☆ the vorkosigan saga psl post, volume 3

[runawayballista]

welcome to hell

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[vorbratta]

[ 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?

[vorrutyer]

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

Barrayar. Always Barrayar. Never anyone else but Barrayar.

[vorbratta]

[ 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?

[vorrutyer]

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...

[vorbratta]

[ 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?

[vorrutyer]

[ 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. ]

[vorbratta]

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

Names, Vorrutyer.

[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. ]

[vorbratta]

[ 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. ]

[vorrutyer]

[ His eyes flutter closed. He swallows. ]

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

[vorbratta]

[ 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?

[vorrutyer]

[ 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.

[vorbratta]

[ 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?

[vorrutyer]

[ He lets out a shaky laugh. ]

Completely and utterly. Known only to the three Vorkosigans.

[vorbratta]

[ 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.

[vorrutyer]

[ 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.

[vorbratta]

[ 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?

[vorrutyer]

He's privy to my mission because I report to the damned dwarf.

[ He sighs and stretches. His manner is both weary and affable. ]

God help me.

[vorbratta]

[ sonia's damn near in danger of giving herself a haircut with how hard she's biting at her hair. the ghem-colonel raises his eyebrows. ]

Dwarf? Is he a mutant? [ that's such a barrayaran word for it, but then, he is interrogating a barrayaran. ] Is that the reason he was kept secret, then?

[vorrutyer]

He's been kept secret because Piotr Vorkosigan would kill him or himself if he found out they were related. Do you know how the Great General would shit himself if he learned he had a mutie grandson?

[ He laughs. ]

It'll come out eventually, I suppose. Oh, how I want to be there when it does...

[vorbratta]

[ sonia's eyes go wide and her mouth all but drops open. no, byerly, god, no... it isn't his fault, but she still feels sick all the same.

the ghem-colonel leans forward, his face unreadable. ]

General Vorkosigan is thirty-two.

[vorrutyer]

[ Byerly leans forward in return and says, mockingly mimicking the ghem-Colonel's accent: ]

We're time travelers.

[vorbratta]

[ sonia's throat works, a look of disbelief shimmering over her face -- miles she'd known about, yes, but byerly -- then again, the clues were all there. she just hadn't put them together, somehow. stupid, stupid...

the ghem-colonel looks like he doesn't want to believe this is possible, but then, they have a dragon and a bunch of talking space rocks. ]

Time travelers. From the future.

[vorrutyer]

Mm. Yes. About sixty years from now.

[ A grin cracks his face. ]

And guess what? I'm Barrayaran, not a subject of the Ninth Satrapy. And - ooh. Go on, ask me what happens to all of you after you're recalled off this planet back to Cetaganda. Ask me, please.

[vorbratta]

[ sonia almost chokes on her own breath. they win? they win the war? the vorbarr sultana that byerly's been painting all this time -- does it really exist? she knows he can't be lying, he can only say what he believes is true, but sonia can't take him for a madman. she covers her mouth with both hands and start to cry, silently.

the ghem-colonel's face is hard now. this isn't a simple interrogation anymore. this is going to be a problem. this time, when he speaks, it's through his teeth. ]

By all means.