janos:
Ethan Urquhart's brother, three years younger than him. He is the son of Ethan's father's D.A., and he and Ethan have a sexual relationship. Irresponsible and reckless, he destroys Ethan's brand-new lightflyer in an accident, damaging a tree in the process. After Ethan goes on his mission, Janos runs off with his friend Nick to the outlands. (EA)
Urquhart, Stanislas:
Ethan Urquhart's brother, created from his father's designated alternate parent's genetic material. (EA)
Urquhart, Steve:
Ethan Urquhart's younger brother, created from his father's designated alternate parent's genetic material. (EA)
Ushakov:
No first name given. A colonel in Imperial Security Operations, he is Alexi Vormoncrief's commanding officer. Simon Illyan tells Vormoncrief that Ushakov will be hearing from General Allegre about the altercation with Ekaterin at the Vorthys's house. (CC)
Uterine replicator:
An artificial womb used to carry and develop human embryos to full term. Invented on Beta Colony. The use of replicators has spread to several planets across the galaxy, including Barrayar, Cetaganda, Jackson's Whole, and Athos. It is a portable container that replicates the functions and use of a natural womb, and frees women and babies from the hazards of natural gestation and birth. The fetus may be grown from blastocyst to birth in the replicator. Small enough to be carried by one person if necessary, the replicator has a containment membrane, nutrient tanks, filters for waste products, and its own power unit. It is necessary to service the replicator periodically, discarding the waste products and ensuring that the systems are running efficiently. Since gestation takes place outside the body, it is standard practice to certify that the blastocyst implanted into it for gestation is free of genetic defects before transfer to the replicator. Replicators are also used for bioengineering experiments, most notably to create the quaddies.
Aral Vorkosigan introduces the technology to Barrayar when he takes seventeen of these Betan inventions home with him after the Escobar War, all containing the offspring of rapes by Barrayaran soldiers on captured female opposition soldiers. These replicators become important in the series. After the soltoxin attack on Aral and Cordelia Vorkosigan, the only way their unborn son Miles can survive is through the use of one of these replicators. Cordelia gave permission for his fetus to be transferred to one for experimental calcium treatments to stimulate his bone growth, which was impaired by the antidote to the poison. After Cordelia, Droushnakovi, and Bothari sneak into the Imperial Residence and kill Vordarian, they carry Miles's replicator out with them through the secret tunnels. (All)
Vaagen:
No first name given. A captain in the Barrayaran Imperial Military and doctor of Biochemistry, he is introduced as the research facility's expert on military poisons. Cordelia promises him a research center if he can save Miles after the soltoxin attack. He is beaten by Vordarian's guards because he won't reveal where Miles's replicator is after the coup. When they find the replicator anyway, he's released, and makes his way to Cordelia and Aral to let them know that Vordarian has their son. (B)
Valentine:
No first name given. A retired admiral in the Barrayaran military, he is one of the nine Imperial Auditors, although he has been too frail for years to actively carry out the duties of his position. (M)
Vallerie, Lise:
A reporter with the Euronews Network on Old Earth. Miles makes up a story that Admiral Naismith is a clone of him during an interview with her after she sees him in both his identities. He's pleased with his story, figuring it will throw the Cetagandans and anyone else who might be looking for him off the real scent. The reporter obligingly spread the news. She also knows Investigator Reed at Eurolaw. (BA)
Van Atta, Bruce:
The supervisor of the Cay Project on Rodeo. He is about forty, tall, pale, dark-haired, with spots on his hands. He was once a subordinate to Leo Graf and then became his boss on the CPH. Divorced, he has a sexual relationship with Silver. Leo punches him after the escape incident with Tony and Claire. He leads the attempt to retake the station, and commands the security shuttle crew to fire on the fleeing habitat ship, but they do not obey his orders, with Doctor Yei even trying to knock him out with a spanner. (FF)
Vandermark, Jan:
The alias Mark Vorkosigan used the longest in the two years after he gained his freedom back on Earth. (MD)
Varusan Crotch Rot:
A sexually transmitted disease mentioned by Quinn as part of her ploy to bring biocontrol wardens down on Colonel Millisor at Kline Station. (EA)
Vatel:
A quaddie on pusher duty, he catches the out-of-control pusher after it damages the vortex mirror. (FF)
Vaughn:
The code name for Doctor Hugh Canaba during the Jackson's Whole mission to pick him up. (L)
Vega Station:
A space station with three jump points, one into the Cetaganda Empire through its satrapy Ola Three, one blocked by Toranira, and the third held by Zoave Twilight. Miles's original mission, before going to rescue Mark, was to take the Ariel, the D-16, and the Triumph to the station and leave them there, picking up three brand-new Illyrican-made warships for the Dendarii in trade. (MD)
Venier, Ser:
An assistant to Etienne Vorsoisson at the Serifosa branch of the Komarr Terraforming Project. He is a short, slight man, with brown eyes, a weak chin, and a nervous air. Miles thinks he resembles a rabbit. He is not involved in the plot to close Barrayar's wormhole. After Etienne is killed, he proposes marriage to Ekaterin, but she turns him down. (K)
Venn:
No first name given. The crew chief of Graf Station security, he does not care for downsiders and Barrayarans. He coordinates the investigation on the station side, and attends the interrogation of Russo Gupta and the inspection of the Idris. He helps Sealer Greenlaw and Adjudicator Leutwyn escape the ship after Dubauer hijacks it. (DI)
Venne:
Commander of the Tactics Room on Vorrutyer's ship. He sends hourly updates of the Escobar battle to Aral, and tells him of the messages coming in about the fleet being defeated. (SH)
Vervain:
A wealthy and technologically advanced planet near a wormhole to the Cetagandan Empire. Mu Ceta's forces were badly beaten when they tried to take Vervain and the wormhole by a combination of subterfuge and force, thanks to the intervention of Miles and Aral Vorkosigan. The planet has two jump exits, one to the Hegen Hub, the other into the sectors controlled by the Cetagandans. In the subterfuge part of the plot, Cavilo plans to turn on her Vervani employers and raid their planet, then fence the loot at Jackson's Whole. She is also employed by the Cetagandans, and was planning to run a double double cross by letting them into Vervain space to take over, with Vervain becoming another satrapy of the Cetagandan Empire. (C, VG)
Vibra-knife:
A personal melee weapon, it is a blade with its own power source that makes it vibrate at very high speed, greatly increasing its damage potential. (All)
Vifian:
No first name given. A tech in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, she is from Kline Station. Injured in the Marilacan mission, she was treated at Beauchene Life Center, and has amnesia as a result of the cryo-stasis and treatment. (MD)
Villanova, Elizabeth:
A plump, pleasant downsider matron who oversees the quaddie children's crèches on the Habitat. Known as Mama Nilla by the staff and children. Elects to remain with the quaddies instead of evacuating off the station. (FF)
Virga, Valeria:
Author of Rainbow Illustrated Romances, including Love in the Gazebo, Sir Randan's Folly, and Sir Randan and the Bartered Bride, all of which are among the contraband video fiction Ti Gulik brings to Silver. (FF)
Visconti, Elena:
Elena Bothari's mother, she is a beautiful, dark-haired woman. She served in the Escobar War, was taken prisoner by the Barrayarans, and was raped by Sergeant Bothari under the orders of Admiral Ges Vorrutyer. After peace was declared, the resulting fetus was transferred into a uterine replicator, and was born as a daughter, Elena Bothari, who was raised by her father on Barrayar. Visconti was given a memory wipe to save her from the nightmares that could result from her experiences as a prisoner of war, but gradually recovers some of those memories. A banking security technician, she is trapped on Tau Verde IV when a new war breaks out there, and is recruited for the Dendarii by Arde Mayhew. When she realizes who Sergeant Bothari is, she kills him in front of Elena. Initially not wanting anything to do with her daughter, she grants Miles a lock of her hair as a death-offering for Bothari before he leaves for Barrayar, and eventually manages to reach a rapport with her daughter. (MD, SH, WA)
Vogti:
No first name given. One of Aral's armsmen. His wife and elderly mother were taken hostage by Vordarian's men. (B)
Vone:
A slang term for a videophone, it enables users to see and hear each other. (DD)
Voraronberg:
No first name given. A minor Barrayaran lord, he is the Imperial Residence's food and beverage manager. (MD)
Vorbarr Sultana:
The capital of Barrayar, and the planet's largest city. It is home to the Imperial Residence, Vorhartung Castle, the Council of Counts, several excellent universities and colleges, the headquarters of Imperial Security, and the Imperial Military Hospital. The Vorkosigans have a home there, which Miles lives in after he resigns from Imperial Security. (All except FF)
Vorbarr Sultana Hall:
One of the cultural highlights of the capital city on Barrayar. Tickets for performances are often sold out as far as two years in advance. Martya Koudelka gets four tickets to the Imperial Orchestra that plays there, and persuades the Vorbrettens to accompany Olivia Koudelka and herself to the performance. (CC, M)
Vorbarra, Dorca:
The father of Yuri and Xav Vorbarra by different mothers and kinsman of Ezar, he is known as Dorca the Just. He ended the period of internal strife on Barrayar during the Time of Isolation, uniting the counts under one imperial banner. When the Time of Isolation ended, he was the Barrayaran Emperor as the Barrayaran/Cetagandan war broke out. He promoted twenty-two-year-old Piotr Vorkosigan to the rank of general for his guerrilla campaign in the Dendarii Mountains. Aral thinks his father was spared during Yuri Vorbarra's Massacre because Piotr wasn't blood-related to Dorca. His house colors are red and blue. (All except FF)
Vorbarra, Ezar:
A relative of Emperor Yuri Vorbarra, Ezar served alongside Piotr Vorkosigan during the Cetagandan War. Between them, Ezar and Piotr ran the Cetagandans off Barrayar, though the resistance cost five million Barrayaran lives. When it became clear that Yuri was mad and unfit to be Emperor, Ezar and Piotr rebelled and put Ezar on the throne. Ezar married the sister of Mad Emperor Yuri, just before he was killed. He is the Emperor of Barrayar at the start of the war between Barrayar and Escobar. His son, Serg, is as unfit as old Yuri was to take the throne, so Ezar ruthlessly arranges for his only child's assassination during the course of the Escobaran War. He appoints Aral Vorkosigan Regent until Serg's son, Gregor, comes of age to take the throne. Aral says that Ezar was the man who stabilized the old way and new way on Barrayar. When Cordelia meets Ezar on his deathbed he is very white, with white hair, and hazel eyes—which he passed on to his son and grandson. He dies shortly after Aral is approved as Regent by the Council of Counts. (B, SH)
Vorbarra, Gregor:
The grandson of Emperor Ezar Vorbarra, and the son of the deceased Crown Prince Serg Vorbarra and Princess Kareen, the current Emperor of Barrayar is tall, dark-haired, and pensive, with piercing hazel eyes. He ascends to the throne at the age of five, upon the death of his grandfather and mother, and is raised by Aral and Cordelia Vorkosigan. Cordelia oversees Gregor's education until he is twelve, when he is sent for the appropriate Imperial military school training.
Thanks to the Vorkosigans' careful oversight, he is a very effective ruler when he takes the reins of the Imperium at twenty-one, except for falling for an internal plot to discredit Aral through Miles's accidental creation of the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. Once Miles is cleared of the charges, he suggests that Gregor use the mercenary unit as the Emperor's Own, which Gregor takes him up on. He also goes through a difficult period when he discovers that the reputation of his father—the "gallant" Prince Serg—is a myth, and that his progenitor was a monster.
Depressed and despondent while attending trade negotiations on Komarr, Gregor attempts to commit suicide when drunk by falling off a high balcony, but ends up climbing down the vines on the side of the building and running away. He found passage on a ship off-planet, and eventually ended up in a Jackson Consortium prison cell with Miles, whom he grew up with back home. When both men are captured by Cavilo, she tries to seduce Gregor into marrying her for her protection. Gregor plays along with her long enough to escape, then leads the Barrayaran reinforcements back through the wormhole to relieve the Dendarii.
