ornamental flower show

[middlingalong]

Destang isn't too thrilled with Ivan, but since his lack of thrill takes the form of sending Ivan to a flower show to be out of the commodore's hair rather than, say, confining him to quarters like poor Galeni, Ivan isn't going to rock the boat. He leaves the half-commlink with Galeni in case Miles suddenly has an emergency and goes off as directed to meet the lady he's escorting.

He finds her at the University of London's Horticulture Hall, shepherds her around, makes comments of limited sophistication but genuine enthusiasm regarding the pretty flowers, and excuses himself a couple hours into the affair for a bathroom break.

Comments

[thisvorlunatic]

"A flower show?" hisses Miles. "In the middle of a security crisis, you sent Ivan to a flower show?"

[alicornucopia]

"I didn't. Commodore Destang felt Ivan could be spared. He's not thrilled with him. Or me, for that matter, but I'm confined to quarters instead."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Funny thing, so am I," says Miles. "Which I suspect means there's been a breakthrough in the current operation."

[alicornucopia]

"Sorry to hear that," sighs Galeni. "Damn, it's so useless, no one's ends are being served anymore, not ours or his or Komarr's...!"

[thisvorlunatic]

"If I could make contact with your father—"

[alicornucopia]

"Useless," repeats Galeni. "He's never going to give up."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Even now, as an old man, tired, his last chance over and done...?"

[alicornucopia]

"Even now. He can't quit, he has to prove himself right at any cost, he can't face the possibility that he's done as much as he has only to be wrong."

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles sighs. "Hell. Well - I'll contact you again if I... have anything useful to say. Since at present I am prevented from getting down there to unite the halves of the comlink, there's hardly much point in turning it in."

[alicornucopia]

"If you say so," mutters Galeni.

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles cuts the com, slips the link back in his pocket, and calls Thorne from his cabin comconsole.

"Any progress?"

[whyexit]

"Nothing much yet, sir."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Damn. The Barrayarans are on to them, I've just received word."

[whyexit]

"Damn," agrees Thorne. "And we can't just follow them either while they're meaning to shoot to kill... well, we're working on it, sir. Your brother sure is popular."

[thisvorlunatic]

"He has a winning personality," Miles says dryly. "Thanks, Bel. Let me know if you find anything."

He terminates that call too, then gets dressed and arms himself with such items as he will be allowed to carry past London shuttleport security. Which amounts to a boot knife and a couple of stunners, plus miscellaneous gadgetry with plausible non-criminal applications - scanners and the like. Over a quick breakfast, he orders a personnel shuttle made ready to depart at a moment's notice, then sits and jitters for lack of anything better to do.

A scant few minutes into his helpless stewing, his comconsole chimes again. The comm officer says he has a call coming in through the downside commercial net, from a man who refuses to identify himself but asserts that Miles wants to talk to him.

Shit.

"Trace it, cut a copy to Captain Thorne in Intelligence, and put it through."

"Yes, sir."

The comm officer's face is replaced by Ser Galen's.

"Vorkosigan."

Miles nods cautiously, studying him.

"I will not repeat myself. I don't give a damn if you're recording or tracing. It's irrelevant. You will meet me in exactly seventy minutes, at the Thames Tidal Barrier, halfway between Towers Six and Seven. You will walk out on the seaward side to the lower lookout. Alone. Then we'll talk. If any condition is not met, we will simply not be there when you arrive. And Ivan Vorpatril will die at 0207."

"You are two. I must be two," says Miles, mind racing. Ivan - what the hell's this bastard done with Ivan -

"Your bodyguard? Very well. Two."

The vid blanks before Miles can get another word out. He hisses inarticulately, then calls Bel.

"Did you get all that?"

[whyexit]

"Every ominous word, sir, who's Ivan?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"A very important person. Where'd this originate? Another tubeway?"

[whyexit]

"Yes. I can get a man there in six minutes, but in that time from that tubeway nexus..."

[thisvorlunatic]

"The search radius from hell, I know. You can skip that; we'll play it his way, to a point. I want a patrol in the air over the Tidal Barrier, I want a flight plan filed for my shuttle, I want a Dendarii aircar meeting it on the ground when it arrives, I want the credit chit I asked Lieutenant Bone for, and I want Quinn to meet me at the shuttle with a couple of med scanners. I just have to check one thing before I leave."

He cuts that call and opens the line to Galeni.

"Galeni? Still confined to quarters? I have an urgent question. Where is Ivan?"

[alicornucopia]

"As far as I know he should still be at the flower show."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Check," he says shortly. "Fast."

He carries the comlink with him while he fetches his credit chit from Lieutenant Bone and goes to meet Elli in the shuttle hatch corridor.

[spacetobreathe]

"What's the story?" Elli wants to know.

[thisvorlunatic]

"We have our break. With a side of complications. Galen wants a meeting, and he's taken Cousin Ivan hostage to secure it."

[spacetobreathe]

"Poor Cousin Ivan," murmurs Elli.

"Miles?" says Galeni from the commlink. "The private who drove the car spelled Ivan attending milady for a bathroom break, and when he wasn't back after twenty minutes went looking, and spent half an hour searching the entire mobbed hall before reporting back - how did you know?"

[thisvorlunatic]

"I got a call," says Miles. "Do you recognize whose operational style is at work here?"