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of that Komarran fleet security fellow, Solian "
Miles wrist com chimed, and he raised it to his lips. "Yes?"
"M'lord," came Roic's apologetic voice. "We're in dock again now."
"Right. Thanks. We'll be out directly." He rose from the table, saying, "You must meet Ekaterin properly,
before we go back out there and have to play dumb again. She and Roic have full Barrayaran security
clearances, by the way they have to, to live this close to me. They both need to know who you are,
and that they can trust you."
Bel hesitated. "Do they really need to know I'm ImpSec? Here?"
"They might, in an emergency."
"I would particularly like the quaddies not to know I've been selling intelligence to downsiders, you see.
Maybe it would be safer if you and I were mere acquaintances."
Miles stared. "But Bel, she knows perfectly well who you are. Or were, anyway."
"What, have you been telling covert ops war stories to your wife?" Clearly disconcerted, Bel frowned.
"Those rules always applied to someone else, didn't they?"
"Her clearance was earned, not just granted," Miles said a little stiffly. "But Bel, we sent you a wedding
invitation! Or . . . did you get it? ImpSec notified me it was delivered "
"Oh," said Bel, looking confused. "That. Yes. I did get it."
"Was it delivered too late? It should have included a travel voucher if someone pocketed that, I'll have
his hide "
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"No, the voucher came through all right. About a year and a half ago, yes? I could have made it, if I'd
scrambled a bit. It just arrived at an awkward period for me. Kind of a low point. I'd just left Beta for the
last time, and I was in the middle of a little job I was doing for ImpSec. Arranging a substitute would
have been difficult. It was just effort, at a time when more effort . . . I wished you well, though, and
hoped you'd finally got lucky." A wry grin flashed. "Again."
"Finding the right Lady Vorkosigan . . . was a bigger, rarer kind of luck than any I'd had before." Miles
sighed. "Elli Quinn didn't come either. Though she sent a present and a letter." Neither especially demure.
"Hm," said Bel, smiling a little. And added rather slyly, "And Sergeant Taura?"
"Sheattended." Miles's lips curled up, unwilled. "Spectacularly. I had a burst of genius, and put my Aunt
Alys in charge of getting her dressed civilian-style. It kept them both happily occupied. The old Dendarii
contingent all missed you. Elena and Baz were there with their new baby girl, if you can imagine it and
Arde Mayhew, too. So the very beginning of it all was fully represented. It was as well that the wedding
was small. A hundred and twenty people is small, yes? It was Ekaterin's second, you see she was a
widow." And profoundly stressed thereby. Her tense, distraught state the night before the wedding had
reminded Miles forcibly of a particular species of precombat nerves he'd seen in troops facing, not their
first, but their second battle. The night after the wedding, now that had gone much better, thank God.
Longing and regret had shadowed Bel's face during this recitation of old friends lifting a glass to new
beginnings. Then the herm's expression sharpened. "Baz Jesek, back on Barrayar?" said Bel. "Someone
must have worked out his little problems with the Barrayaran military authorities, eh?"
And if Someone could arrange Baz's relationship with ImpSec, maybe that same Someone might arrange
Bel's? Bel didn't even need to make the point out loud. Miles said, "The old desertion charges made too
good a cover when Baz was active in ops to allow them to be rescinded, but the need had become
obsolete. Baz and Elena are both out of the Dendarii too, now. Hadn't you heard? We're all getting to be
history."All of us who made it out alive, anyway.
"Yes," sighed Bel. "There is a deal of sanity to be saved in letting the past go, and moving on." The herm
glanced up. "If the past will let you go too, that is. So let's keep this as simple as possible with your
people, please?"
"All right," Miles agreed reluctantly. "For now, we'll mention the past, but not the present. Don't
worry they'll be, ah discreet." He deactivated the security cone above the little conference table and
unlocked the doors. Raising his wrist com to his lips, he murmured, "Ekaterin, Roic, could you step over
to the wardroom, please."
When they had both arrived, Ekaterin smiling expectantly, Miles said, "We've had a piece of undeserved
good fortune. Although Portmaster Thorne works for the quaddies now, the herm's an old friend of mine
from an organization I worked with in my ImpSec days. You can rely on what Bel has to say."
Ekaterin held out her hand. "I'm so glad to meet you at last, Captain Thorne. My husband and his old
friends have spoken highly of you. I believe you were much missed from their company."
Looking decidedly bemused, but rising to the challenge, Bel shook her hand. "Thank you, Lady
Vorkosigan. But I don't go by that old rank here. Portmaster Thorne, or just call me Bel."
Ekaterin nodded. "And please call me Ekaterin. Oh in private, I suppose." She looked a silent inquiry
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at Miles.
"Ah, right," said Miles. His gesture took in Roic, who looked attentive. "Bel knew me under another
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