The Vorkosigan Companion (43 page)

House Dyne:

One of the largest criminal factions on Jackson's Whole, its main enterprise is money laundering. (L)

House Fell:

One of the largest criminal factions on Jackson's Whole, its main enterprise is as an arms dealer, the biggest one "this side of Beta Colony." Miles uses buying arms from them as the pretext to smuggle Hugh Canaba off the planet. After Mark kills Baron Ryoval, he makes a Deal for Baron Fell to acquire the assets of House Ryoval. (L, MD)

House Hargraves:

One of the largest criminal factions on Jackson's Whole, its main enterprise is serving as a galactic fence and middleman for ransom exchange. Miles grudgingly admits that most of the victims it negotiates on behalf of do come back alive. (L)

House Ryoval:

One of the largest criminal factions on Jackson's Whole, its main enterprise is creating life-forms for the purchaser's pleasure, deviant or otherwise. House Ryoval purchased Taura from House Bharaputra, holding her prisoner until Miles rescued her. Miles also destroys Baron Ryoval's entire collection of genetic samples on his way out. Baron Ryoval captures Mark when he returns to Jackson's Whole to rescue clone children, and tortures him for five days until Mark kills him and turns the assets of his House over to Baron Fell. (L, MD)

Howl:

One of the sub-personalities Mark creates to survive Baron Ryoval's torture, he comes out when Mark is physically abused. (MD)

Husavi:

No first name given. The head of civilian security on the Komarr jump-point station, he holds the rank of group commander and wears a blue and orange uniform. He has been having problems with Captain Vorgier over how to handle the hostage-holding engineers, which Miles alleviates upon his arrival. (K)

Hysopi, Karla:

A hired caregiver for Konstantin Bothari's child Elena, she is a military widow with three children of her own, and lives in the village near Vorkosigan Surleau. She is taken, along with Elena, by Vordarian's men during the search for Gregor, and held hostage until being released after the coup is put down. (B)

Idris
:

A Toscane Corporation cargo and passenger ship that is part of the Komarran merchant fleet escorted by the Barrayarans. It is a utilitarian vessel consisting of seven huge parallel cylinders, one in the middle surrounded by the other six. The central one in devoted to personnel, with two nacelles opposite each other on the outer ring housing the Necklin rods, enabling the ship to travel through wormholes, and the other four cylinders devoted to cargo. Its   normal-space engines are mounted in the vessel's rear, and mass shield generators are in the front. The ship rotates around its central axis to bring whichever cargo cylinder is needed into alignment with the docking bay for loading and unloading of cargo.

Docked at Graf Station for adjustments to its jump drive, the ship ran into complications when the replacement parts didn't pass inspection, and was held until the parts could be repaired or replaced. Lieutenant Solian, the Barrayaran security liaison aboard, then turned up missing. The
Idris
is also carrying Ker Dubauer's cargo of haut-fetuses, and it attempts to hijack the entire vessel to retrieve them, but is foiled by Miles, Armsman Roic, and Ensign Corbeau. Afterward, Miles leaves the ship to Senior Sealer Greenlaw as compensation for allowing his men and other ships to leave for Cetaganda to avert the impending war between that empire and Barrayar. (DI)

Illyan, Simon:

A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military and one of the Emperor's personal security staff. When Cordelia first meets him, he is young with brown hair and a "bland, puppy face." He has an eidetic memory chip implanted in his brain by order of Emperor Ezar, allowing him to record anything he sees and hears and play it back with perfect recall. The chip has a ninety percent incidence of introducing iatrogenic schizophrenia in its subjects, although Simon is among the fortunate ten percent.

Assigned to Aral Vorkosigan as his personal spy, he is rapidly promoted through the ranks, becoming Security Commander for Aral once he is appointed Regent, when he heads up the investigation into Evon Vorhalas's assassination attempt on Aral. Twenty years later, Simon is chief of Imperial Security on Barrayar, and Miles's overall superior during his tour of duty in Imperial Security. By this time he is slight and aging, with a round face etched with faint lines, a snub nose, and brown hair turning gray at the temples. He has the unenviable job of requesting Miles's resignation from Imperial Security after discovering his falsification of his report on the recovery of Lieutenant Vorberg, and also his lying to the Imperial Military doctors about his seizures.