Through the course of the series from this point onward, Gregor grows steadily more able and mature, and his judgment becomes increasingly acute. When it becomes clear that Mark Vorkosigan will be accepted as the son of Aral and Cordelia, Gregor insists on meeting Mark to take the clone's measure. Satisfied that Mark is a true Vorkosigan, Gregor gives him a comm card that enables Mark to contact the Emperor whenever he wishes. Over Simon's disapproval, Gregor gives Mark the final permission to try to locate Miles on Jackson's Whole.
He appoints Miles as acting Imperial Auditor when Simon Illyan develops serious mental problems as a result of the failure of his memory chip, turning Miles loose to find out what happened, and who is responsible. He personally interviews General Lucas Haroche after his arrest, and solicits a full confession. Impressed with Miles's work on the case, he calls the other four active Imperial Auditors together to review it, and they all vote to offer Miles the permanent position of Imperial Auditor, with Gregor also promoting Miles retroactively to the rank of captain per his request.
After Miles returns from his mission to Komarr, Gregor surprises everyone by falling in love with a Komarran, Doctor Laisa Toscane, and asking her to marry him. While going through the amazing preparations for his wedding, Gregor makes time for a meeting with Nikolai Vorsoisson, the son of Etienne, in which he tells the boy as much of the truth of his father's death as can be allowed without compromising security. Later, he also puts Vassily Vorsoisson and Hugo Vorvayne straight as to Nikolai's safety, and assures them of the ludicrousness of Vormoncrief's plot against Miles. Gregor is safely and happily married to Laisa Toscane, and Gregor's heirs, Miles among them, breathe a sigh of relief and wish him many happy years, and even more healthy offspring. He interrupts Miles's own honeymoon to send his Imperial Auditor to sort out the problem of the Komarran trade fleet at Graf Station in Sector V. (All except EA, FF, SH)
Vorbarra, Kareen:
The wife of Prince Serg, after his death she becomes Princess Dowager, and mother of the new Emperor, Gregor. She is a thin, strained-looking woman of thirty with beautiful, dark hair. The strain is a result of her marriage—Crown Prince Serg was a monster—and the dynastic politics of the Imperium that threaten her life and that of her child every day. Kareen kisses Cordelia's hand when they first meet, thinking that she killed Ges Vorrutyer. She assigns Droushnakova as Cordelia's bodyguard when Cordelia admits to missing the bright women friends that were so dear to her back on Beta Colony. During Vordarian's failed attempt to take the Barrayaran throne, he claims Kareen as his wife to try to solidify his claim to power. After Cordelia proves to Kareen that Vordarian lied to her about Gregor's death during the coup, Kareen attempts to kill Vordarian. She is shot and killed by one of the Residence guards. (B)
Vorbarra, Laisa Toscane:
A woman Duv Galeni is seeing until Emperor Gregor becomes entranced by her and they become engaged to be married. She is short, a bit plump but attractively so, with brilliant blue-green eyes, glowing milky skin, a lovely face, and short, light brown hair with silvery blond highlights. She is a daughter of the Toscane family on Komarr, which cooperated with the Barrayaran conquest, and now holds a lot of influence on the planet. She is a trade lobbyist at Vorbarr Sultana, and has a doctorate in business theory. In an effort to court her, Gregor gives her a horse ride at their first private luncheon. She is appalled by some of the more traditional terms of the wedding contract, but Lady Alys helps reinterpret some old, embarrassing customs to put her more at ease. She marries Gregor, and becomes the Empress of Barrayar. Her family owns a fifty percent share of the Komarran trade fleet impounded at Graf Station in the Union of Free Habitats. (CC, DI, M, WG)
Vorbarra, Serg:
The son of Emperor Ezar, he is the crown prince of Barrayar, and the next in line to the throne. He is co-commander of the Barrayaran armada during its attempt to invade Escobar. He is about thirty years old, with a square face, black hair, hooded hazel eyes, and thin lips. A vain, pompous, deviant man, he is goaded into personally leading the attack on the Escobar fleet, and is killed in the ensuing battle. His death is part of a plan hatched by Emperor Ezar, Captain Negri, and Aral to save Barrayar from Serg's insanity, since he is manifestly unfit to rule. After his death he is hailed as a hero on Barrayar. The planet of Sergyar is named after him. (SH)
Vorbarra, Xav:
Aral's grandfather, he was the ambassador to Beta Colony when he was a youth, where he met Aral's Betan grandmother. While the assassins sent by Yuri Vorbarra (his half brother) missed him during the Massacre, his wife was killed, leading Xav to side with Ezar in the civil war that resulted in Ezar becoming Emperor. (SH)
Vorbarra, Yuri:
An Emperor of Barrayar who went mad in his later years, despite, or perhaps because of, his heroic earlier role resisting the Cetagandan invaders. He is related to Prince Xav Vorbarra (half brother). He was deposed by an army headed by Piotr Vorkosigan and Ezar Vorbarra. During Yuri's ritual death of a thousand cuts, Aral Vorkosigan, though only thirteen years old at the time, was offered the first cut. (SH)
Vorbarra-Vorkosigan, Olivia:
Daughter of Xav Vorbarra, and the mother of Aral Vorkosigan, she was killed by one of Emperor Yuri's assassins, who shot a sonic grenade into her stomach in front of Aral when he was eleven years old. (SH)
Vorbataille:
No first name given. A count's heir in the southern districts of Barrayar, he is entangled in criminal activity involving Jackson's Whole, including using his private yacht to insert a hijacking team onto the Princess Olivia. He is betrayed when Luca Tarpan sets him up to take the fall for the assassination of Ekaterin. (WG)
Vorberg:
No first name given. A lieutenant in Barrayaran Imperial Security, he is a courier officer who was captured and held for ransom. Illyan sends the Dendarii Free Mercenaries to rescue him. During his rescue, Miles accidentally cut his legs off with a plasma arc while suffering a seizure. Vorberg's legs are fortunately salvageable, though he lost a bit of height in the accident. He later meets Miles back on Barrayar, but doesn't know Miles was the one who maimed him. Understandably, he speaks disparagingly of the Dendarii Mercenaries. While convalescing he is given a job as night guard commander for the security at the clinic where Simon has been placed. When Miles doesn't respond to Simon's repeated requests to see him, Vorberg finds Miles to chastise him, inadvertently letting him know something is wrong, and putting the whole chain of events that leads to Miles's appointment as Imperial Auditor into play. (M)
Vorbohn:
No first name given. A lord on Barrayar, he is the head of the Vorbarr Sultana Municipal Guard. He helped Officer Gustioz with obtaining permissions to arrest Doctor Borgos. He is also waiting to arrest Lord Richars when the Council of Counts finishes voting on Lord Dono's claim to his brother's District. (CC)
Vorbretten House:
The Vorbretten ancestral manor was so badly damaged during the fighting over Vordarian's Pretendership that the family demolished the remains and built anew. Protected by force screens, the new mansion is modern, light, and airy, perched on a bluff overlooking the river, nearly opposite Castle Vorhartung, and with excellent views of the Vorbarr Sultana cityscape both up and down river. (CC)
Vorbretten, René:
A count on Barrayar, he is the epitome of the modern Vor class; tall, athletic, and handsome. He speaks four languages, plays three musical instruments, and has perfect singing pitch. His house colors are dark green and bittersweet orange. He is the son of Commodore Lord Vorbretten, who had been a star protégé of Aral Vorkosigan until he was killed at the Hegen Hub during the Cetagandan takeover attempt a decade ago. When his grandfather died, René gave up his military career and assumed the count's duties. He married Tatya, the eighteen-year-old daughter of Lord Vorkeres, in a love match. While the couple was preparing for starting their first child in a uterine replicator, the gene scan revealed that Rene is one-eighth Cetaganda ghem-lord by an alliance of his great-grandmother during the Occupation. This means the seventh Vorbretten count was not the true son of the sixth, which could cut René out of the succession in favor of the true lineage by a descendant of the sixth count's younger brother, Sigur Vorbretten, the son-in-law of Count Boriz Vormoncrief, who has filed claim on Sigur's behalf to the Vorbretten district. With help from Miles and Lord Dono Vorrutyer, René fends off the claim to his district, and is confirmed as the true count by a majority of the Council. (CC)
Vorbretten, Sigur:
A descendant of the sixth Count Vorbretten's younger brother, he has had a claim filed on his behalf by Count Vormoncrief on the Vorbretten District due to René Vorbretten's Cetagandan heritage. René wins the vote, and a gracious Sigur accepts defeat with what appears to be relief. (CC)
Vorbretten, Tatya Vorkeres:
Countess, and the wife of René, she has bright hazel eyes, wide set in a heart-shaped face with a foxy chin and ringlets of ebony hair. She and Olivia Koudelka went to school together, and Olivia and Martya visit the Vorbrettens during the Cetagandan bloodline scandal to cheer her up. Her cousin Stannis is a directing officer in the fife and drum corps of the City Guard. Withdrawn and depressed about the scandal, she attends the Council of Counts meeting that will decide her husband's fate, unwilling to wait for the news. (CC)
Vordarian, Vidal:
A commodore and count of Barrayar, he is a staunch conservative who disapproves of Aral's progressive ideas. About forty years old, he is neither handsome nor ugly, with dark hair and a dished-in face, a prominent forehead and jaw, and a mustache. He told Cordelia during the Emperor's Birthday celebration that Aral was bisexual, making her realize Vordarian was not to be trusted, and resulting in her telling Simon Illyan to watch him. His district has four major manufacturing cities and some military ports, with one being the largest shuttleport and supply depot. After Ezar's death, he attempts to overthrow the current government and install himself as Emperor, holding Kareen hostage in the Imperial Residence and declaring himself Prime Minster and acting Regent of Barrayar. He is killed by Bothari at Cordelia's command. His house colors are maroon and gold. (B)
Vordarian's Pretendership:
What Barrayarans call the attempted coup that occurred when Aral first became Regent. (B, WA)
Vordrozda:
A Barrayaran count who arrives at Vorkosigan House with Admiral Hessman during Piotr's funeral. Cordelia distrusts him. When he learns of Miles's formation of a mercenary army at Tau Verde IV, he tries to bring charges of treason against Miles to discredit Aral, in hopes of eliminating a potential rival to the Emperor's throne. He is uncovered by Miles, who accuses him at the Council of Counts, and forces him into revealing his sedition. (WA)
Vorfemme knife:
A small knife, often decorated, that is traditionally carried by all woman of the Vor class on Barrayar, ostensibly to defend themselves if necessary. Helen Vorthys remembers that she had been carrying an enameled one in her boot, which she had unfortunately thrown at one of the engineers. Ekaterin wasn't wearing hers, in an attempt to appear more modern. Vorthys mentions her grandmother and Ekaterin mentions her great-aunt in reference to the knives, implying that Vor women have used them for more than decoration in the past. (K)
Vorfolse:
No first name given. A count on the south coast of Barrayar who started his own political party. He is a man with very few assets, as his family consistently sided with the wrong people at the wrong time throughout the previous century, including the Cetagandans and Vordarian. He currently rents out his family mansion to a prole with ambition, and has only one servant. Lord Dono, Olivia, Ivan, and Szabo all showed up at his flat to gain his vote regarding Dono's suit at the Council when they are attacked by Richars' men, who attempt to castrate Dono. Count Vorfolse is so incensed by the assault happening on his property that he verbally admonishes Richars in the Council chamber before voting in favor of Lord Dono. (CC)
Vorgarin:
No first name given. One of the undecided counts that Miles thought he brought to René Vorbretten's side, although not to Lord Dono's. (CC)
Vorgier:
No first name given. A captain in Imperial Security, he is in charge of the Komarr jump station security. He wants to make an aggressive raid to end the hostage standoff with the Komarran engineers, but Miles overrides him in favor of negotiation. (K)
Vorgorov, Cassia:
