"You should not have gotten out of line, my lord," adds Vorob'yev reprovingly. "Ah... what was it you saw?"
Which question rather undercuts his reprimand, Miles thinks. "One of the late Dowager Empress's oldest ba servants has just cut its throat at the foot of her bier. I didn't know the Cetagandans made a fashion of human sacrifice. Not officially, anyway."
Vorob'yev stifles a grin, not quite in time to conceal it from Miles. "How awkward for them. They are going to have an interesting scramble, trying to retrieve this ceremony."
Yes, indeed... so what did the ba think it was doing? Why did it have the artifact? Why did it come barreling into a Barrayaran personnel pod with the thing in its vest pocket - why did it reach for that pocket wearing an expression of desperate inspiration - why did it come back here the next morning and kill itself in a way calculated to publicly humiliate its celestial superiors?
Miles is particularly confused to note that the haut What's-her-bubble didn't seem to be acting on the theory that the Barrayarans had stolen the sparkly stick. He would expect that if the ba had been up there on any official business, carrying the artifact legitimately, and had panicked and fled when they jumped it, it would have run back to its masters to report being mugged by galactic delegates, and the conversation with the Handmaiden's emissary would have taken a rather different tone.
Or, alternately, it would have omitted to mention the incident at all and... committed dramatic suicide in its shame? But then how did the Handmaiden know to send a haut-lady to question Miles, out of all the people on Eta Ceta? And however she came by that information, why did she decide not to send somebody more aggressive? If Miles received word through whatever channels that a Cetagandan delegate to a Barrayaran state funeral had somehow gotten their hands on a vanished Vor widget, his first ten theories would all involve espionage, and the first person he'd tell would be Illyan. Maybe the Handmaiden of the Star Creche is a very trusting sort. No, he can't imagine anyone that trusting.
In fact, even if the ba wasn't carrying the thing legitimately, why assume that the Barrayarans who ended up with it were innocent in the matter? Why not send some kind of security to shake them down?
His head is spinning.
This train of thought occupies him all the way to the Eastern Pavilion, along the path that circles the central towers. His legs are giving him absolute hell. In the general confusion caused by delegates unexpectedly needing to bring their bulky gifts to the banquet tables, he leaves the maplewood box with Ivan again and navigates around the intervening tables to approach the Vervani delegation and have a quick chat with Mia Maz.
"Good afternoon, m'lady Maz," he greets her when he arrives.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2014-07-10 03:54 pm (UTC)Which question rather undercuts his reprimand, Miles thinks. "One of the late Dowager Empress's oldest ba servants has just cut its throat at the foot of her bier. I didn't know the Cetagandans made a fashion of human sacrifice. Not officially, anyway."
Vorob'yev stifles a grin, not quite in time to conceal it from Miles. "How awkward for them. They are going to have an interesting scramble, trying to retrieve this ceremony."
Yes, indeed... so what did the ba think it was doing? Why did it have the artifact? Why did it come barreling into a Barrayaran personnel pod with the thing in its vest pocket - why did it reach for that pocket wearing an expression of desperate inspiration - why did it come back here the next morning and kill itself in a way calculated to publicly humiliate its celestial superiors?
Miles is particularly confused to note that the haut What's-her-bubble didn't seem to be acting on the theory that the Barrayarans had stolen the sparkly stick. He would expect that if the ba had been up there on any official business, carrying the artifact legitimately, and had panicked and fled when they jumped it, it would have run back to its masters to report being mugged by galactic delegates, and the conversation with the Handmaiden's emissary would have taken a rather different tone.
Or, alternately, it would have omitted to mention the incident at all and... committed dramatic suicide in its shame? But then how did the Handmaiden know to send a haut-lady to question Miles, out of all the people on Eta Ceta? And however she came by that information, why did she decide not to send somebody more aggressive? If Miles received word through whatever channels that a Cetagandan delegate to a Barrayaran state funeral had somehow gotten their hands on a vanished Vor widget, his first ten theories would all involve espionage, and the first person he'd tell would be Illyan. Maybe the Handmaiden of the Star Creche is a very trusting sort. No, he can't imagine anyone that trusting.
In fact, even if the ba wasn't carrying the thing legitimately, why assume that the Barrayarans who ended up with it were innocent in the matter? Why not send some kind of security to shake them down?
His head is spinning.
This train of thought occupies him all the way to the Eastern Pavilion, along the path that circles the central towers. His legs are giving him absolute hell. In the general confusion caused by delegates unexpectedly needing to bring their bulky gifts to the banquet tables, he leaves the maplewood box with Ivan again and navigates around the intervening tables to approach the Vervani delegation and have a quick chat with Mia Maz.
"Good afternoon, m'lady Maz," he greets her when he arrives.