sunchime | ☆ the vorkosigan saga psl post, volume 3

[ the ghem-colonol rolls his eyes. honestly, he's not even really looking forward to doing this interrogation, because it means he'll have to listen to byerly talk.

the ghem-colonel doesn't even look back at sonia as the ghem-lieutenant preps the hypospray. he doesn't smile, but he does have that obnoxiously lofty cetagandan tone. ]

We failed to bring you to her interrogation. A discourtesy on our part, I'm afraid. We're just making up the difference.

[ sonia flinches at that. god, she's glad byerly wasn't there to see her, dazedly crying through half of it. the ghem-colonel waves at his subordinate, who picks up the hypospray, and it hisses as it injects into byerly's arm. after a few seconds: ]

What is your name?

[ As the hypospray reaches his arm, he can't quite suppress his terror. His breathing quickens, and a tremor rubs through him, and he lifts his eyes to Sonia's - don't listen, please don't listen...

That tension fades as the fast-penta takes hold. The terror gets washed away in a blissful sort of relaxation. Byerly, in contrast to most, actually looks less dissolute under fast-penta; his eyes brighten from their usual expression of bleary drunkenness, and he sits up, his ironic expression smoothing out into something considerably less nasty and snotty. ]

My name? Ah. Byerly Vlad Vorrutyer. My word, you'd look a good bit handsomer if you'd wash off that idiotic face-paint. All of you look like kids after a carnival, I swear.

[ she doesn't have to listen. just seeing him like this is enough to rattle her. she matches his gaze with a helpless one, her throat tight.

but the ghem-colonel pays no attention to the princess. next: ]

Where were you born?

Me? Oh, Vorrutyer's District, naturally. Rutheim, the capitol. Did you know "heim" means "home"? Born in the home of rutting. Prophetic.

[ He laughs good-naturedly. ]

[ sonia bites her lip, silently watching. the ghem-colonel has to quash the urge to roll his eyes. ]

And what is today's date?

[ This time he gives the answer without commentary, rattling off the date. But he follows that up by looking at Sonia and smiling at her with warmth, with kindness - ]

Don't be afraid.

[ sonia doesn't know whether to be warmed or chilled by that, that utter, unmasked kindness on byerly's face. she wraps her hands around her elbows, arms pressed to her stomach, and just watches, lashes wet.

the ghem-colonel assumed that bringing the princess here would yield interesting results, but he's also not going to let her derail this interrogation. the nice thing about fast-penta, though, is that you don't have to be too subtle to get the right answers. ]

Where do your loyalties lie, Vorrutyer?

[ He answers with a casual, cheerful shrug. And - of all things - he nods to Sonia. ]

I'm loyal to her.

[ the color drains from sonia's face. of all things -- of all things he could have said, she'd never have expected that. her mind rushes back to the memory of hitting him, screaming at him, and she has to blink back tears. she wants to get up out of this chair, reach out to him, take his hand and -- and -- she doesn't know. but god, she didn't know. she really, truly didn't know.

the ghem-colonel glances back at her with an unreadable look before turning back to byerly. well, he did want interesting results. ]

In this war, Vorrutyer. Barrayar or the Cetagandan Empire?

[ He laughs. The sound is cheerful, and his voice mild, when he replies - ]

Barrayar. Always Barrayar. Never anyone else but Barrayar.

[ a breath escapes her that's mostly relief, but her stomach is cold, too. she knows he speaks the truth now, and with such conviction. and in a way, it is a relief. everything he'd said and done, however cruel, it must have been in service of barrayar. but what she'd done...

the ghem-colonel steeples his fingers and leans back. ]

What were your orders?

Ooh, not so clever if you can't guess.

[ He clucks his tongue in good-natured scorn, then grins at everyone in the room like he's a hammy comedian wanting applause. ]

To, as always, seduce. To bring the exotics over to our side. To make more little spies to bedevil you. And standard orders for gathering intelligence, of course...

[ sonia realizes she's holding her breath and she lets it out, but she keeps on holding the next one. she doesn't know where this is going to go, and it terrifies her just a little bit.

the ghem-colonel would really like if someone else had to conduct this interrogation instead of him. dryly: ]

Were you instructed to seduce any particular individuals?

[ There's a little shudder as he tries to fight back. Tries hard. His fingers flex, and his breath hiccups. But then his amiable fast-penta self reasserts itself, and he replies: ]

I got a few leads of people who dislike you. I know that's hard to imagine. You're all so charming.

[ In his fast-pentaed state, that's not even sarcastic. ]

[ sonia watches in taut silence. the ghem-colonel drums his fingers on the table. ]

Names, Vorrutyer.

[ He gives a little gasp, and his head drops. Sweat beads on his forehead. He laughs, suddenly, incongruously, and groans out - ]

The charming York. Handsome Kaidan. Haven't - haven't you noticed how handsome he is? My word. Those cheekbones, those hands - so blunt-fingered, so charming, so marvelous -

[ The little bit of him that's still aware tries to force himself down a path of unrelated chatter. It's not easy to do consciously, but once he's gotten onto that path it's not hard to think of more to say. ]

[ sonia swallows, but nothing about this part is -- bad. or a surprise, in the context of byerly acting as a spy. the ghem-colonel takes note of this. ]

And have you succeeded?

[ york was clearly a success of some kind. but kaidan remains here. ]

Edited 2017-03-05 19:47 (UTC)

[ His eyes flutter closed. He swallows. ]

Still - working on it. Say, I don't suppose either of you would be interested in...defecting?

[ well, that's a relief to the ghem-colonel, anyway, though he rolls his eyes. sonia chews nervously on the end of a lock of hair, unbearably tense. next: ]

Who do you report to?

[ This is less fraught. There are no additional names to conceal. Because Byerly has some other targets, whose names didn't pass his lips...Vaguely, in his unfocused drugged way, he's aware of having passed a little point of danger. ]

Vorkosigan.

[ sonia bites down hard on her hair. it's not a surprise, shouldn't be one, it's general vorkosigan, but it feels oddly like a blow.

the ghem-colonel doesn't look surprised either, but the confirmation is appreciated. ]

How secret was your mission?

[ He lets out a shaky laugh. ]

Completely and utterly. Known only to the three Vorkosigans.

[ the ghem-colonel narrows his eyes. sonia's, on the other hand, widen, and she leans forward in her chair but doesn't dare get up, just mouths a panicked stop at byerly, but she knows it won't do any good. ]

There's a third Vorkosigan? [ well, that is interesting. he turns his narrowed eyes back on sonia. ] This didn't come up in her interrogation.

[ No, no, no - But in this state, Byerly can't stop himself from going on. He laughs and quips - ]

Oh, was he below your notice, Sonia? No, I'm quite certain she knew of him. No one else does. Oh, except for Lakshmi. And Duv...Honestly, that fool is terrible at keeping secrets. Probably everyone knows by now.

[ lakshmi? why hadn't this come up in her interrogation, either? the ghem-colonel looks even more suspicious, as sonia frantically shakes her head in the most minute way possible. ]

So this third Vorkosigan is supposed to be secret, then? [ he casts a look back at sonia, calculating, considering. she shrinks back in her chair. ] Is that why he was privy to your mission?

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