A slim girl, eighteen years old, with dark brown hair, a slightly long face, and pretty eyes. She runs into Ivan, whom she's had a long-standing crush on, and Mark at the Emperor's Birthday celebration. Ivan knows her, as his mother wishes him to consider her as a possible match, but he does not appreciate her as Mark does. She seems unsettled by Mark, however, and when left alone with him, excuses herself and leaves him as quickly as possible. She later marries Lord William Vortashpula, Count Vortashpula's heir, and discreetly rubs it in Ivan's face. (CC, MD)
Vorgustafson, Vann:
A Barrayaran Imperial Auditor, he was recently appointed by Emperor Gregor. A retired industrialist and noted philanthropist who doesn't dress according to his lofty social status; in fact, his wardrobe lacks color coordination. Shorter and stouter than Vorthys, he has a bristling gray beard and a pink, choleric face that can alarm those who first meet him, since he appears to be on the verge of stroke or heart attack. Along with the other Auditors in attendance, he approves Miles for the eighth Imperial Auditor position. (M)
Vorhalas:
No first name given. A count on Barrayar, he is a staunch Conservative, and a linchpin in the party, due to his reputation for integrity. He did not rebel against Aral's Regency government when one of his sons was put to death for participating in an illegal duel. When word of Richars's bungled assault on Lord Dono gets back to him, he leads Counts Vorkalloner, Vorpatril, and Vorfolse in switching their vote against Richars. (CC)
Vorhalas, Carl:
Son of Count Vorhalas, Carl is a Barrayaran lord and Evon Vorhalas's younger brother. Early in Aral Vorkosigan's Regency government, he is publicly executed by beheading after he kills someone in a duel. Afterward, Evon Vorhalas attempts to kill Aral because he wouldn't stop the execution. (B)
Vorhalas, Evon:
Carl Vorhalas's brother, he attempts to assassinate Aral using the soltoxin in revenge for Carl's execution. During the coup, he escapes to Vordarian's side and is put in charge of commanding ground troops in Vorbarr Sultana. He is shot by his own men when he won't surrender after Vordarian's death. (B)
Vorhalas, Rulf:
Admiral in the Barrayaran fleet, he is a friend of Aral's, and brother to Count Vorhalas. Roughly fifty years old, he is subordinate to Prince Serg during the war with Escobar, and is killed when the prince's ship is destroyed. (SH)
Vorharopulous:
No first name given. One of the counts involved in voting on the René Vorbretten and Lord Dono Vorrutyer cases. His house colors are chartreuse and scarlet. (CC)
Vorhartung Castle:
An old, rambling castle located on a bluff above the river rapids that divide the city of Vorbarr Sultana. It is where the Council of Counts convenes to handle the governmental business of Barrayar. It is also the site of Gregor's Imperial offices. It incorporates a museum open to the public when the counts are not in session, containing such exhibits as the preserved scalp of Mad Emperor Yuri Vorbarra. (All except FF, SH)
Vorhovis:
No first name given. A Barrayaran Imperial Auditor, he is the youngest of the seven Imperial Auditors before Miles joins, and one of the best. A cool, lean, sophisticated man, he is the model of the modern Vor lord. He has been a soldier, diplomat, planetary ambassador, and one time assistant to the Minister of Finance. Miles had requested to work with him before Gregor makes him an acting Imperial Auditor. Along with the other Auditors in attendance, Vorhovis approves Miles for the eighth Imperial Auditor position. (M)
Vorinnis:
No first name given. A Barrayaran count whose district has remained neutral during the War of the Vordarian Pretendership, and who was heavily courted by both sides. Piotr thinks he is playing both ends against the middle, and wants Aral to hang him if he doesn't choose soon. Cordelia plans to travel through his district during her rescue mission to save Miles. (B)
Vorinnis:
No first name given. A Barrayaran count who would be backed by the military right if he ever attempted to claim the throne. Despite his conservative bent, he votes for both René Vorbretten and Lord Dono Vorrutyer at the Council of Counts meeting, thanks to some back-door politicking by Alys Vorpatril. (CC)
Vorkalloner:
No first name given. An Imperial Auditor in the more traditional mold, having been appointed straight out of the military, where he was an admiral. Tall and thick, he seems to take up a lot of space. He had a long, distinguished military career, is socially bland, and does not affiliate himself with any political party. Along with the other Auditors in attendance, he approves Miles for the eighth Imperial Auditor position. (M)
Vorkalloner:
No first name given. A Barrayaran count, he is one of the Conservative members who changes his vote from Richars Vorrutyer to Lord Dono Vorrutyer. (CC)
Vorkalloner, Aristede:
A lieutenant commander in the Barrayaran military, he is Aral's second officer on the General Vorkraft. Promoted to commander, he is killed during the Escobar conflict. His body is later retrieved by an Escobaran Personnel Retrieval Team. (SH)
Vorkosigan, Aral:
The second son of General Piotr Vorkosigan, Aral is a lifelong soldier in the Barrayaran military. In his early forties, he is slightly taller than Cordelia Naismith, but stocky and powerful. He has untidy, dark hair tinged with gray and intent gray eyes, with a heavy jaw, a straight, broad nose, and a faded, L-shaped scar on left side of his chin. His house colors are brown and silver.
When Cordelia meets him on the planet later named Sergyar, he is the captain of the Imperial war cruiser General Vorkraft. He is known as "the Butcher/Hero of Komarr," depending on who is referring to him. He had an older brother who was killed by Mad Emperor Yuri when Aral was just eleven. His mother was half Betan, and was killed in front of him during Yuri Vorbarra's Massacre. His maternal grandfather is Prince Xav Vorbarra, who served as ambassador to Beta Colony, and his grandmother, the prince's wife, was in the Bureau for Interstellar Trade.
Aral has faithfully served the Imperium for most of his life. He has had an amazing military career, and is a superb strategist responsible for pushing back multiple expansion attempts by the Cetagandans. He oversaw the conquest of Komarr, which would have been bloodless except for the Solstice Massacre, where he earned his nickname. He was involved in the plot to eliminate Prince Serg during the war with Escobar, and organized the Imperial Fleet's withdrawal afterward. He served as Regent of Barrayar during Emperor Gregor's youth, and was forced into a brief civil war with Vidal Vordarian when he attempted to overthrow the Regency. When Gregor took his throne, Aral served him as Prime Minister, and eventually accepted the position of Viceroy of Sergyar.
Aral married twice. His first wife died young, committing suicide by plasma arc. His second wife, Betan Commander Cordelia Naismith, is the love of his life. He has two sons, Miles and Mark. (All except FF)
Vorkosigan (Naismith), Cordelia:
At the beginning of the Vorkosigan saga, she is the commander of a Betan Astronomical Survey team, an astrocartographer, and the captain of the Betan scientific vessel Rene Magritte. Thirty-three years old, she has copper hair and gray eyes. Her immediate family includes a brother who just purchased a second child permit and a mother who specializes in medical engineering. Her father, also a Betan Survey officer, died in a transport accident when she was a child. Her first true adult romance was with a man who emotionally manipulated her to the point of abuse, and then maneuvered her out of a captaincy. She has had no lovers since that emotional and career disaster.
She is captured by Aral Vorkosigan while surveying the planet later known as Sergyar. As his prisoner, she discovers that there is much to admire in her putative enemy. Before they have reached his ship, the two have fallen in love. Back at Aral's ship, she is instrumental in stopping a mutiny before being rescued by her crew. Afterward, she serves in the Betan Expeditionary Force, commanding a bulk freighter used as a decoy to lure Barrayaran warships away from a wormhole to Escobar. After being captured by the Barrayarans again, she is interrogated/tortured by Admiral Ges Vorrutyer before he is killed by Sergeant Bothari. Aral comes to her rescue, only to discover that she has already rescued herself. He hides her in his cabin while Vorrutyer's death is investigated. Cordelia is then sent to a prison camp, where she is repatriated back to her home planet of Beta Colony and treated as a hero. But her government suspects her of having been suborned by the Barrayarans. Their attempts to cure her almost cause her to have a nervous breakdown. When she discovers that she is suspected of being a deep-cover spy, she escapes, travels to Barrayar, and marries Aral.
Soon she is pregnant with Miles. After an assassination attempt on Aral using soltoxin gas, Cordelia's fetus is severely damaged, and must be removed and placed in a uterine replicator. During the coup attempt by Vidal Vordarian, Cordelia becomes the de facto protector of Gregor while they are in hiding in the mountains near Amie Pass. Once Gregor and Cordelia are safe again, they learn that Vordarian is holding Miles's replicator hostage. Cordelia leads Bothari, Droushnakovi, and Koudelka on a mission to save her son. After saving Alys Vorpatril from Vordarian's goons and helping deliver her son Ivan, Cordelia continues on to the Emperor's Residence, where she finds Miles's replicator. Captured by Imperial Security guards, they escape with Vordarian as a hostage, until Cordelia orders Bothari to execute him, which he does with Koudelka's swordstick. Cordelia takes Vordarian's head back to Aral, and tells him to end the war.
As Aral serves as Regent of Barrayar, Cordelia sees to the raising of Gregor and Miles, as well as doing her best to bring Barrayar into the modern age without losing its virtues, or her own. Among her other ventures, she helps fund the medical facility in Hassadar. Half the people there are oath-sworn to her in exchange for their schooling. Even after her children are grown, she frequently serves as a voice of reason for them. She accepts her clone-son Mark as her and Aral's own, and tries to help him assimilate to his new life. She also buys Mark a ship to go and rescue Miles from Jackson's Whole after his cryo-revival.
When Miles nearly destroys his relationship with Ekaterin, she gives him relationship advice that gets him back on track. She invests in Mark's bug butter business, and brokers an agreement between Mark and the Koudelkas after his relationship with Kareen becomes difficult.
Cordelia's name and title keep changing throughout the Vorkosigan sagas. She begins as Commander Cordelia Naismith, then becomes Captain Cordelia Naismith. When she marries Aral Vorkosigan, her name/title becomes Lady Vorkosigan. When Aral is appointed Regent, she becomes Regent-Consort Lady Vorkosigan. After Piotr's death, she becomes Regent-Consort Countess Vorkosigan. Then Aral and she move to Sergyar, where Aral becomes viceroy, and Cordelia becomes Vicereine Countess Vorkosigan. (All except FF)
Vorkosigan, Countess, the fifth:
No first name given. An ancestor of Miles's who suffered under the periodic delusion that she was made of glass. One of her irritated relations eventually dropped her off a twenty-meter castle turret, killing her. (BA)
Vorkosigan crest:
A stylized maple leaf in front of three triangles, which represent the Dendarii Mountains, it was originally used to seal the bags of District tax revenues. In an attempt to curry favor with Miles, Enrique Borgos gene-splices the Vorkosigan crest onto the back of a group of butter bugs, not realizing it's a terrible insult to the family. (CC)
Vorkosigan, Ekaterin Nile Vorvayne Vorsoisson:
A Barrayaran from the South Continent, she is the wife of the administrator for the Serifosa division of the terraforming project on Komarr. She has rich brown hair with amber highlights and light blue eyes, and is withering under the stress of her unhappy marriage. She has three older brothers and lost her mother when she was a teenager. She lived with her Aunt Helen and Uncle Vorthys in Vorbarr Sultana for two years before marrying Etienne Vorsoisson and, a decade later, is living in Serifosa, on Komarr.
Ekaterin feels closer to her aunt and uncle than to her father. She has a passion for growing plants and is very intelligent. She is not happy with her husband, and when she finds out he has taken bribes, lost most of their savings and pension on a Komarran trade fleet, and is still not going for help for his illness as well as blocking her son's treatment, she leaves him. After his death, she gets Nikolai into a hospital for treatment of his Vorzohn's Dystrophy, and prepares to leave Komarr to travel back home to Barrayar. At the jump-point station to pick up Helen Vorthys, they are both taken hostage by Arozzi, and held prisoner where the engineers are planning to try to close the wormhole. Ekaterin escapes and ends up breaking the wormhole-closing device. She and Helen are put into an airlock, with the engineers threatening to space both of them, until Miles convinces them to surrender. She ends up going back to Barrayar, with the promise of seeing Miles again very much on her mind.