Shortly thereafter, Simon begins having what appear to be mental lapses, which turn severe enough to require him to be forcibly removed from his position and kept sequestered in the ImpSec HQ hospital for review. The memory chip in his head was sabotaged by General Haroche, forcing him to relive events of the past thirty years as if they were actually happening, and he might have died if not for Miles arriving to help him. After removal of the chip renders him unable to return to his former duties, Simon retires, and becomes romantically involved with Alys Vorpatril. He will have some continuing memory difficulties, but Cordelia buys him a map finder data cube and a personal organizer to help him adapt to his new, more sedate life. He accidentally tips Ekaterin off to Miles's secret courtship at the dinner party. Later, he visits Ekaterin at the Vorthys house to apologize, and interrupts Lieutenant Vormoncrief's assault on her and Nikki. He and Alys attend Miles's wedding. (B, CC, M, MD, SH, WG)

Imperial Auditor:

A career on Barrayar that Miles describes as a cross between a Betan Special Prosecutor, an Inspector General, and a minor deity. Appointed for life, they were originally created by Emperor Voradar Tau to audit his counts, and also served as tax collectors for their Districts. Since that time, their position has grown to encompass investigating any situation that cannot be resolved by normal means. There are nine Imperial Auditors, eight permanent positions, with the ninth left permanently open to install men as needed in that position, then releasing them when their specialized services are no longer required. Stymied by Lucas Haroche over visiting Simon after his breakdown, Miles petitions Gregor, who appoints him as an acting Imperial Auditor. After solving the case, and with the approval of the other four active Auditors, Miles is permanently installed as the eighth Imperial Auditor, the youngest since the Time of Isolation. After that, Miles serves in this capacity on Komarr, Barrayar, and Graf Station. (M, K, CC, DI)

Imperial Military:

Known as ImpMil for short, Barrayar's military force is responsible for carrying out offensive or defensive military campaigns for the Empire. It encompasses both the ground army and the space navy. It is a progressive organization, accepting anyone who can pass the necessary requirements, regardless of their family history or background. Enlisted men often serve in both infantry posts and on warships, as do commissioned and noncommissioned officers. The Imperial Military has defended the planet from invasion by Cetaganda, taken over Komarr, failed to conquer Escobar, and defeated the Cetagandans during the Vervain conflict. (All except FF)

Imperial Residence:

The home of the Emperor on Barrayar, it is a sprawling building that has been added onto in a mix of architectural styles and wings with the succession of new rulers over the centuries. Ludmilla Droushnakova leads Cordelia and Bothari inside to rescue Miles using a network of secret tunnels underneath the structure. (B)

Imperial Security:

Known as ImpSec for short, Barrayar's main law enforcement agency is charged with investigating and neutralizing internal and external threats to the Empire. Headquartered in a windowless building in Vorbarr Sultana, its members are a combination of intelligence analyst and espionage agent, and are sent to every corner of the known universe. Both Miles and Ivan serve in Imperial Security, with Miles forced to resign after lying about his seizures, and Ivan attaining the rank of captain. During his time of service, Miles saves the Emperor Gregor's life and averts a war with Cetaganda. Duv Galeni also serves in Imperial Security, attaining the rank of commodore and heading the department of Domestic Affairs for Komarr. (All except FF)

Incendiary Cat Plot:

A story alluded to, but not told, by Aral Vorkosigan to Mark as an illustration of Barrayar's long political history. (MD)

Interstellar Judiciary Commission:

A board that acts like the present-day United Nations, they have created rules for the treatment of prisoners of war, which the Cetagandans follow in their own way, creating cruel places like the Top Security Camp #3 on Dagoola IV as a result. (BI)

Investigatif Federale Building:

The headquarters of Escobaran law enforcement, it is a forty-five-story-tall glass building. Simon Illyan tells Mark he came close to emigrating when he visited the building. (MD)

Irene:

No last name given. The first bunkmate Cordelia has on the Tau Cetan passenger liner carrying prisoners of war back to Beta Colony. She works with the psychological officers from Escobar to gather information from the prisoners of war during the trip. Cordelia tries to evade her for most of the journey home. (SH)

IV Thalizine 5:

