The Vorkosigan Companion (39 page)

Degtiar, Rian:

A haut-lady, she is the Servant of the Celestial Lady, and Handmaiden of the Star Crèche. Essentially a lady-in-waiting who is related to the late Empress, three generations removed. She is exceedingly beautiful, with ebony hair, ice blue eyes, and ivory skin. She contacts Miles to get the Great Key back, then works with him to recover the real key and discover which haut governor is behind the plot to take the throne. During the period of mourning for the deceased Empress, Rian acts with the Imperial authority of the Empress, as when she overrides Vio's force screen, something only the Empress could do. She gives Miles a braided lock of her hair to remember her by. During the Dowager Empress's cremation, she is named the next Empress of Cetaganda. (C)

Deleara:

An area on Athos that has a junior, unnamed representative on the Population Council. (EA)

Deleo, Marco:

A lieutenant in the Escobar military, he was twenty-nine years old when he was killed during the Barrayar-Escobar war. His body is recovered by Pilot Officer Ferrell and Medtech Boni. (SH)

Demmi:

No first name given. A pilot with the DFM, he suffered a head wound after the Dagoola IV operation, and gets his jumpset repaired while the Dendarii are on Earth. (BA)

D'Emorie:

No first name given. A Barrayaran major in the Imperial Security division on Komarr, he is in charge of the investigation at the Waste Heat experiment station. He supplies the fast-penta Miles uses to interrogate Doctor Riva. (K)

Dendarii dress uniform:

The standard Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet dress uniform is a gray velvet tunic with silver buttons on the shoulders and white edging, matching gray trousers with white side piping, and synthasuede gray boots. (L)

Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet:

The name of Miles's accidental mercenary group, which he came up with while getting a simple weapons-smuggling job to Tau Verde IV from Carle Daum. During his first adventure as "Admiral Naismith," the outfit swells to three thousand personnel and a fleet of ships, thanks to his brilliant campaign to end the war on that planet. Miles is almost brought up on charges of treason for forming his own private army, but suggests that the Dendarii Mercenaries be given to the Emperor Gregor as a secret Imperial force, under titular command of Imperial Internal Security.

When he rejoins them four years later, the fleet has suffered some setbacks, reduced to a dozen ships with about five thousand personnel total. After Admiral Oser regained control in a financial reorganization, he changed the name back to the Oseran Mercenary Fleet, and contracted with Vervain to protect them against the Cetagandans, or anyone else trying to invade. The Dendarii hold off the Cetagandans long enough for the Barrayarans to come to their rescue. With Admiral Oser killed in action while trying to escape, Miles takes over as liaison officer in his Admiral Naismith persona as the Dendarii are secretly assigned as the Emperor's own fleet.

The Dendarii participate in the prisoner-of-war breakout on Dagoola IV, operations to help Marilac defend itself against a Cetagandan invasion, and a layover on Earth afterward, where they almost go broke while waiting to be paid. When Miles must choose between staying with the Dendarii or taking the Imperial Auditor position on Barrayar, he chooses to stay on his home planet, and makes Elli Quinn the admiral in charge of the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. (BA, BI, VG, WA)

Dendarii Gorge:

A deep, narrow, winding gorge near Vorkosigan Surleau, where Aral wrecked his lightflyer after a bout of drinking. When Miles and Ivan were young men, they would challenge each other to tests of piloting skill, taking a lightflyer through it at reckless speeds. Miles finally won the contest once and for all by running the gorge at night with his eyes closed. (SH)

Dendarii Mountains:

A mountain range on the southern border of the Vorkosigans' District, it is inhabited by hardy hill people. The village of Silvy Vale is located here. During the Cetagandan occupation, Piotr Vorkosigan and his men fought a guerrilla war against the invaders, and were based in the mountains. During Vordarian's Pretendership, Cordelia, Gregor, and Bothari hide among the inhabitants while eluding Vordarian's security forces. (B, M, MM)

Department of Sergyaran Affairs:

A new department in Barrayaran Imperial Security, recently created by Simon Illyan at the Viceroy of Sergyar's request. (M)

Designated Alternate:

A term for the second, male parent in a family on the planet Athos. Like having a son, social duty credits are also needed to qualify for this position. D.A.s, as they are referred to, are known by their luxuriant mustaches, instead of a full beard of a father/primary caregiver. (EA)

Deslaurier:

No first name given. An ensign in the Barrayaran military, he is the acting fleet legal officer on the
Prince Xav
. Tall, pale, and wan, with a bit of acne still on his face, he is young to be in the position, but had to replace the senior officer who was sent home on bereavement leave when his mother died. (DI)

Desroches:

No first name given; his nickname is "Roachie." The Chief of Staff of the Sevarin District Reproduction Center, he has dark eyes and a black beard and mustache. A friend and colleague of Ethan Urquhart's, he creates the plan to send Ethan off-planet to acquire the needed ovarian cultures for Athos. (EA)

Destang:

No first name given. Stationed at the Barrayaran Embassy on Tau Ceti, he is a commodore, and the leader of Sector Two Security. About sixty years old, he is shorter than average for a Barrayaran, and lean, with gray hair. A young officer during the Cetagandan invasion, he was a middle-ranking officer during the Komarr revolt. He investigated the destruction of the Halomar Barracks, blown up by Komarran terrorists.

Informed by Elena of the problems on Earth, Destang, who had thought Miles missing for the past two months, arrests the compromised courier, and travels to Earth to restore order, including paying the Dendarii and terminating Ser Galen and Miles's clone if possible. In the end, he gives Miles his orders to take the Dendarii and handle the pirate-hostage incident in Sector IV. (BA)

Deveraux:

No first name given. One of the Oseran mercenaries killed in the battle at the ore refinery orbiting Tau Verde IV. (WA)

D'Guise:

No first name given. A captain and doctor in the Barrayaran military, he is a cryonicist assigned to treat Miles's seizure problem. Doctor Chenko and he come up with the diagnosis and treatment, and he wants to write up the case in the Imperial Military medical journal. (M)

d'Har:

No first name given. A Cetagandan haut-lady, older, with silver hair, she issues Miles and Ivan an invitation to an exclusive garden party, from where Miles is taken to confer with the eight haut-consorts to the satrapy governors about how to halt the plan to distribute the copies of the haut gene bank. (C)

Diamant:

No first name given. A general in the Barrayaran military, he was the Chief of Komarran Affairs before Guy Allegre was promoted to the position. He died two years after his retirement. (M)

Diaz, Carlos:

A private inquiry agent in Rio de Janeiro, he has oily, black hair, an inadequate chin, and a smile like a shark. After losing his license, he is employed by Doctor Bianca of Portobello Pharmaceutical Company to commission a perverted feelie-dream composed by Anias Ruey, which he does, posing as Rudolph Kinney. After it is finished, he sabotages her dream synthesizer to kill her and keep the money he was supposed to pay her. He is lured out to Chalmys Dubauer's home, where Chalmys takes him out to the forest, finds out the true nature of his job, then turns him over to Sheriff Yoder. (DD)

Dimir:

No first name given. A captain in the Barrayaran military, he is Ivan's commanding officer, whom Ivan thinks works for Simon Illyan. He left Beta without Ivan on board, but did not show up at the refinery, as his jump ship was sabotaged, killing everyone aboard. Ivan hitched a ride with a Betan vessel to Tau Verde IV, where Miles figures out what happened to Captain Dimir and his ship. (WA)

District Agricultural Fair:

A large celebration and market show in Hassadar that Miles compares the Cetagandan bioestheties exhibition to, finding them completely different. (C)

Dom:

No surname given. A crewman on the courier run to Athos, he is Elli's former schoolmate, and is surprised at her new appearance when he sees her on Kline Station. (EA)

Donnia:

No surname given. A friend of Sonia's, she brings news of the coup to Cordelia and Bothari in the Dendarii Mountains, telling them that Karla Hysopi was taken by Vordarian's men. (B)

"Doreen's Gift":

Title of a contemporary, popular poem that Carlos Diaz requests Anias make a feelie-dream of for his aunt so that Anias will use her sabotaged dream synthesizer. Anias considers it a saccharine piece of doggerel. (DD)

Dowager Empress:

The proper title for Lisbet Degtiar, Empress of Cetaganda. (C)

Downsider:

A slang term, sometimes derogatory, referring to anyone born on a planet. (All)

Dream synthesizer:

A neat black box the size of an "antique book," it has leads that go from the box to circular silver "dreamer implants" in the user's head. It is used to compose feelie-dreams, which are stored using a master cartridge. Just like books, there are a wide range of dreams, from children's stories to romance to pornography, and they can be addicting. A diagnostic test kit comes with the set as a precaution against defects. They are not interchangeable without custom adjustments. Carlos Diaz sabotages Anias Ruey's synthesizer, then requests a feelie-dream from her, hoping that she will use it and inadvertently kill herself. Anias tests her   synthesizer before using it, setting off the trap, and destroying it in the process. (DD)