When she and Nikolai arrive on Barrayar, they live with her Aunt and Uncle Vorthys in Vorbarr Sultana and she plans to attend school. Despite Miles trying to keep her under wraps, she is inundated by gentleman callers, but has no intention of getting married again. Miles gives her a garden design job and she enjoys her time with him, but just as she is letting her guard down, he is forced to propose to her in the middle of his disastrous dinner party, and she storms out, thinking he was trying to manipulate her.
She accepts work from Mark and Kareen redesigning the butter bugs to be more consumer-friendly. Eventually she comes to realize, after carrying around Miles's heartfelt letter of apology and listening to the slander of him by her suitors, brother, and former brother-in-law, that she is in love with Miles.
Brought to Castle Vorhartung by Gregor so he can protect her son from her overbearing relatives, she attends the Council of Counts vote, and when the false charge that Miles murdered her husband is made by Richars, she proposes to Miles to prove that he is not manipulating her into an unwanted marriage. During the preparations, she is naturally jittery about marrying again, but forges onward. When a poisoned gift choker of pearls makes her very ill, at first she thinks it is nerves, and is relieved to find the illness stemmed from poison. Rather than feeling frightened at the assassination attempt, she continues with the wedding, wearing the now-clean pearls in defiance of her husband's enemies.
While honeymooning with her husband, Miles is sent to Graf Station to adjudicate a dispute between the station security and the Barrayaran fleet escort. She assists where she can, especially at the end, where Miles must reach Cetagandan space with the haut-fetuses to return them back to the Empire, and also be treated for the parasites that are killing him. She receives a Warrant of the Celestial House from the Cetagandans in acknowledgment of her actions in saving the haut-lords' children. (K, CC, DI, WG)
Vorkosigan House:
A large, gray stone mansion that is more than two centuries old. Built by Miles's great-great-great grandfather, it was one of the reasons he went bankrupt. Approximately four kilometers from Imperial Security HQ, it is a four-story building with two wings plus a few other odd architectural bits added over the decades. A semicircular drive leads up to the house, with a strip of lawn and a garden setting the house off from the street. A stone wall topped by black wrought-iron spikes surrounds the grounds. There is a force screen inside the wall for true protection. It's a big house, meant to be lived in by multiple generations at once, along with armsmen, servants, and staff.
It is where Evon Vorhalas tries to assassinate Aral, and catches Cordelia in the soltoxin attack. Almost thirty years later, Miles moves in after resigning from Imperial Security, and takes over his grandfather Piotr's former suite of rooms after his confirmation as Imperial Auditor.
There is an empty lot adjoining the house where a house was demolished long ago and Imperial Security did not want anything new built, as it would have blocked their field of fire as they protected Count Vorkosigan. Miles has Ekaterin build a native Barrayaran display garden there. Vorkosigan House is the initial site of Mark Vorkosigan's butter bug industry. But several of Doctor Borgos's butter bugs escaped the lab in the basement, and later Borgos tries to dump fifty kilograms of bug butter down the sink drain, which clogs the main drain, leaving Miles to go in and fix the problem. The house is also the site of the bug butter war, where Kareen and Martya try to save Doctor Borgos from the Escobaran parole officers by pelting them with tubs of bug butter. (B, CC, M)
Vorkosigan, Mark Pierre:
Miles's clone, he was created from stolen tissue samples on Jackson's Whole, financed by a hostile Komarran faction to create a copy of Miles to kill Aral and take over the Barrayaran throne. Mark was raised with other clones in Jacksonian clone crèches until he was fourteen, when he was taken by Ser Galen for more intensive training to impersonate Miles and in espionage and assassination. Galen's training regime for Mark was filled with torture and abuse.
Six years younger than Miles, he is a nearly exact physical duplicate, right down to the plastic replacement bones in his legs. He doesn't suffer from the brittle bone syndrome that Miles has, but is as intelligent as his brother, and comes up with the plan to have Miles kidnap himself so they can insert Mark into the Dendarii and the Barrayaran Embassy in London. Mark is obsessed with Miles, who nearly talks him into coming back to Barrayar as his true brother. Arrested on suspicion of hiring assassins to kill Admiral Naismith, Mark is freed by Ser Galen, who tries to get him to kill Miles at the Thames Tidal Barrier. Mark shoots Galen instead, and takes Miles to where Ivan is trapped in a pumping chamber. Miles gives Mark a half-million-mark credit chit, and tells him he's free to do whatever he wishes with his life.
Four years later, Mark pretends to be Admiral Miles Naismith again to gain control of the Ariel and a squad of Dendarii commandos to rescue a group of fifty clones from House Bharaputra on Jackson's Whole. After the events in London, Cordelia is aware of his existence and has read the intelligence reports concerning him. Mark's attempt to rescue the clones fails, leading Miles to come to Jackson's Whole to save him. Miles is killed during the rescue and cryogenically frozen in front of him. Mark is sent to Barrayar, where he meets Aral and Cordelia, who tell him if Miles is dead, he is the Vorkosigan heir. Not wanting to get enmeshed in Barrayaran politics or family trees, Mark figures out where Miles is, and goes to rescue him with help from Cordelia, Elli Quinn, Bel Thorne, and Elena Bothari-Jesek. He is captured by Baron Ryoval's men and tortured, causing his personality to fracture. One of his personalities, Killer, kills Ryoval. Mark then negotiates a deal with Baron Fell to let the Duronas leave Jackson's Whole and goes back to Barrayar with Miles, two million Betan dollars richer, and ready to plan his new life as Mark Vorkosigan.
He stays with Aral and Cordelia for a time, and then moves on to Beta Colony to go to school at the University of Silica, studying accounting. He is getting acquainted with his grandmother, Elizabeth, and is also involved with Kareen Koudelka. Elli Quinn doesn't like him, blaming Mark for Miles's seizures, and calling him a "fat little creep." Mark is a potential suspect in Simon Illyan's breakdown, but his alibi of being on Beta Colony rules him out. In an attempt to differentiate himself from Miles, Mark gains an enormous amount of weight.
After a year of university study and therapy, Mark returns to Barrayar. His latest capital venture is an offshoot of a visit to Escobar to get powerful weight-loss drugs. He also takes an Escobaran scientist, Doctor Enrique Borgos, under his wing to develop a bioengineering program to convert Barrayaran native plants to human edible food. The butter bug scheme turns Vorkosigan House on its ear.
Mark's relationship with Kareen Koudelka progresses well, but runs into difficulty with Kareen's return to Barrayar. He becomes quite desperate about potentially losing Kareen, until his mother Cordelia helps allay her parents' concerns about her relationship with Mark. He also seems to be bonding more with people, particularly with Miles. Mark is engaged in a valiant struggle to become a functional, if never quite normal, human being, and seems to be succeeding.
The butter bug maple ambrosia is a hit at the Emperor's wedding reception, and Mark also brokers a deal with Count Vorsmythe for start-up capital for his company, the profits from which he plans to use to explore alternate longevity techniques other than brain transplants. (BA, CC, DI, K, M, MD, WG)
Vorkosigan, Miles Naismith:
The hyperactive, physically deformed, genius son of Aral Vorkosigan and Cordelia Naismith. As a result of the soltoxin attack on his mother while she is pregnant, Miles is born with severe teratogenic, though not genetic, damage. In particular, his bones are brittle, misshapen, and prone to breakage. Miles was not able to walk until he turned five, after which he never slowed down. He has dark hair, gray eyes, a bit of a humpback, and is short for his age, approximately four foot ten inches tall. His appearance, on mutation-phobic Barrayar, is a problem that requires constant vigilance to contain. Miles reaches adulthood only because of his father's position, his intelligence and ability to charm those around him, and the watchful eye of Sergeant Bothari, who keeps enemies at bay.
Miles tries to commit suicide at age fifteen while attending school on Beta Colony, but Bothari prevents him from succeeding. Two years later, he washes out of the Imperial Military Academy when he breaks both his legs during a physical trial. His grandfather Piotr, Miles believes, dies from the shame of this. Miles accidentally forms the Dendarii Free Mercenaries while on a trip to Beta Colony to visit his grandmother. He ends the blockade of Tau Verde IV, and averts a plot to discredit his father and family back on Barrayar. After these adventures, Gregor realizes that Miles is a loose cannon, and appoints him to the Military Academy by Imperial fiat.
Miles's first assignment after graduating from the Imperial Academy is to replace the chief meteorology officer on Lazkowski Base. After trying to prevent the slaughter of technicians who refuse an order to clean up a dangerous poison, he is shipped back to Vorbarr Sultana, where he offers to resign his commission to save the rest of the men from standing trial. After a period of house arrest, he is seconded to Imperial Security and assigned to gather information on increased activity around the Hegen Hub. Miles poses as an arms dealer, and is framed for murder. While fleeing the charges, he finds the Emperor of Barrayar, Gregor, who has escaped his security detail, and is also in prison. The two uncover a plot by the psychotic mercenary Cavilo to let Cetaganda invade Vervain. When Cavilo learns she has the Emperor of Barrayar in her clutches, her thoughts turn to a marriage alliance, and Miles has to rescue his ruler and prevent an interplanetary war from breaking out. He manages both, with a bit of help from his father, Aral, and the Dendarii Free Mercenaries.
Promoted to lieutenant in Imperial Security, he travels under the cover identity of a courier officer, but actually is a galactic Special Operations agent who reports directly to Simon Illyan, who reports directly to Gregor. While attending the funeral of the Dowager Empress on Eta Ceta IV, in the Cetagandan Empire, Miles solves the murder of the ba Lura, foils a plot against the Cetagandan Emperor, and stops a war between Cetaganda and Barrayar. Miles also falls in love with the haut Rian Degtiar, knowing there is no conceivable way they ever could be together. After risking his life to recover the missing Great Key of the Cetagandan Star Crèche regalia in time for the funeral of the Emperor's mother, and recovering copied Cetagandan gene banks from the eight satrap governors, Miles is awarded the Order of Merit by the Cetagandan Emperor.
Next, he is sent to Jackson's Whole to pick up a genetic scientist to work on some interesting new biological strains that Imperial Security has secured. Miles gets tangled up in rescuing a quaddie musician and a bioengineered super-soldier from the two wealthiest Houses on the planet. He earns the wrath of Baron Ryoval when he destroys the genetic samples library in Ryoval's laboratory during his escape.
Miles next earns the enmity of the Cetagandan Empire by using the Dendarii to stage a daring rescue of 10,000 Marilacan prisoners from Dagoola IV, a prison camp. Miles goes in under cover as one of the prisoners. He combines psychology and a bit of religious persuasion to organize the prisoners for escape. He is almost killed before he can pull off the rescue, in the course of which he loses 207 prisoners, along with two shuttles, plus four dead and sixteen wounded Dendarii.
Miles was supposed to report to Tau Ceti after the mission, but the Cetagandans put a large price on his head, forcing him and the Dendarii to lay low on Earth to repair the fleet and get needed medical attention for his crew. Miles and Elli fall in love during this time, but she turns down his offer of marriage. She wants to be Admiral Quinn in space, not Lady Vorkosigan stuck on Barrayar. While coming to terms with this, Miles is kidnapped as part of a Komarran plot to replace him with a clone, Mark, who will destabilize the Barrayaran government and open an opportunity for Komarr to break free of the Imperium—or so the Komarran plotters hope. Escaping from his captors with Elli's help, Miles also gives Mark his freedom, and gets a new mission to rescue Barrayaran hostages from some mercenaries turned pirates.
Four years later, Miles learns that Mark posed as Admiral Naismith and commandeered the Ariel to go to Jackson's Whole and rescue clones there who are about to be killed to provide donor bodies to wealthy and amoral elderly clients. Miles follows Mark with the intention of rescuing his brother, if necessary. During the mission, Miles is killed by a needler grenade to the chest, but cryogenically preserved for later resuscitation. He ends up a patient at the Durona clan medical facility, with a replacement heart, lungs, and stomach, but missing his memory, and must undergo rehabilitation there, where he falls in love with his doctor, Rowan Durona. Captured by Baron Fell's men just before he was about to be rescued by Mark, Miles is sold to Baron Ryoval, but arrives at the compound after Mark had already killed Ryoval. He contacts Imperial Security, which comes to get him, and watches as Mark consummates a deal with Baron Fell to get the Duronas off Jackson's Whole, and make a million Betan dollars in the process. Miles escorts his brother back to Barrayar.
