Captain Vorpatril's alliance

“Your sudden Barrayaran husband,” said the Baronne to Tej, “put several wrinkles in our planning. We had originally intended to arrive here entirely incognito, but your reappearance gave us a second‑choice level of plausibility, even as this Vorpatril fellow’s unexpectedly high security profile forced the necessity. I hadn’t wanted to activate our real identities quite so soon. Not till after the war chest was refilled, and we could prepare some richer welcome for our enemies.”

“Flexibility, Udine,” rumbled Dada.

“I admit,” said the Baronne to Tej, “I was quite frantic about Rish and you, when Amiri reported you’d failed to make any timely rendezvous or contact with him. Lily’s roundabout news was the greatest fortune‑it made this Barrayar plan seem quite irresistible.”

“If we can extract this treasure,” said Dada, “it will be the saving of our House. The key to everything. It’s been a long time since I wagered so much on a single throw. Though if I’m to revisit the desperation of my youth, I want the body back, too.” He slapped his stomach and grimaced. His wife snorted. Though Dada looked more stimulated than desperate, to Tej’s eye.

“Now all we have to do,” said Grandmama briskly, “is find Ladderbeck Close.”

***

Ivan settled his in‑laws in the back of Mamere’s big groundcar, and took the rearward‑facing seat across from them. The canopy sighed shut. He gripped Tej’s hand briefly, for reassurance. Of some sort. When he’d sped home to his flat to clean up and dress for this command performance, he’d found Tej and Rish had already gone on. No chance to talk then, no chance, really, to talk now, nor for hours yet, probably. At least, shaved and sharp in the dress greens that he seldom wore after‑hours, he ought to look a more impressive son‑in‑law than last night. He hoped.

Christos began The Tour To Please Grandmama with a spin past Vorhartung Castle. Ivan mentioned the military museum, within, for future innocuous entertainment.

“This place, at least, seems to have survived the century intact,” Lady ghem Estif observed, staring out at the archaic battlements. A few bright District flags flew there, snapping in the winter wind, indicating some rump meeting of the Counts in session. “It looks so odd without the laser‑wire, though.”

A whispered conference with Christos had concluded that the Imperial Residence was best viewed from a distance, this first trip, which they duly did. Christos managed to wedge the groundcar as close to the restored pedestrian alleys and shops of the old Caravanserai area as it would fit.

“Well, that’s an improvement,” murmured Lady ghem Estif, not sounding too grudging. “This part of town was considered a pestilential death‑trap, in my day.”

Ivan decided not to mention being born there, for now. Let someone else tell that story, this round. “The last Barrayaran I knew who’d been alive during the Occupation died, what…” Ivan had to stop and work it out in his head. “Eighteen years ago.” When he’d been barely more than seventeen. Was it really more than half his lifetime ago that his ancient and formidable great‑uncle General Piotr had passed to his fathers? Um…yeah, it was.

A drive past the fully modern Ops building drew no special reaction, a little to Ivan’s disappointment, but Lady ghem Estif sat up and peered more avidly as they drew away from the river. The Baronne, seated next to her, and the Baron observed her‑pleasure? it was hard to tell, on that reserved face‑with interest. “This was close to the edge of town, in the days of the Ninth Satrapy,” she remarked.

“Vorbarr Sultana is built out for a couple dozen kilometers more, now,” Ivan said. “In every direction. You really ought to see some of the recent outer rings, before you go.”

The big groundcar nipped into a rare parking space just opening up, and sighed to a halt. Christos’s jovial voice, which had been supplying sporadic commentary throughout the zigzag tour of the Old Town, came over the intercom from the front compartment.

“Here we are, Lady ghem Estif. I had to research back quite a way to find mention of the old place. The Cetagandans had seized it from an old Vor family that had taken up with the Resistance, and used it as a guest house during the time they held the capital, due to its extensive grounds and gardens, I gather. It was occupied again by one of the opposition factions, leveled during the rump fighting, and seized again by Emperor Yuri. The old Vor family never did get the property back, but I guess they were mostly dead by then. But this is definitely the exact site of Ladderbeck Close.”

All three senior Arquas‑well, two Arquas and one ghem Estif‑were staring wide‑eyed out the side of the canopy, craning their necks.

“What,” said the Baronne in a choked voice, “is that great ugly building?”