Captain Vorpatril's alliance

Tej grimaced. “If there was one lesson both my parents took care to pound into me, it’s that it’s impossible to deal safely if the power differential between the two sides is too great. The high side just skins, and the low side gets stripped. Your ImpSec has no need to be nice to us.”

“Well, they’ve no need to be gratuitously nasty, either,” said Ivan Xav uneasily. “That I can see.”

“What if they decide they need to establish a fresh working relationship with the new House Cordonah, and that Rish and I would make dandy bargaining chips? I have nothing to stop them with‑ nothing.” She choked down her rising tone, refusing to turn her head toward the balcony. That nothing would stop them, too literally true.

“Look, I know they’re all weasels over there at ImpSec, but they’re pretty honorable weasels.”

“I thought they were a security organization,” said Rish. “Their honor has to consist of putting Barrayar’s interests first.”

Ivan shrugged somewhat helplessly, but did not deny this.

“We’ll think about it,” said Tej. “Meanwhile…do you want first claim on the bath, Captain? You have to get up before us.”

He glanced at the time and made a face. “I guess I’d better.” He looked as if he’d like to stay and argue more, but swallowed whatever he’d been going to say, and went off.

When the bedroom door had closed after him, Rish said, “Was that a Maybe yes we’ll think about it, or was that a No, but we won’t confirm it till we make it safely to the exit we’ll think about it?”

“Have you spotted a safe exit? I haven’t.”

Rish set her fine jaw. “Tomorrow. I think we should run tomorrow, as soon as he goes off to that HQ of his. The cash in his wallet would get us to another dome, at least.”

It would have to be one of the domes with its own commercial shuttleport. That cut it down to a couple of dozen choices planet‑wide, all larger arcologies, which was a good feature, but none were close. Tej’s heart sank at the thought of another scurrying, fearful journey among strangers, from nowhere to nowhere, in the vague hope that their lost House’s enemies would look for them…nowhere.

“And are you sure we’re not being watched out for?” said Tej. “Are you sure he isn’t watched, for that matter?”

Rish shook her head. “I think we ran out of good choices a while back. We’re now down to the least‑bad.”

Tej rubbed her aching forehead. “I’ll think about it.”

Rish flounced in her seat, a maneuver only she could imbue with such stylish censure. “And you have to stop cuddling that Barrayaran. It’s not as if you can keep him, or take him along with us, or whatever.”

“Oh, so it’s just me?” said Tej. “ You liked his weasel friend well enough. Even I could smell it.”

“Did not!” Rish denied. “I just thought he was…interesting. A walking human puzzle who…works on human puzzles, I suppose.”

“Ferreting them out?” Tej snickered.

“Apparently.” Rish frowned. “He sure found us. Twice.”

A disturbing observation. Tej was still thinking about the implications when her turn came for the bath.

The door buzzer sounded in the half light of dawn, just as Ivan was finishing dressing for work, all but his shoes. And kept on sounding, continuously.

Byerly in a toot? Strange hour for it. It was too late for him to have been up since yesterday, and far too early for him to be up for today. Ivan padded to the door, and this time prudently checked the security vid. Yes, By, leaning on the buzzer and shifting from foot to foot. Maybe he really, really had to go to the lav. You wish. Ivan released the lock, the door slid aside, and Byerly tumbled within and hit the pad to close it with his bunched fist. “Ivan. Thank God I caught you,” he said. “We have a problem.”

“What, a new one? Or just more of the same one we have already?” said Ivan, refusing to be stirred by By’s histrionics at this hour. He gave way as By surged down his short hallway, beginning to rethink that stance already. By never surged; he sauntered. Or strolled. Or sometimes swayed, or even evaporated. But right now, he looked downright condensed, altogether too much here.

The two women, awakened by this entry, appeared through the door of the bedroom as Ivan followed By in from the hall. Tej looked deliciously bed‑rumpled, warm and soft but for her frown. This was a woman who ought to greet each day with a sleepy, seductive smile, which Ivan wished he knew how to supply. Hell, I do know; I just haven’t had a chance to. Rish was her usual sleek self, concerned and fully alert mere seconds after being jerked from a sound sleep. Both women wore the tank tops they slept in and loose Komarran trousers, pulled on hastily; Rish spotted By and tucked her stunner back in her pants pocket. Tej wore no support garment under her top, and the effect as she moved forward was wonderfully distracting. Not now, Ivan told himself. Part of himself, the part with a single mind of its own.

“What’s going on?” asked Rish.