Miles recovers from his cryo-stasis. During his revival his spine was straightened and he gained a centimeter of height, but he has some bad news to go along with the good. He now suffers from seizures that he has not reported to either Imperial Security or Elli Quinn, his second-in-command among the Dendarii. Miles's pride crashes and embarrassment peaks with a crucial accident on a rescue mission when he has a seizure and accidentally cuts off the legs of the Barrayaran courier they were rescuing. Miles does not report all the details of the accident or his health woes to Imperial Security, not wanting to be removed from active duty. Miles gets orders to return immediately to Barrayar, where, instead of a mission, he gets a medical discharge and is forced to resign after Simon catches him in his lies and falsified reports. After he suffers through his depression, the incident with Simon Illyan's memory gains him an acting Imperial Auditor post from Gregor to find out what's really going on. Miles discovers that General Haroche, the acting chief of Imperial Security, is the culprit. The Emperor offers Miles the chief of Imperial Security position, but he declines, not wanting a desk job. Miles does accept the position of the eighth Imperial Auditor, with a request to be promoted to captain post-career. He regretfully decides to not join Elli in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, but asks her one last time to marry him. She declines, but accepts the position as Admiral of the Dendarii. Miles gets medical aid and is able to control the seizures so he can function normally.
Three months after his appointment as a full Imperial Auditor, Miles travels with Imperial Auditor Vorthys to investigate a Soletta Station accident at Komarr. He meets Ekaterin, Vorthys's married niece, when staying with her family, and falls in love with her. With Vorthys and help from Doctor Riva, Miles figures out the plot rebellious Komarrans had concocted to close Barrayar's wormhole, and moves to stop the Komarran engineers from setting off the device, knowing that it will probably destroy the jump-point station. Unfortunately, Ekaterin's husband is one of the casualties of the plot. Miles convinces the Komarrans to surrender and release their hostages. Despite her very recent widowhood, and his part in the husband's death, Miles begins making plans to make Ekaterin his as soon as he possibly can, before some other Vor lord can snatch her away.
Having returned from his successful mission on Komarr, Miles is now on a personal mission to woo and win Ekaterin Vorsoisson. Gregor also gives Miles the task of managing René Vorbretten's problem with succession—the count has discovered he is part Cetagandan, and not a direct descendant of the sixth count. Miles also has to handle the Vormiur uterine replicator case of his 122 daughters as well. But his work does not keep Miles from trying to win Ekaterin over by being friends. He plans to court her without telling her. In his first salvo, he gives her the job of designing a garden near Vorkosigan House. The entry of multiple suitors for her hand sends Miles into overdrive, however, and he is suddenly plotting as if she has become a military objective. He tries to put on an elegant dinner party, but it ends in disaster when the butter bugs are released into the house, and his intent to marry Ekaterin is accidentally exposed by Simon Illyan. Miles proposes to her in front of everyone, but she storms out of the house, enraged by his deception. He must then apologize and lay his true feelings bare to her. In the end, Miles helps René Vorbretten win his case, assists Lord Dono Vorrutyer to inherit his brother's title and District, and wins Ekaterin over, leading her to propose to him at the Council of Counts meeting with his delighted parents watching from the balcony behind her.
As Miles is anxiously awaiting his upcoming wedding, he is determined for everything to go well, but worried that his bride-to-be is getting cold feet. Then Ekaterin gets sick—very sick. When Miles finds out that Ekaterin's illness is caused by a murder attempt using poisoned pearls that appear to be from his ex-lover Elli Quinn, he is furious, not at Elli, since he knows she would never do something like this, but that an attempt was made on the love of his life. Even after the plot is foiled and the perpetrators are caught, Miles is still so anxious about the marriage that Aral ends up tranquilizing him so he will be calm enough to get through the ceremony. Everything goes fine, and Miles and his new wife are whisked off to Vorkosigan Surleau for their honeymoon.
Happily wed, Miles and Ekaterin celebrate their first anniversary by starting two children in replicators and then going on a galactic honeymoon. The children will be a boy named Aral Alexander and a girl named Helen Natalia. They are on their way home from that honeymoon when Miles gets a message to go to Graf Station and sort out the mess caused by the confiscation of a Komarran space fleet and its Barrayaran armed escort. But events soon transpire that lead to attempted and actual murder, and could cause another war between Cetaganda and Barrayar. Though it nearly kills him, Miles is able to straighten out everything and make it home in time for the births of his children. (All except FF, SH)
Vorkosigan, Piotr:
Aral's father, and a general in the Barrayaran military, Count Piotr Vorkosigan's life bridges the planet's history from the Time of Isolation to the modern era. At twenty-two, he became a general in the Barrayaran army that expelled the Cetagandan invaders after two decades of resistance. When it became apparent the Mad Emperor Yuri Vorbarra was unfit to rule, Piotr led a civil war that deposed and executed Yuri and placed Ezar Vorbarra on the throne. As Emperor Ezar ruthlessly turned Barrayar into a government of laws for all, Piotr was the backbone of the Conservative party in the Council of Counts, with his fingers in the pies of numberless political intrigues. As his son Aral became a political player for the Progressive party, Piotr swallowed his pride and his political leanings and followed. When Aral married a galactic woman, Piotr struggled, but tried to cope. When Cordelia became pregnant, Piotr was beside himself with joy, having almost given up hope that Aral would have sons. Although Piotr attempts to have Miles aborted after the soltoxin attack, and tries to kill him after he is born, he warms to Miles as the boy proves to be as smart and fearless as Piotr himself. But after he learns that Miles has washed out of the Imperial Academy, Piotr dies in his sleep. Miles burns a death-offering to him after graduating from Imperial Academy. (B, MM, SH, WA)
Vorkosigan, Selig:
One of Miles's ancestors, he broke a siege of Vorkosigan Surleau using a handful of retainers and subterfuge. The dagger that Miles carries, formerly Piotr's, is supposed to date back to his time. (VG)
Vorkosigan Sousleau:
Prime Minister Vortala tells Aral that he heard the village near his summer home was going to be renamed this in honor of his habit of capsizing his sailboat. (SH)
Vorkosigan Surleau:
The Vorkosigan summer residence on the Long Lake, near the Dendarii Gorge. It was once a guards' barracks. After the Cetaganda War resulted in Vorkosigan Vashnoi being turned into an irradiated nuclear bomb crater, it became the main Vorkosigan residence in the District until the official home in Hassadar was completed. The old guard house has been refurbished and modernized since its original days. It sits near the ruins of the great castle, a low, stone residence artistically landscaped and bright with flowers. Defensive arrow slits have been remodeled into large glass windows that give a view of the lake, and there is a modern comm-link antenna on the roof. A modern guards' barracks is farther down the hill, hidden among the trees.
Aral lives at Vorkosigan Surleau after his resignation from the military, and Cordelia goes to finds him there after she arrives on Barrayar. Miles loved growing up there, enjoying riding horseback and swimming in the lake. He retreats there whenever the stresses of Vorbarr Sultana get to be too much for him. (All except FF)
Vorkosigan Vashnoi:
The old district capital of Vorkosigan's District. It was bombed with atomic weapons by the Cetagandans during the war, killing thousands. Its irradiated ruins make up much of the Vorkosigan family's holdings. (All)
Vorkosigan's Leper Colony:
The term given to Aral Vorkosigan's command during the time when he's out of favor. His fleet superiors sent him all of the screw-ups, incorrigibles, and near-discharges, which Vorkosigan manages to turn into a proper military force. (SH)
Vorlakail:
No first name given. A deceased Barrayaran count, he is one of the everyday matters that Aral deals with as Regent. There is suspicion that the count was dead before his palace was burned to the ground in Darkoi, prompting an investigation. (B)
Vorlakial:
No first name given. An officer in the Barrayaran military, he is one of the men Aral believes is a better military strategist than himself. (SH)
Vormoncrief, Alexi:
A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he works in the operations department of Imperial Security, He is distantly related to the Vorvaynes through his grandmother and is also a nephew of Count Boriz Vormoncrief. He tries to court Ekaterin, sending a Baba to her family to open negotiations, which fails. He intimidates and interrogates Nikolai, and assaults Ekaterin, earning himself a broken nose for his efforts, and a reprimand from Simon Illyan. Finally, after he attempts to have Ekaterin's relatives take Nikolai away from her, Gregor posts him to Camp Lazkowski on Kyril Island for the duration of his military career. (CC)
Vormoncrief, Boriz:
A Barrayaran count, he is the current head of the weakened Conservative Party. He is also part of the Vorbretten issue, having filed the claim on behalf of his son-in-law, Sigur Vorbretten. (CC)
Vormuir, Helga:
A Barrayaran countess and the wife of Tomas Vormuir, he of the 122 replicated daughters. Because of the uterine replicator business, she refuses him when he comes to call for a conjugal visit, dumping a bucket of water on his head and threatening to warm him up with a plasma arc. Later, thanks to an aphrodisiac supplied to her by Count Dono, her husband misses the vote on Count Dono and René Vorbretten. (CC)
Vormuir, Tomas:
A Barrayaran count. His house colors are carmine and green. In an effort to stem the loss of citizens from his district, he obtained thirty uterine replicators and has fathered 122 daughters without his wife's consent, using eggs from the local fertility clinic without the donors' permissions. Assigned to investigate as Imperial Auditor, Miles can't find a way to punish Vormuir, until Ekaterin suggests that, as they are legally the count's bastard children, by law the Emperor can order Vormiur to give a dowry with each daughter's hand in marriage, which Gregor puts into effect immediately. The count misses the vote on Lord Dono due to the aphrodisiac slipped to him by his wife. (CC)
Vormurtos:
No first name given. A Barrayaran lord and one of Richars's supporters, he drunkenly accosts Miles and Ekaterin after a social function, only to be verbally defeated by Miles. (CC)
Vorob'yev:
No first name given. The Barrayaran ambassador to Cetaganda, he is a stout solid man, about sixty years old, with sharp eyes. He wears the Vorob'yev house uniform, wine red trimmed in black. Appointed to the position by Aral Vorkosigan, Vorob'yev retired from the military, and has held this position for six years. He tries to keep Miles out of trouble and prevent an interstellar incident, but is unable to contain him. In the end, having survived his run-in with Miles and having kept relations between the two planets more or less intact, he asks Mia Maz to marry him, which she accepts. (C)
Vorparadijs:
No first name given. A general in the Barrayaran military, he is the last surviving Imperial Auditor appointed by Emperor Ezra Vorbarra. He is ancient, skinny, and uses a cane. Although he is technically the senior Auditor, the others don't let him know when they are meeting. Laisa wants to meet him at the Imperial State dinner, but Miles warns her off, letting her know that the office is the interesting part, and the man himself is a terrible bore. He is not at the meeting to confirm Miles as an Imperial Auditor. (M)
Vorpatril, Alys:
Wife of Captain Lord Padma Xav Vorpatril, she is the very pattern of a proper Vor woman. She has long, dark hair, and is accustomed to being in charge, although not overbearingly so. She is pregnant at the same time as Cordelia, and assists her in integrating into Barrayaran society. Her house colors are blue and gold.
During the War of Vordarian's Pretendership, her husband and her unborn child are on Vordarian's assassination lists, because their blood right to the Barrayaran throne is better than his. She and Padma hide in the caravanserai section of town during the coup attempt, but they are discovered, and Padma is killed. Cordelia is able to rescue Alys. In the confusion of their escape, Alys goes into labor, delivering her son, Ivan, that same evening. After the coup is put down, Alys oversees Koudelka's and Droushnakovi's wedding preparations.
