Some offer, said Foscol bitterly.
Miles let his brows rise. Its an honest one. You have a better hope of amnesty than Tien Vorsoisson does. That ore freighter pilot will enjoy no visits from her children. I reviewed her autopsy, did I mention? All the autopsies. If I have a moral claim, its that Im bargaining away the rights of the dead soletta-keepers families to any justice for their slain. There ought to be civil trials for manslaughter over this.
Even Foscol looked away at these words.
Good. Go on. The more time he burned, the better, and they were tracking his arguments; as long as he could keep Soudha from cutting the com, he was making some twisty sort of progress. You bitch endlessly about Barrayaran tyranny, but somehow I dont think you folks took a vote of all Komarran planetary shareholders, before you attempted to seal-or steal their future. And if you could have, I dont think you would have dared. Twenty years ago, even fifteen years ago, maybe you could have counted on majority support. By ten years ago, it was already too late. Would your fellows really want to close off their nearest market now, and lose all that trade? Lose all their relatives whove moved to Barrayar, and their half-Barrayaran grandchildren? Your trade fleets have found their Barrayaran military escorts bloody useful often enough. Who are the true tyrants here-the blundering Barrayarans who seek, however awkwardly, to include Komarr in their future, or the Komarran intellectual elitists who seek to exclude all but themselves from it? He took a deep breath to control the unexpected anger which had boiled up with his words, aware he was teetering on the edge with these people. Watch it, watch it. So all that remains for us is to try and salvage as many lives as possible from the wreckage.
After a little time, Madame Radovas asked, How would you guarantee our lives? They were the first words she had spoken, though she had listened intently throughout.
By my order, as an Imperial Auditor. Only Emperor Gregor himself could gainsay it.
So why wont Emperor Gregor gainsay it? asked Cappell skeptically.
Hes not going to be happy about any of this, Miles answered frankly. And Im going to have to give him the report, God help me. But if I lay my word on the line, I dont think hell deny me. He hesitated. Or else I will have to resign.
Foscol snorted. How nice for us, to know that after we are dead, you will resign. What a consolation.
Soudha rubbed his lips, watching Miles watching his truncated image, Miles reminded himself. He was not the only one missing body cues. The engineer was silent, thinking what?
Your word? Cappell grimaced. Do you know what a Vorkosigans word means to us?
Yes, said Miles levelly. Do you know what it means to me?
Madame Radovas tilted her head, and her quiet stare became, if possible, more focused.
Miles leaned forward into the vid pickup. My word is all that stands between you and ImpSecs aspiring heroes coming through your walls. They dont need the corridors, you know. My word went down on my Auditors oath, which holds me at this moment unblinking to a duty I find more terrific than you can know. I only have one names oath. It cannot be true to Gregor if it is false to you. But if theres one thing my fathers heartbreaking experience at Solstice taught, its that Id better not put my word down on events I do not control. If you surrender quietly, I can control what happens. If ImpSec has to detain you by force, it will be up to chance, chaos, and the reflexes of some overexcited young men with guns and gallant visions of thwarting mad Komarran terrorists.
We are not terrorists, said Foscol hotly.
No? Youve succeeded in terrifying me, Miles said bleakly. Her lips thinned, but Soudha looked less certain.
If you unleash ImpSec, the consequences will be your doing, said Cappell.
Almost correct, Miles agreed. If I unleash ImpSec, the consequences will be my responsibility. Its that devils distinction between being in charge and being in control. Im in charge; youre in control. You can imagine how much this thrills me.
Soudha snorted. One corner of Miless mouth tilted up in unwilling response. Yeah, Soudha knows all about that one, too.
Foscol leaned forward. This is all a smoke screen. Captain Vorgier said they were sending for a jumpship. Wheres it?
Vorgier was lying for time, which was his clear duty. There will not be a jumpship. Shit, that did it. There were only two ways this could go now. There were only two ways it could go before.
We have a pair of hostages. Do we have to space one of them to prove were serious?
I believe you are deathly serious. Which one gets to watch, the aunt or the niece? Miles asked softly, settling back again. You claim to not be mad terrorists, and I believe you. Youre not. Yet. You are also not murderers; I actually accept that all the deaths youve left in your wake were accidents. So far. But I also know that line gets easier to slip over with practice. Please observe that you have now gone as far as you can without turning yourselves into a perfect replica of the enemy you set out to oppose.
He let those last words hang in the air for a time, for emphasis.
Vorkosigans right, I think, said Soudha unexpectedly. Weve come to the end of our choices. Or to the beginning of another set. One that isnt the set I signed up for.
We have to stick together, or its no good, said Foscol urgently. If we have to space one of them, I vote for that hell-cat Vorsoisson.
Would you do it with your own hands? said Soudha slowly. Because I think I decline.
Even after what she did to us?
What in Gods name did gentle Ekaterin do to you? Miles kept his expression as blank as he could, his body still.
Soudha hesitated. Seems it made no difference after all.
Cappell and Madame Radovas both began to speak at once, but Soudha held up a restraining hand. He blew out his breath like a man in pain. No. Let us continue as we began. The choice is plain. Stop now-unconditional surrender-or call Vorkosigans bluff. Now, its no secret to you I thought the time to go into hiding for a later try was before we ever left Komarr.
Im sorry I voted against you the last time, Cappell said to Soudha.
Soudha shrugged. Yeah, well If were going to quit, the times come.
No, it hasnt, Miles thought frantically. This was too abrupt. There was time for another ten hours of chit chat at the very least. He wanted to slide them to surrender, not stampede them to suicide. Or murder. If they believed him about the defects of their device, as they appeared to, it must soon occur to them that they could hold the whole station hostage, if they didnt mind the self-immolating aspect. Well, if they werent going to think of that themselves, far be it from him to point it out. He leaned back in his station chair, and chewed on the side of his finger, and watched, and listened.
Theres no benefit in waiting, either way, Soudha went on. The risk increases every minute. Lena?
No surrender, said Foscol sturdily. We go on. And more bleakly, Somehow.
Cappell?
The mathematician hesitated a long time. I cant stand that Marie died for nothing. Hold out.
Myself Soudha let his big square hand fall open. Stop. Now that weve lost surprise, this goes nowhere. The only question is how long it takes to arrive. He turned to Madame Radovas.
Oh. My turn already? I didnt want to go last.
Yours would be the tie-breaking vote in any case, said Soudha.
Madame Radovas fell silent, staring out the control booths glass-at the airlock door, across the bay? Miless gaze could but help following hers; her turn back caught him at it, and he flinched.