Dress greens:

The standard Barrayaran military dress uniform is a forest-green tunic with a high collar, matching green trousers, and cavalry boots. (BA)

Droushnakovi:

No first name given. A sergeant in the Barrayaran army, he is Ludmilla Droushnakovi's father. He is shorter than his children. (B)

Droushnakovi, Ludmilla:

See Koudelka, Ludmilla Droushnakovi

Dubauer:

No first name given. An ensign and botanist with Betan Astronomical Survey, he has brown hair. Shot by Sergeant Bothari with a nerve disruptor, he survives the normally fatal injury, although it leaves him seriously mentally impaired, reduced to the intelligence of an infant, and unable to speak. Cordelia demands that he accompany Aral and her on their trek to the supply cache, and she gets him through the ordeal, although he is tortured by other Barrayaran soldiers during interrogation while in their custody. Repatriated with the other prisoners of war, he is sent back to Beta Colony, where his mother cares for him. (SH)

DuBauer, Chalmys:

A retired spaceship captain, he is Anias Ruey's closest friend. He is a heavyset man, middle-aged and middle-tall, with sandy hair that's graying at the temples, penetrating gray eyes, and a round face. Made redundant because of wormhole travel technology, he is out of synch with the present time because of the decades of slower-than-light travel for Beta Colony, and his dislocation due to space/light-year travel synchronization. His family passed away long ago, and he has a child on Beta Colony who is now a great-grandmother. Financially comfortable, he lives in an old-fashioned house south of destroyed Cleveland with security gates, protective defenses, a summer house, and a small staff. Indifferent to current culture, he is well thought of in the area and on good terms with local law enforcement. He enjoys gardens, epicurean living, and reconditioning old technical equipment for museums. He interrogates Carlos Diaz to find out the real reason he hired Anias Ruey to create the disturbing feelie-dream. (DD)

Dubauer, Ker:

A Cetagandan Ba passing itself off as a Beta hermaphrodite, it is tall and elegant-looking, with silver hair, dark eyes, and a Betan earring signifying it is romantically attached and not looking. A passenger on the
Idris
, it has a cargo of uterine replicators that it claims are genetically engineered animals, but are really haut fetuses it has stolen from Cetaganda in order to create its own empire to rule over as both Emperor and Empress. It kills Lieutenant Solian and kidnaps Bel Thorne, using it to gain access to the
Idris
after setting a biological bomb in the Madame Minchenko Memorial Hall to infect hundreds of quaddies as revenge for interfering with its mission. It is stopped by Miles when he recovers its case of genetic samples and destroys them. Taken back to the Cetagandan Empire, it is turned over to haut-lady Pel Navarr's custody, and shall remain a nameless prisoner for the rest of its life. (DI)

Durham:

No first name given. A lieutenant in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he is the pilot of Combat Shuttle A-4, which was hit by enemy fire during the Marilac operation. Although mortally injured and in shock, he gets the shuttle back to the
Triumph
for evacuation before dying. Placed in cryo-stasis, he is resuscitated at Beauchene Life Center, suffering amnesia from the process, and also because his neural pilot implants were removed. He recovers from his injuries, although it takes at least a year of intense therapy. (MD)

Durona, Chrys:

Miles's physical therapist, her first name is short for chrysanthemum. A clone of Lilly Durona, she is approximately ten years older than Rowan, with wings of blunt-cut black hair shot with silver, and a more serious attitude. She pushes Miles hard on his physical therapy. (MD)

Durona, Hawk:

A male clone of Lilly Durona, he is about thirty years old, and guards Lilly. When Baron Ryoval's men break into the Durona Clinic, he tries to stop them, but is stunned before he can do anything. (MD)

Durona, Lilly:

The lead doctor of the Durona group, she is a century old, with the same dark eyes and ivory skin as the rest of her cloned progeny. She was created on Jackson's Whole as a brilliant research doctor by the previous Baron Ryoval before he was killed by the present baron. She plotted her escape with Ryoval's half-brother, Georish Stauber, now Baron Fell, helping him rise to power. In return, he financed the Durona Research Group, which consists of thirty-six clones of Lilly, all trained in medicine. She revives Miles in the hope that he can help them escape Jackson's Whole, but Mark actually brokers the Deal enabling the Duronas to set up their clinic on Escobar. (MD)