A truth serum substitute used on Silver to interrogate her about Tony's and Claire's escape from the Cay Habitat. (FF)

Iverson:

No first name given. He is a lieutenant in Barrayaran Imperial Security who responds to Miles's call for help from the Ryoval torture facility. He arrives with a hired security team from House Dyne, and insists on clearing the facility himself. (MD)

Jackson's Whole:

A planet where corruption and commerce go hand in hand, and anything can be bought for the right price. Located on one of the Hegen Hub jump routes. Five wormholes lead from Jacksonian territory to half the known galaxy. Founded as a hijackers' base two centuries before Miles was born. The old criminal gangs have become criminal syndicate monopolies known as Houses. The only thing sacred to them is the Deal. The houses are run by barons, men who have schemed, clawed, and killed their way to the top. Miles goes there to pick up a defecting genetic scientist, and ends up rescuing Taura from House Ryoval, destroying Ryoval's private genetic sample collection in the process.

A few years later, Mark commandeers a Dendarii ship and commando team to rescue clones from House Bharaputra, but ends up having to be rescued by Miles, who is killed in the attempt and later resuscitated at the Durona Clinic. After being captured and tortured by Baron Ryoval, Mark kills the baron, and makes a Deal with Baron Fell to acquire House Ryoval's assets in exchange for letting the Duronas leave the planet. (L, MD, SH, VG, WA)

Jahar, Faz:

A Cetagandan geneticist who created the telepathy project that spawned Terrence Cee after finding a homeless woman with the ability and creating children from her genetic tissue. Supposedly blown up in a lab accident, in reality he was killed in the resulting explosion when Terrence and Janine sabotaged the laboratories where they had been created. (EA)

Jamie:

A quaddie killed in an accident before Leo Graf came to the Cay Habitat. It is the first experience the quaddies have with death. (FF)

Janine:

Also known as J-9-X-Ceta-G, she was a genetic experiment like Terrence Cee, and first put the notion in his head to escape. He thought of her as a sort of combination sister and lover, even though they shared very few genetic materials. She was the only other survivor of Doctor Jahar's project to reach puberty, and was killed by Captain Rau as they tried to escape. Terrence has genetic samples of her, and is trying to have her cloned once he gets to Jackson's Whole. Once Ethan and Terrence recover the ovarian shipment, Terrence agrees to have her genetic samples used for the next generation of children on Athos. (EA)

Jankowski:

No first name given. He is an armsman for Vorkosigan House. His younger daughter found the escaped butter bug queen. He provides security for Miles's wedding and reception. (CC)

Jarlais:

No first name given. A major in the Barrayaran military, he is the officer on duty at Imperial Security headquarters when Miles attempts to visit Simon. He forwards Miles's request to General Haroche. (M)

Jasi:

No surname given. An Imperial Security medic who arrives with Elena to help Aral during his coronary problem. (MD)

Jean:

No surname given. The midwife who delivered Raina, she has a son of her own. (MM)

Jesek, Bazil:

A thin, dark-haired, dark eyed man in his late twenties. He was a former lieutenant and engineer's assistant on jump-drive engines in the Barrayaran military, but deserted in the heat of battle. Miles takes him off Hathaway's hands, and has him swear fealty to him to get him out of Beta Colony. Baz goes on the Tau Verde IV run, recovers his nerve and composure in the battles that follow, and also falls in love with Elena Bothari, which nearly gets him killed by her father. After initially withholding his permission for them to marry, Miles grants it, also promoting him to commodore and naming him acting commander of the Dendarii Free Mercenaries while Miles goes to clear his name on Barrayar.

He loses command of the fleet when Admiral Oser takes over by subterfuge, and is restored to his position after the Battle of Vervain. Several years later, having secured a lucrative position at an orbiting shipyard at Escobar, he resigns from his post and asks to be released from his armsman's oath to raise a family with his wife Elena, which Miles grants. He comes back to Barrayar with his wife and daughter to attend Miles's wedding. (BA, M, MD, WA, WG)

Jole:

A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he is Aral Vorkosigan's aide-de-camp during the Vervain conflict. Blond, good-looking, and brilliant, he was commended for quick thinking during a shipboard accident, and came to Aral's attention soon after. He accompanies Aral on the
Prince Serg
when they arrive at Vervain. (VG)