Memory

Any side-branch Haroche missed, Miles pointed out, and Haroche promptly mended the oversight. By the end of the afternoon there seemed nothing more to do with Jackson's Whole short of Miles going there in person, an idea that occurred independently to Haroche.

'You do seem to have had an extraordinary amount of experience dealing with the Jacksonian Houses,' Haroche observed.

'Mm,' said Miles neutrally, concealing the pull of the idea on his own imagination. Returning to Jackson's Whole in his new persona of an Imperial Auditor, with all the Barrayaran Imperial warships he cared to requisition as backup, made a delightful little power-fantasy. 'No,' he said vaguely, 'I don't think so.' The answer is here, inside ImpSec. I just wish I knew how to phrase the question.

Restless and frustrated, Miles left Jackson's Whole to the agents assigned there, and Haroche to himself for a while, and set off for a rambling tour of the building. He'd thought he'd memorized ImpSec HQ, but there were nooks and crannies he'd never penetrated before, whole departments he'd never needed-to-know. Well, he certainly had the run of the place now.

He poked into a couple of such offices at random, thoroughly alarming their inhabitants, then decided to make his tour systematic. He would inspect every department from the top floor down, not excepting Physical Plant and Food Service.

He left behind a trail of disruption and dismay, as every department head frantically searched his conscience for a reason why the Imperial Auditor might be visiting him. Ha. Guilty, every one of 'em, Miles thought dryly. Several made a point of explaining their budgetary expenditures in what Miles felt was excessive detail, though one blurted out a wholly unasked-for defense of his recent galactic vacation. Watching these normally closemouthed men babble in panic was highly entertaining, Miles had to admit. He led them on with lots of well-timed neutral noises, like 'Um,' and 'Hm?', but it seemed to bring him no closer to formulating his right question.

Enough of the departments ran on Barrayar's whole 26.7-hour diurnal cycle that Miles could have continued his tour all night, but in the late evening he broke it off. ImpSec was a big building. Care, not speed, was called for now.

Miles woke the next morning to find Vorkosigan House full of the unaccustomed bustle of his mother's retainers. They were reordering the place: whisking away the furniture covers, efficiently taking over care of his houseguest, Illyan, and blocking his path with inquiries of what they might do for him, m'lord, as he attempted to wander the place half-dressed, thinking and drinking his morning coffee. It was the way it should be, but . . . still he was inspired to go off to work early. As long as he was being official, or officious, about it all, Miles decided to begin with a personal report to Gregor at the Imperial Residence, in his best Auditor's style. Besides, Gregor might have an idea. Miles felt particularly empty of ideas just now.

His Auditor's style melted rapidly into his usual style, once he reached Gregor's office and they were alone. They sat in the comfortable chairs overlooking the garden window, and Miles put his feet up on the low table and scowled at his boots.

'Anything new?' inquired Gregor, leaning back in his own chair.

'Not so far. What has Haroche told you?'

Gregor rattled off a tolerably complete precis of the midnight meeting, and of the orders and inquiries Haroche's office had disgorged under Miles's eye yesterday. 'He said Illyan was awfully quiet at your briefing,' Gregor added. 'I gather Haroche believes that Illyan's a lot more damaged than he lets on.'

'Mm. Illyan thinks he is too. I'm not sure he's damaged so much as he is out of practice. It's like he's forgotten how to pay attention. The inside of his head . . . must be a strange world for him right now. I think Lady Alys could probably give you better observations than Haroche on that score.'

'So what have you done?'

Miles grimaced. 'Nothing. I'm stuck twiddling my thumbs till the galactic reports start coming back. I've been poking through closets at ImpSec HQ, playing Inspector General. It provides some amusement, while I wait. And wait.'

'You've only been waiting one day.'

'It's the anticipation.'

'Are you any happier with Haroche now?'

'Yes, in fact. He's doing all he should. And he learns fast, and doesn't make the same mistake . . . well, more than twice at most. It's the situation I'm not happy with. It seems singularly devoid of handles, strings . . . there are no loose ends to yank and see what happens. Or none I've found yet.'

Gregor nodded in sympathy. 'You've just started the real investigation.'

'Yeah.' Miles hesitated. 'This thing has blown up a lot bigger and more complicated than I was anticipating, back when I was just being pissed at the way ImpSec was handling Illyan's medical treatment. It's no joke now. Are you sure you . . . don't want to put a real Auditor on the case? Vorhovis, for example.'

'Vorhovis is still on Komarr. It would take a week to recall him. And I want him there.'

'Or one of the others.'

'What is this, funk?' Gregor studied Miles through narrowed eyes. 'Do you want me to relieve you?'

Miles opened his mouth, closed it, and finally said, 'I thought you should have an opportunity to change your mind.'

'I see.' Gregor sucked on his lower lip. 'Thank you, Lord Vorkosigan. But no.'

I hope you're not making a major mistake, Gregor. But he didn't say it out loud.

The coffee Gregor had ordered upon Miles's arrival appeared at last, borne on a tray not by Gregor's majordomo, but by Lady Alys Vorpatril herself. She had Laisa Toscane in tow. Gregor's face lit.

'Are you ready for a break, gentlemen?' Lady Alys inquired, setting the tray down with a flourish and frowning at Miles's boots. He hastily removed his feet from the table and sat up straight.

'Yes,' said Gregor, holding out his hand to Laisa, who took it and sat—snuggled—in beside him. Miles felt a momentary pang of envy.

'We're actually done, I think,' added Miles. 'For today.' My report is, there's nothing to report. Feh.

A concerned and quizzical half-smile curved Laisa's lips. 'Gregor and Lady Alys have told me about Illyan. I suppose I feel . . . sorry? No, that's not the right word. Awed, maybe, that such an icon has fallen. He was such a legend on Komarr. And yet when I finally met him, he seemed just an ordinary fellow.'

'Hardly that,' said Lady Alys.

'Well, not really ordinary, but that's the impression he seemed to want to give. So quiet. He was not . . . what I expected.'

Not a monster? Laisa was a polite Komarran; you had to give her credit for that. 'Real monsters,' observed Miles, answering her thought instead of her words, 'often are just ordinary men. Only more confused in their thinking. Illyan was one of the least confused men I know.'

Laisa colored faintly. On her, it looked good. She cleared her throat, and forged on. 'We actually came in for a reason, Lord Vorkosigan.'

'You may as well start calling me Miles, in private.'

She glanced for approval to Gregor, who nodded. 'Miles,' she went on. 'Lady Alys has proposed a reception and dance here at the Residence next week, for Gregor's and my particular friends. There's nothing political about it, for a change.'

Or so you can wish. But Lady Alys nodded confirmation. If not politically, it was certainly socially calculated. Was this a reward, for Laisa working so hard to be a good apprentice Vor?

Laisa went on, 'Won't you come, Lo—Miles, your duties permitting? As a friend to us both.'

Miles, seated, half-bowed to his future Empress. 'My duties permitting, I'd be honored.' It was likely he'd have time on his hands then, still waiting for the galactic reports.

'And you're welcome to bring a guest, of course,' Laisa added. She glanced again at Gregor, and they exchanged one of those maddening private smiles. 'Do you have a regular …'—she