She eventually becomes Gregor's official hostess, and handles his social calendar. She organizes the Imperial state dinner where Emperor Gregor first meets Laisa Toscane. She takes Laisa under her wing, and makes sure the Komarran heiress is accepted as Empress by all the old Vor families. During Simon Illyan's illness, she stays by his side, and then helps take care of him during his convalescence afterward. The two of them embark on a romance, much to her son Ivan's dismay. When Miles is courting Ekaterin, she is quite appalled at the disintegration of his infamous dinner party, but sympathetic to his plight as well. A veteran of Vorbarr Sultana politics, she assists greatly with René Vorbretten's and Dono Vorrutyer's cases, confirming counts that will vote for them, and removing a few that won't. She is also Byerly Vorrutyer's contact to Imperial Security. (All except FF, SH)
Vorpatril, Falco:
A count, he is a member of Barrayar's Conservative Party. He is one of Ivan's relatives. Despite Falco's exasperation at Ivan's inability to get married, Ivan tries to persuade him to vote for René Vorbretten's and Dono Vorrutyer's petitions at the Council of Counts. Initially against Dono's case, Falco comes over to their side when Richars attempts to castrate Dono. It is not known how he voted on René Vorbretten's case. (CC)
Vorpatril, Ivan:
Miles's cousin, he is tall, fit, easygoing, handsome, a bit lazy, and—after a successful but not outstanding pass through the Imperial Academy—a model Vor military officer. He makes a career of slipping through life nearly invisibly, doing just enough to succeed, and reserving his real efforts for his social life and for dealing with Miles, who is the closest thing to a brother Ivan has.
As children together, Ivan and Miles set the pattern of their adult relationship. Miles came up with wild ideas, and then coerced Ivan into helping him carry them out. The two of them, Miles and Ivan, engage in an underground game of one-ups-manship whenever they are together, but Ivan picks his ground carefully whenever he decides to challenge Miles. The first serious challenge Ivan issued to Miles—not intentionally, for a change—came when Ivan was accepted into the Barrayaran Imperial Military Academy at the same time that Miles failed the physical qualification test after acing all the written examinations. Miles traveled to Beta Colony to visit his grandmother, but seemingly vanished in midroute. Ivan was sent to find Miles by Admiral Hessman, but his mission was part of an intricate plot to bring down Prime Minister Aral Vorkosigan. Ivan was not supposed to survive the trip. In spite of the odds stacked against him, Ivan survives and finds Miles, who uncovers the plot against his father based on the information Ivan gives him.
After Miles is admitted to the Imperial Academy in spite of his physical limitations, Ivan and he routinely end up on the opposite side in undergrad war games, and Miles savors his frequent victories over his taller and better-looking cousin. Upon graduation, Miles gets sent to the worst posting in all of Barrayar's army—to Kyril Island as a weatherman. Ivan can't help but grin. But he's in position to help Miles research his new and psychotic commander's sealed military files, and the two ensigns inadvertently uncover a hole in Imperial computer security.
Ivan rises through the military ranks steadily, and is next promoted to the rank of lieutenant. But he still retains his responsibilities as a Vor and close relation to Emperor Gregor. Because of those connections, he accompanies Miles on the diplomatic mission to the Cetagandan Empire to attend the Dowager Empress Lisbet Degtiar's funeral on Eta Ceta IV. Ivan is entirely smitten by all the beautiful ghem-ladies, and they seem to return his regard, especially after a practical joke results in Ivan being slipped an anti-aphrodisiac before two ghem-women seduce him. Ivan
concocts a story about Vor lords having to pleasure their women multiple times before the Vor lord is free to participate himself. He then delivers on that promise, making his popularity explode after that. Ivan also comes up with the idea to have eight haut gene banks, distributed by the Dowager Empress in a plot that has fallen apart with her death, recalled from the satrap governors' ships. But his good looks nearly get him killed. The haut-lady Chilian d'Vio thinks Ivan is the brains behind Miles's attempts to save Lisbet's heir, the haut Rian Degtiar, from a murderous conspiracy that could eventually plunge Cetaganda and Barrayar into war. Miles rescues Ivan, but is captured in the process of retrieving the last gene bank and the Celestial Great Key that opens it. Ivan finds ghem-Colonel Benin, and leads a rescue party to save Miles and his Cetagandan helpers from satrap governor Ilsum Kety.
His next run-in with Miles occurs when Ivan is stationed on Old Earth, serving as the second assistant military attaché at Barrayar's embassy in London. His cousin is also on Earth in his persona of Admiral Naismith of the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. But Lord Miles Vorkosigan also has to report in to Earth's Barrayaran embassy. Ivan covers for Miles when he goes to recover his three Dendarii, who have torn up a wine shop in the city. Ivan is captured by Ser Galen as part of a power play to force Miles to come to Ser Galen. Galen has arranged for a clone to be made of Miles, and he wants the chance to substitute that clone, later known as Mark, for Miles. Galen and the clone, now known as Mark, capture Ivan and lock him in an underwater pumping station, giving him an acute case of claustrophobia. But Miles is able to win the clone's trust, and they rescue Ivan, with the clone killing Galen along the way. Ivan, along with two Cetagandans, sees the two Vorkosigans, Miles and Mark, together, with Mark dressed as Admiral Naismith. The sight gets the Cetagandans off Miles's back for a considerable amount of time.
Ivan is given the task of introducing Mark to Barrayar after Miles turns up missing, and possibly dead, in the process of trying to extract Mark from a mission on Jackson's Whole. Since Ivan is still upset with Mark for giving him that claustrophobia complex back on Earth, he takes on the mission with a larger than usual lack of grace, resulting in Mark almost killing a bully in the Caravanserai.
After he's promoted to captain, Ivan helps Miles get through his forced resignation from his Imperial Security career, invading Vorkosigan House and dumping Miles into an ice bath to break him out of his near-catatonia. He then moves in, enjoying the delightful meals that Ma Kosti provides. Ivan is appointed to be Miles's assistant when Miles is promoted to the position of acting Imperial Auditor to investigate Simon Illyan's memory loss. He ultimately finds the bioengineered weapon that disables Simon. But Ivan's fondness for Simon doesn't stifle his dismay when he discovers his mother and Simon are having an affair.
About this time, Ivan's own marital prospects are looking grim, thanks to a Vor preference for producing boy children rather than girls around the time of Ivan's birth. There aren't a lot of eligible Vor women still unmarried, and Ivan begins to believe he's out of time to find his own wife. In a panic, Ivan asks Delia to marry him. In typical fashion, when Delia turns him down flat, Ivan asks Martya to marry him on the same day, and she turns him down even flatter. Then Ivan's worst nightmare comes true when his mother, Lady Alys, becomes his commanding officer while she arranges Gregor's wedding. Peeved at Miles's declaring Ekaterin off-limits to his cousin's courting, Ivan tells Alexi Vormoncrief about her, so Miles won't lack for competition. His meddling launches a string of unintended results, including Miles's disastrous dinner party.
Afterward, Ivan is still feeling like the last Vor in his generation to be married, and starts seriously looking for his future bride. When he hears his former lover Lady Donna Vorrutyer is available again, he sets his sights on her, and then is dismayed to learn she has undergone a sex-change operation in order to inherit her brother's title of count along with the district. Ivan is also out of luck with former girlfriend Olivia Koudelka, as she has already fallen in love with Lord Dono. Ivan proves his worth when he helps thwart an assault on Lord Dono, then brings four Conservative counts on the Council to Dono's side, assuring him the vote and his countship.
Ivan then serves as Miles's Second during his wedding. Several days before the ceremony, Aral takes Ivan aside to warn him not to do anything to spoil the ceremony. But Ivan can't resist after decades of twitting his cousin Miles at every opportunity. His addition to the winter garden wedding decorations is to slip in an ice sculpture of two grinning rabbits copulating under a bush. (C, CC, M, MD, VG, WA, WG)
Vorpatril, Padma Xav:
A captain in the Barrayaran military, he is also the husband of Lady Alys Vorpatril, and Ivan's father. In his middle thirties, he is a big, cheerful man. He is Cordelia's escort during Aral's confirmation ceremony at the Council of Counts. Padma is Aral's first cousin via his mother's younger sister, and is Aral's closest living relative other than Piotr. Although Padma and Alys, who is heavily pregnant with Ivan, evade the roundup of the counts during the initial stages of Vordarian's War of Pretendership, Padma is discovered while trying to find a doctor to aid his wife, who is in labor. He is killed by Vordarian's guards, but Alys and Ivan are rescued by Cordelia. Alys arranges to have a memorial plaque inserted into the street on the exact spot where Padma died. (B)
Vorreedi:
No first name given. The protocol officer assigned by Barrayar to Cetaganda, he is actually an Imperial Security colonel and the chief of Imperial Security on Cetaganda. Middle-aged, middle-sized, he often wears a loose bodysuit and the well-cut robes of a Cetagandan ghem-lord. The Cetagandans know his true position in Intelligence, but politely do not acknowledge it, just as the Cetagandan officers of similar status are known on Barrayar. Vorreedi is supposed to oversee Miles and Ivan's stay on Eta Ceti IV, but is kept in the dark for much of the time by Miles. He finds out what was happening under his nose only after Miles spells out what he's done during an audience with the Cetagandan Emperor. (C)
Vorrutyer, Byerly:
Known as "By," he is a Vor "town clown," or social gadfly, and has a sarcastic tongue and wicked commentary on the social and political intrigues of Barrayar. He also has a secret career in Imperial Security as a Domestic Affairs civilian contract employee with a rating of IS-8. He's first introduced when he appears to court Ekaterin, although he may in fact have been working. A cousin to Miles and Ivan by way of Aral Vokosigan's first marriage. He has a cousin, Richars Vorrutyer, and a recently deceased cousin, Pierre, who died from a heart attack at barely fifty. By pretends to help both Dono and Richars, but he is actually on Dono's side. His machinations help Lord Dono by manipulating Richars's assault on him, which firmly turns the Council of Counts against Richars. By's Imperial Security drop contact is Lady Alys Vorpatril. His house colors are blue and gray. (CC)
Vorrutyer, Donna/Dono:
Count Pierre's younger sister, she is forty years old. When Pierre dies, Donna decides to block her despised cousin Richars from inheriting Pierre's District by having a sex change on Beta Colony, becoming Lord Dono Vorrutyer. He is an athletic-looking and handsome man of middle height, more lithe than muscular, with dark hair, a groomed, glossy mustache and beard, and electric brown eyes.
