The Vorkosigan Companion (50 page)

Rosemont, Reg:

A lieutenant and member of the Betan Astronomical Survey team, he had blond hair and a long body. He was killed by the Barrayarans in the assault on Base One. Cordelia buries him on the planet, and is almost unable to imagine her ship operating without him. She makes sure there is a marker placed at his grave on Sergyar. (SH)

Rotha, Victor:

Miles's cover name for his mission to the Hegen Hub, posing as a weapons procurement agent from Beta Colony. (VG)

Rudy:

A male quaddie at Cay Habitat, he is designated to mate with Claire next. (FF)

Ruey, Anias:

A feelie-dream composer, she has lank, black hair, alive dark eyes, and soft, pale skin. She lives in a Rio apartment with a good view of the sea. She refers to an ex-husband, an ex-guardian aunt, and an ex-boyfriend who works in journalism. Carlos Diaz commissions a dark, violent feelie-dream from her on behalf of his employer, Doctor Bianca. After it is completed, she learns her dream synthesizer has been sabotaged to kill her, and turns amateur detective to figure out who would wants her dead and why. (DD)

Ruibal:

No first name given. A colonel in Barrayaran Imperial Security, he is a neurologist on the team helping Miles to treat Simon. A short, round-faced man, he provides the initial evaluation summary and assists with Simon's case. (M)

Rule 27B:

As defined by Miles: Never make key tactical decisions while having electroconvulsive seizures. (VG)

Ryoval, Ry:

The baron of House Ryoval on Jackson's Whole, a rival of House Bharaputra. He inhabits a clone body, and looks to be in his mid-twenties, with smooth, dark olive skin, a high-bridged nose, and long, shining black hair in a braid. He has a large bodyguard who is biologically enhanced to be an unarmed killing machine. His House's specialty is genetically created slaves made to order for whatever illicit pleasure the buyer has in mind. Baron Fell is his younger half brother. Ryoval killed Fell's clone to take over his House. He wants genetic samples from Miles, Bel Thorne, and Nicol, and offers to trade Taura for them. Instead, Miles steals Taura and Nicol, and destroys his vast library of genetic samples as well. Ryoval has sent several bounty hunters after the admiral. He captures Mark, thinking he is Naismith, and puts him through physical, psychological, and sexual torture. Mark gets revenge by killing Ryoval just before he is going to remove one of Mark's eyes. (L, MD)

S.A.H. Pesodoro:

A South American monetary unit. Carlos Diaz offers to pay Anias Ruey twenty thousand pesodoros to make a violent, disturbing feelie-dream. (DD)

Sahlin:

No first name given. A captain in the Felician military, he accompanies General Halify, and is supposed to take the ordnance shipment Miles brought to Tau Verde IV planetside. (WA)

Saint Simon:

No first name given. A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he is part of the engineering staff on the
General Vorkraft
. Aral authorizes his plan to stop the mutineers. (SH)

Saltpetre Plot, The:

A plot on Barrayar during the Time of Isolation that caused the death of Count Vorvayne, who was hung in stocks until he died. His wife, the sixth Countess Vorvayne, sat at his feet in a hunger strike and died of exposure. Ekaterin remembers this example of a Vor wife's faithfulness to her husband. (K)

Sanctuary Station:

One of the few orbital arcologies in the Union of Free Habitats that maintains gravity and deals with galactics. (DI)

Sardi:

No first name given. A Barrayaran soldier who thinks Aral is a strategic genius. Carl and Evon Vorhalas refer to his opinion while discussing Aral at the Regent's confirmation ceremony. (B)

Satrap governor:

Each of the eight satrapy worlds controlled by the Cetagandan Empire is ruled by a governor, all of whom are chosen from Imperial relations. Each has a haut-lady consort, who keeps an eye on things on each planet for the Empress. They also each have a ghem-general to oversee their planetary armed forces. At the Dowager Empress's funeral, each one has received a copy of the Star Crèche gene bank from the deceased Empress, but none of them has the true Great Key. One governor, Ilsum Kety, had planned to take the throne of the Empire for himself, but his plan is foiled by Miles and Ivan. (C)

Scat-cat:

A small, teardrop-shaped vehicle used to travel around Lazkowski Base and Kyril Island. Miles accidentally sinks one in mud when he is given bad directions during his assignment as Chief Meteorological Officer. Recovered by Lieutenant Bonn, Miles is forced to oversee its cleaning as part of his punishment. (VG)