Ivan Vorpatril had a fling with Donna several years earlier, and the newly minted Lord Dono uses that relationship to help smooth the way to receive Gregor's approval and win the vote to make his countship official at the Council of Counts. Dono hates Richars because he tried to rape Donna when she was twelve, and when she stopped him he drowned her puppy and blamed her for it. Donna has been previously married three times, an early, arranged marriage that she behaved badly during to escape, a second marriage that both parties soon agreed was a mistake, and a happy third marriage that ended in tragedy when her new husband was killed in a sporting accident. Dono has remained a virgin in his new gender, and is looking forward to a very unusual marriage night first. Although set upon by thugs hired by Richars to castrate him, the attack is foiled by Ivan Vorkosigan and Olivia Koudelka, who use it to bring more counts over to Dono's side. At the Emperor's reception, Dono and Olivia announce their engagement. The couple attends Miles's wedding. (CC, WG)
Vorrutyer, Dono:
Not to be confused with his later namesake Donna/Dono. Mad Emperor Yuri's Imperial architect, and uncle to Vice Admiral Ges Vorrutyer. He designed the Imperial Security headquarters, which resembles a giant, windowless concrete box with oversized stairs that exhaust anyone trying to climb them. But when Miles is forced to examine all of Imperial Security from top to bottom, he realizes Yuri's architect might have designed hideously ugly buildings, but he knew how to make safe ones. After Emperor Yuri's death, Dono retired to his son-in-law's estate and went mad himself. He designed and built a bizarre set of towers there, which his descendants now charge the public to see. (MD)
Vorrutyer, Ges:
A vice admiral in the Barrayaran Navy, he is co-commander of the Barrayaran armada sent to conquer Escobar, and is on the ship that captures Cordelia's shuttle. Roughly Aral's age, he is a bit taller and stocky, with dark, curly hair with only a little gray in it, and beautiful deep, velvet brown eyes with long, black lashes. He is slated to be Minister of War once Prince Serg Vorbarra takes the throne. He went to school with Aral, and was the elder brother to Aral's young first wife. Ges had a homosexual relationship with Aral, during the distraught period after Aral's wife's death, and he still harbors an obsession with his ex-lover. Vorrutyer is a sadist, a fan of the writings of the Marquis de Sade, and abuses the privileges of his rank. He enjoys torturing people, both men under his command and any prisoners who take his fancy. Bothari kills Vorrutyer to stop him from raping Cordelia. (SH)
Vorrutyer House:
A generation older than Vorkosigan House, it is much more fortress-like, star-shaped with thick stone walls and no windows on the ground floor, only gunslits. The main gate to the ground is made of thick, iron-bound planks. The house hasn't been cleaned since Count Pierre's death, and when Lord Dono moves in, he is less than pleased with its current condition. (CC)
Vorrutyer, Pierre:
Also known as "Le Sanguinaire," he is a noted count in Barrayaran history. He was Emperor Dorca's trusted right arm/head thug in the civil war that broke the power of the independent counts just before the end of the Time of Isolation. The Cetagandans killed him after an infamous and costly siege. His oldest daughter married an earlier Count Vorkosigan (they became Piotr's parents), which is where Mark gets his middle name of Pierre. (CC)
Vorrutyer, Richars:
A cruel, petty man, he lodges a suit to inherit his deceased cousin Pierre's District and become a count, but is thwarted by Miles working with Lord Dono after Richars threatens to bring a murder charge against him. Richars is a notable sadist and a slickly believable sociopath. He attempted to rape his cousin Lady Donna when she was twelve, and when he failed, killed her puppy. He later thwarted two marriages for Pierre, and then possibly had Pierre's third fiancée killed to prevent his cousin from producing an heir. After ordering thugs to castrate Dono, Richars is found out when the plot fails. Denounced publicly at the Council by several former allies, he is arrested after the rest of the counts vote in Dono as count. (CC)
Vorsmythe:
No first name given. One of the former Imperial Auditors who used to hand in illegible reports that were never longer than two pages. (M)
Vorsmythe:
No first name given. A Barrayaran industrialist attending the Winterfair Ball that Mark wishes to talk to about investing his newly acquired wealth. (MD)
Vorsmythe:
No first name given. A countess on Barrayar, she assures Alys Vorpatril that both René Vorbretten and Dono Vorrutyer have her husband's vote. (CC)
Vorsmythe:
No first name given. A count on Barrayar and husband to Alys's friend, he helps Mark learn how the food-service distribution works locally, and becomes an investor in the butter bug business. Not to be confused with the industrialist or the Auditor. (CC)
Vorsmythe Dolphin-class 776 jump ship:
The jump ship that carried the Vorsoisson family to Komarr, it has quadruple-vortex outboard control nacelles, dual norm-space thrusters, and can carry one hundred passengers. Nikolai loved the ride, but caused some distress when he flushed his shoes down the toilet. He owns a model of the ship, and Miles and he discuss it during their first conversation on Komarr. (K)
Vorsmythe, Helga:
One of the formerly eligible Vor women that Ivan does not have the chance to marry. (M)
Vorsoisson, Etienne:
Ekaterin's husband, also known as Tien, is an administrator at the Serifosa division of the terraforming project on Komarr. He has brown eyes, is overly status-conscious, is quick to take offense at the most innocuous comments, and frequently puts his foot in his mouth.
A disaster both as a husband and as an employee, he's had thirteen jobs in ten years, and has moved his family all over the Barrayaran Imperium and finally to Komarr. Tien is from the South Continent of Barrayar, and served in the military for ten years prior to his civil career. Tien is ten years older than his wife, and is a distant, selfish, and emotionally abusive husband.
Both he and his son have a genetic disease—a Barrayaran mutation called Vorzohn's Dystrophy. He has the typical Barrayaran prejudices against mutation, and wants to keep his condition secret, worried news of the condition will cramp his chances for advancement. By doing so, he has put his son at risk by shutting them both off from any possibility of treatment. Tien keeps promising his wife he'll get treatment off-world, but puts it off as too expensive.
He is also up to his neck in illegal activity, knowing about the peculation scam at waste management, but not about the plot to destroy the wormhole to Barrayar. He has taken bribes from Soudha, losing the money in Komarran trade fleet speculations. When Ekaterin finds out about all of this, she leaves him.
To make amends, he finds Miles and tries to bluff him into thinking he has just found out the graft in his department. He takes Miles to the Waste Heat experimental site, where they are both captured by the Komarrans plotting against Barrayar. Because he didn't check his breath mask, which wasn't fully charged, before going outside the dome, he dies horrifically in the unbreathable atmosphere while he and Miles are chained to a fence, even though the plotters had summoned help for them before leaving. Because of his connection to the plot to destroy the wormhole to Barrayar, the true nature of his death remains classified. Only Ekaterin, Miles, Vorthys, the plotters, Gregor, Imperial Security, and eventually Nikolai know the truth. (K)
Vorsoisson, Nikolai:
The only son of Ekaterin and Etienne, he is nine years old, with brown eyes and hair that is darkening to his mother's shade of brown. Called Nikki for short, he is a growing boy, almost as big as Miles when they first meet, and would like to be a jump-ship pilot. He finds out about his Vorzohn's Dystrophy after his father dies, and receives treatment for it before leaving Komarr. He is a bit worried about what other kids will think of him, but Miles helps him deal with it.
Nikki does not seem to have been very close to his father, but he has begun to forge an excellent relationship with Miles. When rumors surface that Miles murdered his father, Ekaterin and Miles take Nikki to see Emperor Gregor, who gives Nikolai as much of the truth as he can, and puts to rest his fears that Miles murdered Etienne. When Vassily Vorsoisson and Hugo Vorvayne come to take custody of him because they are worried that Vorbarr Sultana will be embroiled in a war, Nikki calls Gregor. The Emperor's solution is to bring everyone in the house to Vorhartung Castle for a personal meeting, where he guarantees Nikolai's and his mother's safety to her irritating but worried relatives. Nikki is pleased that his mother has proposed to Miles, and wants Miles to make her happy. At the wedding reception, he and his friends latch on to Arde Mayhew to hear all about the pilot's adventures. (CC, DI, K, WG)
Vorsoisson, Vassily:
Ekaterin's cousin-in-law, he is a lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, with a job at Orbital Traffic Control at Fort Kithera River. As Etienne's cousin he is the Vorsoisson male next in line to inherit the official guardianship of Nikolai. He allows the transfer of guardianship to Ekaterin. But when Alexi Vormoncrief sends him news that Miles supposedly murdered Etienne, he comes to town with Hugo Vorvayne to take Ekaterin and Nikolai back home. Nikolai calls Gregor, who has them all brought before him, and puts an end to the idea. Vassily meets the family of his new in-laws, and reconciles the idea of having the Vorkosigans as relatives. (CC)
Vorsoisson, Violetta:
One of the formerly eligible Vor women that Ivan does not have the chance to marry. (M)
Vortaine:
The Barrayaran count that is Ivan's heir. If he dies, his daughter will receive his assets, but his hereditary titles would go to Count Vordrozda. (WA)
Vortaine:
No first name given. A count on Barrayar, he is involved in the water boundary rights case with Count Vorvolynkin. He will not vote for either René Vorbretten or Dono Vorrutyers. A later generation than the previous Vortaine. (CC)
Vortala:
No first name given. A colonel in Imperial Security, he takes over Simon Illyan's internal security jobs while Simon is hospitalized. (M)
Vortala:
No first name given. The Prime Minister of Barrayar during Ezar Vorbarra's reign and the beginning of Aral Vorkosigan's Regency. A lean man, wrinkled and shrunken with age, he has clipped white hair fringing a bald and liver-spotted head, and can be very obnoxious even without swearing. He uses a walking stick, mainly for show. He tries to form a progressive political party, but only with the higher Barrayaran classes. Prince Serg wants Aral and Vortala dead when he is in power. Vortala summons Aral to the meeting where Ezar names him Regent. When Vordarian tries to overthrow the government, he escapes house arrest to join Aral at Tanery Base. (B, SH)
Vortala the Younger:
No first name given. A colonel in the Barrayaran military, he is the head of the Imperial Security task force assigned to provide security for the Emperor's wedding. (CC)
Vortalon:
No first name given. A captain in the Barrayaran military during the Time of Isolation, his life is fictionalized and he becomes a holovid hero that Nikolai watches. The boy refers to him when discussing how the character settles a debt of honor against villains who attack his father. He thinks he might have to kill Miles if Miles had killed Etienne Vorsoisson. (CC)
Vortashpula, Irene:
One of the eligible young ladies at the Emperor's Birthday celebration that Alys Vorpatril tried to get Ivan to consider as a possible marriage candidate. (MD)
Vorthalia the Bold:
A childhood obsession of Miles's. He was a holovid character supposedly based on a historical character. When Miles looked him up in the Imperial Archives he learned the truth about his idol, who wasn't as heroic as the vids made him appear. (CC)
Vorthalia the Brave and the Thicket of Thorns:
A metaphorical example of a liege lord cutting through the red tape of government that Miles uses in his initial conversation with Arde Mayhew. (WA)
Vorthys, Georg:
A Professor Emeritus of Engineering at Vorbarr Sultana University, Imperial Auditor, and Ekaterin's uncle. One of Emperor Gregor's civilian Imperial Auditor appointees, he is stout, white-haired, and smiles often. He is the Barrayaran expert on engineering failure analysis, and has written the standard texts on the subject. He became interested in the connections between sociopolitical and engineering integrity late in life. Along with the other Auditors in attendance, he approves Miles for the eighth Imperial Auditor position. Three months later, he and Miles go to Komarr to investigate the Soletta Station accident, and they visit Ekaterin and her family while there. Vorthys has been married for forty years to Helen, also a professor. After thwarting, along with Miles, Helen, and Ekaterin, the rebellious Komarran engineers' plot, he and his wife take Ekaterin and Nikolai in until she can settle herself on Barrayar. (CC, K, WG)
Vorthys, Helen:
A Professora of History at Vorbarr Sultana University, and a notable expert on Barrayaran political infighting, she is Imperial Auditor Georg Vorthys's wife and Ekaterin's aunt. Ekaterin lived with the Vorthys couple while she was going to university in Vorbarr Sultana, and again after her return from Komarr. She and Ekaterin are kidnapped by Komarran revolutionaries determined to cut off Barrayar's wormhole access. Both women are instrumental in ending the plot safely. She is scheduled to have replacement heart surgery to correct her congestive heart failure, but even while ill she gently guides Ekaterin's love life. She suspects Miles is in love with Ekaterin, and sees that Ekaterin returns his regard long before she has any inkling of her own feelings. Helen approves of the match, and is one of the most favored guests at the wedding. (CC, WG)
Vortienne:
No first name given. A Barrayaran count, referred to in conversation between Aral and Cordelia as ready to retire in favor of his son. Has unusual, unnamed proclivities that he exercises with his guards. (MD)
Vortrifani:
No first name given. A Barrayaran count who would be backed by the "far right, blow-up-the-wormhole, isolationist loonies" if he attempted to claim the throne. When he plotted with extremists to drop a ship called the Yarrow onto the Imperial Residence, the plot was stopped by Imperial Security. Vortrifani distanced himself from the plan, but his power was severely weakened. Simon Illyan lauded Colonel Haroche's work on the case as superb. (M, VG)
Vortugalov:
No first name given. A Barrayaran count who would be backed by the Russian-speaking populace if he attempted to claim the throne. (VG)
Vorvane:
No first name given. A Barrayaran, she is the wife of the Minister of Heavy Industries. She and her three children are part of a group of 216 kidnapped people that the Dendarii Free Mercenaries are ordered to free by any means necessary. (BA)
Vorvayne brothers:
Ekaterin's four brothers. Hugo is the oldest; he supported her in many ways during her unhappy marriage to Etienne, but is stirred up by the gossip surrounding Miles and tries to keep his sister from marrying him. But once he realizes that the rumors are gross exaggerations and that Miles and Ekaterin truly love each other, he once again gives her his full support. Will, the youngest, takes pictures at the births of his sister's first children. The middle two brothers are not named. All four attend their sister's wedding. (CC, DI, K, WG)
Vorvayne, Rosalie:
The wife of Ekaterin's oldest brother, Hugo, she is in her forties, with dark hair and olive skin. She has three children, two sons and a daughter. She comes to Vorbarr Sultana to tell Ekaterin about Alexi Vormoncrief's marriage offer. (CC)
Vorvayne, Sasha:
Ekaterin's father, he has a modest flat in the small South Continent town where he retired. Before his retirement he was an officer in his district government on Barrayar. He knew Etienne slightly through his work. After his wife's death, he wanted to remarry a woman named Violie, and wished to have Ekaterin "settled" before doing so. To him this meant properly married off to a Vor, so he supported Etienne's courtship of Ekaterin. (CC, K)
Vorventa, Edwin:
A captain in the Barrayaran military, he accosts Mark in the garden at the Imperial Residence. Mark finds it disturbing that he knows so much about his relationship with Miles. But the chain of evidence proves Vorventa got the information from his younger brother, who was Simon's Galactic Operations supervisor's adjutant, and who as a result is demoted and transferred out of the department. (MD)
Vorventa, Tatya:
One of the formerly eligible Vor women that Ivan does not have the chance to marry. (M)
Vorville:
No first name given. A Barrayaran count, at the time of the Hegen Hub war, he is described as a man who would be backed by the French-speaking populace if he attempted to claim the throne. At the time of the Emperor's wedding, he'll vote for René Vorbretten because of his friendship with René's late father. (VG, CC)
Vorville, Mary:
A Barrayaran noblewoman, she ensures that her father, Count Vorville, will vote for René Vorbretten due to a friendly relationship between him and René's late father. (CC)
Vorvolk:
No first name given. A Barrayaran countess, and wife of Lord Henri Vorvolk, she dances with Miles at one of the Imperial parties. (M)
Vorvolk, Henri:
A friend and contemporary of Gregor's, he was pulled out of classes at the Imperial Academy three times during the events of Miles's first off-planet adventure to attend secret committee sessions of the Council of Counts about the pending charges. At the time of Gregor's wedding, Miles spends much of the night before the votes on René Vorbretten's and Dono Vorrutyer's countships arguing with Henri's friends about the merits of the individual cases. Henri has an office in the old dungeon area of Vorhartung Castle. (CC, MD, WA)
Vorvolynkin:
No first name given. A count on Barrayar, he is involved in a water boundary lawsuit with Count Vortaine, and will vote for René Vorbretten and Dono Vorrutyer just to irk his opponent. (CC)
Vorvolynkin, Louisa:
A Barrayaran noblewoman, she is the daughter-in-law of Count Vorvolynkin, who is involved in a boundary water rights dispute with Count Vortaine, and whom she has persuaded to vote for both René Vorbretten and Dono Vorrutyer in the Council of Counts meeting to antagonize his legal enemy. (CC)
Vorzohn's Dystrophy:
An adult-onset disease, the result of a mutation that arose on Barrayar, it first appeared in Vorinnis's District during the Time of Isolation. Its symptoms include a bewildering variety of physical debilitations that set in during middle age, and ends with the unfortunate gene carrier's decline in mental activity and death. It can be cured if caught early enough. It runs in the Vorsoisson family, and has already manifested in Etienne, causing uncontrolled muscle tremors, and his brother, who committed suicide. Etienne's son, Nikolai, has the gene complex as well, but hasn't shown any symptoms yet. Regardless, Etienne doesn't want him treated, for fear it will expose his own disease. Only after her husband's death can Ekaterin take her son to be cured. She does so with a little assistance from Miles in his Imperial Auditor mode. (CC, K)
Wah-wah:
The slang term for a gale-force wind at Lazkowski Base, which can reach speeds of 160 kilometers per hour. When the wind siren sounds, anyone outside must take cover immediately. Miles watches a vid on the subject that features a flying latrine. (WA)
Watts, Boss:
A middle-aged quaddie male, dressed in a conservative slate blue uniform, he is the supervisor of Graf Station Downsider Relations, and is in the party that greets Miles, Ekaterin, and Roic when they arrive at Graf Station. He is involved in the negotiations with the renegade ba, and threatens to destroy the Idris if it looks like it's going to ram the station. (DI)
Weddell, Vaughn:
See Canaba, Hugh.
Wedding of Vlad Vorbarra le Savante to Lady Vorlightly, The:
An event that occurred during the gaudy, archaic period of the Time of Isolation. Both the bride and groom had to strip naked in front of witnesses to prove neither had any genetic mutations. (CC)
Wilstar:
No first name given. A person Vorob'yev goes to talk with at the Mariliacan embassy party, leaving Miles to chat with Mia Maz. (C)
Winoweh's 2nd Battalion:
A captured Marilacan military unit held in Dagoola Top Security Camp #3 until being rescued by Miles and the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. (BI)
Witgow trans-trench monorail tunnel:
An engineering project mentioned by Doctor Yei when comparing the different emphases in the quaddies' education to Leo Graf. (FF)
Worley:
No first name given. A trooper in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet that participates in the clone raid on Jackson's Whole. (MD)
Worm plague:
A disease on Sergyar that causes uncomfortable and unsightly bloating of its victims, it has just recently been brought under control on the colony planet. Dmitri Corbeau is a worm plague survivor, and has the scars to prove it. (DI, K)
Wormhole:
A shortcut that connects two distant points in space by traveling through a different physical dimension, reducing the travel time from decades to a few days or weeks. Traveling through wormholes is known as "jumping," and is accomplished by Necklin rods, which create a field that enables jump ships to pass through the wormholes. All of the settled planets in the Vorkosigan universe are connected by at least one wormhole, and some have several in their local space. Although wormholes are generally stable, there have been variances, such as when the one to Barrayar closed due to a gravitational anomaly, leading to the Time of Isolation on that planet. Wormholes are economically and strategically vital for all of the planets in the Vorkosigan Saga, and access to and control of them has been fought over many times. (All)
Wyzak:
The airsystems maintenance supervisor on Cay Habitat. He leads a search for Silver when she goes to steal the shuttle for the rescue mission to Rodeo. (FF)
Xaveria:
No first name given. A private in the Dendarii Free Mercenaries, he is one of the three arrested soldiers involved in the wine shop standoff in London. Mark bails him out of jail while posing as Miles/Admiral Naismith. (BA)
Xerxes:
A planet one jump away from Graf Station, Ker Dubauer was headed there when his Komarran cargo ship was impounded at the space station. (DI)
Xi Ceta:
One of the eight satrapy planets in the Cetagandan Empire, it is Marilac's neighbor. Its governor is Slyke Giaja. (C)
Xian:
No first name given. A Marilacan general who fled the fighting at Fallow Core. He had promised to return, but was killed in the fighting at Vassily Station. (BI)
Yalen:
No first name given. A private in the Dendarii Free Mercenaries, he is one of the three arrested soldiers involved in the wine shop standoff in London. Mark bails him out of jail while posing as Miles/Admiral Naismith. (BA)
Yaski:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he is the fire marshal at Lazkowski Base. After filling in Lieutenant Bonn on the situation in the fetaine stockpile, he agrees to destroy it using plasma mines. (VG)
Yegorav:
No first name given. A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he serves on the Prince Serg, and escorts Elena and Miles to Aral for debriefing after the battle. He does not know Elena's and Miles's real identities until they are all in Aral's office. (VG)
Yei, Sondra:
A doctor, she is the head of psychology and training for six years on the Cay Project. Pushing middle age, she is pleasantly ugly, with bright mongolian eyes, a broad nose and lips, and coffee-and-cream skin. A company woman, she initially butts heads with Leo over the quaddies. Evacuated with the rest of the staff during the simulated hull breach on the Habitat, she tries to knock Van Atta unconscious with a spanner when he orders the shuttle crew to fire upon the escaping cargo ship. (FF)
Yenaro:
No first name given. A minor Cetagandan noble about Miles's age, he is tall and lean, with a square skull and prominent, round cheekbones. He wears a small face paint decal designating his rank and clan instead of applying the full pattern. The grandson of ghem-General Yenaro, who fought opposite Miles's grandfather Piotr during the Cetagandan Occupation, he inherited his family's estates, but not the means to keep them up.
He created the Autumn Leaves sculpture for the Marilacan Embassy, and has a strong interest in chemistry/perfumes making. He is a pawn in the plot to overthrow the Emperor, and is manipulated into playing tricks on Miles and Ivan, then unknowingly trying to kill them at the bioestheties display. He tells Miles that Ilsum Kety is behind the plot, and the Emperor rewards him by appointing him a ghem-lord-in-waiting, tenth rank, sixth degree. (C)
Ylla:
On Leo Graf's return trip from this planet, he changed ships on the Morita transfer station on his way to Earth. (FF)
Yoder, Bill:
A sheriff in Ohio. Chalmys DuBauer knows him well, and turns Carlos Diaz over to him after extracting his confession to attempting to murder Anias Ruey. (DD)
Youth:
No name given. He owns a rickety lightflyer, and takes Cordelia, Bothari, and jugs of maple syrup out of the Dendarii Mountains to a small market town. (B)
Yuell:
No first name given. A math professor at Solstice University, he is a stout, sandy-haired young man with very high intelligence. He accompanies Doctor Riva to the Waste Heat experiment station to assist her, and is one of the few people who can argue math with her and be right. He is disappointed there will be no dinner at the Top of the Dome restaurant in Serifosa on this trip. (K)
Yuri Vorbarra's Civil War:
The battle between Yuri Vorbarra and his kinsman Ezar for the throne of Barrayar. Ezar wins, and during the campaign, Aral helps kill Yuri. (SH)
Yuri Vorbarra's Massacre:
The term Barrayarans use to refer to the night Mad Emperor Yuri sent out death squads to assassinate all of his relatives, including Aral. For some unknown reason, he didn't send one for Piotr, but his men kill Aral's mother with a sonic grenade in front of him. (SH)
Zai:
No first name given. An armsman whom Esterhazy hopes warned the village near Vorkosigan House about the Imperial troops searching for information about Gregor's location. (B)
Zamori:
No first name given. A major in the Barrayaran military, he is a heavyset fellow who works in operations, and was once a student of Professora Vorthys. He tries to court Ekaterin, with no success. (CC)
Zara:
A quaddie who pilots the cargo pusher around the Transfer Station, she has dark hair and copper skin, and is dressed in the purple T-shirt and shorts of the pusher crew. She has a top rating among the pusher pilots. (FF)
Zeeman, Dale:
A technician working in Kline Station atmosphere control, he unknowingly helps Quinn dispose of Okita's body by giving her a hundred kilograms of newts to take with her when she leaves. (EA)
Zelaski:
No first name given. A trooper in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, she is killed in action during a mission to Marilac. (MD)
Zipweed:
A Barrayaran plant with blond and maroon stripes that has a slightly sweet odor. Ekaterin plans to use some of them in the Barrayaran display garden near Vorkosigan House. (CC)
Zlati ale:
A pale ruby, alcoholic liquid. Lord Yenaro offers it to Ivan and Miles during the party at his home. Ivan's drink is laced with an anti-aphrodisiac as a prank to embarrass him. (C)
Zoave Twilight:
A planet with several jump points, among them the third jump point from Vega Station. It is mentioned by Vorob'yev as being the ultimate goal of the Cetagandans in their dealings with the planet Marilac. It is unwillingly abiding by the arms embargo placed on Vega Station by the Cetagandan Empire. Later, Miles and three ships from the Dendarii fleet are orbiting this planet after their mission to recover the Barrayaran courier being held hostage. (C, M, MD)