Schriml:

No first name given. A deputy, he is with Sheriff Yoder at Chalmys DuBauer's house. (DD)

Scrubwire:

A low, round Barrayaran plant with a spicy scent and a dull color. Ekaterin includes it in the display garden near Vorkosigan House for its pleasant smell. (CC)

Seal of the Star Crèche:

The screaming bird sigil on the end of the Great Key that Miles has Mia Maz identify for him. It is used to seal reproductive contracts between Cetagandan haut-lords, indicating the contract has been approved by the Empress. (C)

Second:

The Barrayaran term for best man or maid of honor at a wedding. Miles serves as Gregor's Second during his wedding. For Miles's wedding, Ivan serves as his second, and for saving the bride's life Taura is elevated to Ekaterin's Second in place of Martya Koudelka. (CC, WG)

Senden:

No first name given. A ghem-lady, she is the sister of Lady Benello, and invites Ivan to a court-dance practice during his stay on Eta Ceti IV. (C)

Sendorf:

One of the three men Cordelia tells Simon could be a potential Prime Minister replacement for Aral. (MD)

Sens:

No first name given. One of Radnov's mutineers, he is captured during Aral's return to their camp on Sergyar. (SH)

Sergyar:

Barrayar's colony planet, named after the vile Prince Serg Vorbarra, which was first explored by Cordelia and Aral before they were married. Only inhabited for the past thirty years, there are about one million colonists on-planet. Aral is the Viceroy of Sergyar and has requested a separate Imperial Security Office of Domestic Affairs be created for the growing colony. Sharing their dual appointment with equal political authority, Cordelia is Vicereine of Sergyar in her own right; hers is not a mere courtesy title as Aral's wife. The colony had a problem with an infectious worm plague, but that has been brought under control. Aral and Cordelia return home from the planet for Gregor's wedding. Ensign Dmitri Corbeau is originally from Sergyar. (CC, DI, M)

Serifosa:

One of Komarr's domed cities, it is where the investigation into the solar mirror accident takes place. The Vorsoissons live there until Etienne's death. (K)

Setti:

No first name given. A Cetagandan, he is one of Millisor's men. Quinn kills him in the shuttle bay by tossing him the booby-trapped reader given to Ethan by a Bharaputran assassin. (EA)

Seven Secret Roads of Female Pleasure:

A fictional method of lovemaking Miles invents to prevent Mark from sleeping with Elli Quinn while he's impersonating Miles. (BA)

Sharkbait One:

A jumpscout ship with the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. It scouts for Cetagandans during the Vervain conflict. (VG)

Sharkbait Three:

A jumpscout ship with the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. During the Vervain conflict it announces that help is arriving, and the wormhole must be cleared. (VG)

Ship knits:

Casual wear worn on spaceships, they are like sweat suits, consisting of shapeless, loose, comfortable shirt and pants. (All)

Shock stick:

A melee energy weapon that imparts an electric shock when it hits a target. Often used as a control or punishment device, it has adjustable power settings that cause varying levels of pain. At higher settings, repeated hits can shock a subject unconscious. Ser Galen used a shock stock to punish Mark during his training, and Miles is hit by them several times, including once to the face on Ilsum Kety's ship during his mission in the Cetagandan Empire. (BA, C, MD, VG)

Shuttle:

A small, self-powered, environmentally sealed transport craft used for surface-to-orbit transportation. The means of power and propulsion is not specified. Anti-gravity is used for liftoff and touchdown, so there are no blast effects from a propulsion system. Reentry friction does cause hull heating. Shuttles come in many models, from simple drop versions that carry   passengers and cargo, to armed and armored military models capable of transporting fifty to sixty soldiers or civilians, as during the prisoner-of-war breakout on Dagoola IV. (All)

Shuttle A-4:

A fully loaded combat shuttle destroyed by a Cetagandan fighter during the prisoner rescue on Dagoola IV. (BI)

Shuttle B-7:

An empty combat shuttle destroyed by a Cetagandan fighter during the prisoner rescue on Dagoola IV. (BI)

Shuttleport Locks:

An import and shopping district in Serifosa Dome on Komarr. Ekaterin takes Miles shopping there, where he purchases Gregor's lava lamp, and the miniature planet jewelry for Delia Koudelka and Laisa Toscane, along with the miniature Barrayar pendant he gives to Ekaterin after she helps foil the Komarran engineers' wormhole plot. (K)

"Siege of the Silver Moon, The":

A Barrayaran childhood ballad and drinking song about a Vor lord and a witch woman who ride in a magic mortar and pestle, which they use to grind their enemies' bones. Miles hums a bit of it while first talking to Arde Mayhew on Beta Colony. (WA)

Siegel:

No first name or rank given. A soldier in the Barrayaran military, he is the leader of a patrol on the
General Vorkraft
that attempts to stop the mutineers. (SH)

Siegling's:

A high-class weapons store in the Vorbarr Sultana, where Cordelia buys Koudelka a swordstick. Thickly carpeted, with wooden paneling. The smell inside reminds her a bit of the armory aboard her Betan survey ship. The clerk tries to sell her an inferior weapon, but Cordelia demands and receives the very best. (B)

Siembieda, Ryan:

A hazel-eyed engineering tech sergeant with the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, he was killed at Mahata Solaris during an assault by a Cetagandan hit team trying to kill Miles. Cryogenically frozen, he was thawed and resuscitated on Earth. Miles fills him in on what had happened on their way back to the Dendarii fleet at the spaceport. (BA)

Siggy:

A quaddie who brings contraband video fiction to Claire and Silver. He discusses a potential plan to take the jump ship based on what he saw in another video,
Nest of Doom
, involving space marines against aliens, but Silver scuttles his idea. (FF)

Sigma Ceta:

One of the eight satrapy planets in the Cetagandan Empire, it borders the Vega Station group. Its governor is Ilsum Kety, much like Slyke Giaja, and cousin to him through their mothers, who were half sisters through different constellations. (C)

Silica:

One of the main cities on Beta Colony, it is known for its university. (B, WA)

Silica Hospital:

A medical facility on Beta Colony. Elizabeth Naismith is employed there as a medical equipment and maintenance engineer. (B)

Silica Zoo:

Located on Beta Colony, the Silica Zoo maintains habitats underground for humans and animals alike. (WA)

Silver:

A quaddie on the Cay Project Habitat, she is one of the ringleaders in the revolt against GalacTech. She has medium-length, platinum-blond hair, a sharp facial-bone structure, and works in hydroponics. A good friend to Tony and Claire, she has a purely sexual relationship with Van Atta, which she uses to get information from him. She's also sleeping with Ti, the shuttle pilot, and leverages their relationship to involve him in the quaddie revolt. She accompanies Ti to transfer Mrs. Minchenko and rescue Tony from Rodeo. Silver begins learning how to play the violin, taught by Mrs. Minchenko, while waiting for the rescue party to return to the shuttle. Two centuries later, she is a heroine to countless quaddie descendants, and her relationship with Leo and the flight to free space has been immortalized in zero-gee ballet. (DI, FF)

Silvy Vale:

A small village in the Dendarii Mountains on Barrayar. Miles first visited it to solve the murder of the infant Raina Csurik. He goes back after resigning from Imperial Security to try to get some perspective on his life by visiting Raina's grave, only to find the graveyard has been moved owing to flooding caused by their new hydroelectric dam. The village now has reliable power, and the citizens are building a new clinic and will soon have a full-time doctor on site supplied by Countess Vorkosigan's Hassadar medical program. (M, MM)

Sim:

No first name given. A trooper in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet who participates in the prisoner rescue on Dagoola IV. (BI)

Simka, Sri:

A military historian, he wrote two books on military tactics about campaigns on Walshea and Skya IV. Ky Tung mentions his work during his first conversation with Miles. (WA)

Sinda:

A female quaddie at the Cay Project, she is scheduled to mate with Tony next. (FF)

Singing Open the Great Gates:

A Cetagandan ceremony featuring a large chorus of several hundred female and male ghem, who sing an incredible, multipart song that lasts about thirty minutes. Miles and Ivan attend the performance during the Dowager Empress's funeral ceremonies. (C)

Sink of Sin:

A religious term on Athos that refers to a man's soul being drained away when he looks at a woman. Ethan is concerned that he might feel its effect when he looks upon the faces of the female doctors in an issue of
The Betan Journal of Reproductive Medicine
. (EA)

Sir Randan and the Bartered Bride
:

One of the contraband video fiction titles Ti Gulik brings to Silver. (FF)

Sir Randan's Folly
:

One of the contraband video fiction titles Ti Gulik brings to Silver. (FF)

Sircoj: