Cetaganda

"Good. I think. You didn"t mention, ah--?"

"Not yet. But if you don"t cough up some explanations, I"m going back to him for another pa.s.s."

"Fair enough." Miles sighed, and steeled himself. As briefly as the complications permitted, he summed up his conversation with the haut Rian Degtiar for Ivan, leaving out only a description of her incredible beauty, and his own stunned response to it. That was not Ivan"s business. That especially was not Ivan"s business.

"... so it seems to me," Miles ran down at last, "that the only way we can certainly prove that Barrayar had nothing to do with it is to find which satrap governor has the real Great Key." He pointed orbit-ward.

Ivan"s eyes were round, his mouth screwed up in an expression of total dismay. "We? We? Miles, we"ve only been here for two and a half days, how did we get put in charge of the Cetagandan Empire? Isn"t this Cetagandan security"s job?"

"Would you trust them to clear us of blame?" Miles shrugged, and forged on into Ivan"s hesitation. "We only have nine days left. I"ve thought of three strings that could maybe lead us back to the right man. Yenaro is one of them. A few more words in our protocol officer"s ear could put the machinery of ImpSec here into tracing Yenaro"s connections, without bringing up the matter of the Great Key. Yet. The next string is Ba Lura"s murder, and I haven"t figured out how I can pull that one. Yet. The other string lies in astro-political a.n.a.lysis, and that I can do. Look." On the comconsole, Miles called up a schematic three-dimensional map of the Cetagandan empire, its wormhole routes, and its immediate neighbors.

"The Ba Lura could have foisted that decoy key onto any number of outlander delegations. Instead, it picked Barrayarans, or rather, its satrap-governor master did. Why?"

"Maybe we were the only ones there at the right time," Ivan suggested.

"Mm. I"m trying to reduce the random factors, please. If Yenaro"s backer is the same as our man, we were picked in advance to be framed. Now." He waved at the map. "Picture a scenario where the Cetagandan empire breaks apart and the pieces begin an attempt to expand. Which, if any, benefit from trouble with Barrayar?"

Ivan"s brows went up, and he leaned forward, staring at the glowing array of spheres and lines above the vid plate.

"Well... Rho Ceta is positioned to expand toward Komarr, or would be, if we weren"t sitting on two thirds of the wormhole jumps between. Mu Ceta just got a b.l.o.o.d.y nose, administered by us, when it attempted to expand past Vervain into the Hegen Hub. Those are the two most obvious. These other three," Ivan pointed, "and Eta Ceta itself are all interior, I don"t see any benefit to them."

"Then there"s the other side of the nexus," Miles waved at the display. "Sigma Ceta, bordering the Vega Station groups. And Xi Ceta, giving onto Marilac. If they were seeking to break out, it might be expedient for them to have the empire"s military resources tied up far away against Barrayar."

"Four out of eight. It"s a start," Ivan conceded.

Ivan"s a.n.a.lysis matched his own, then. Well, they"d both had the same strategic training, it stood to reason. Still Miles was obscurely comforted. It wasn"t all the hallucination of his own over-driven imagination, if Ivan could see it too.

"It"s a triangulation," said Miles. "If I can get any of the other lines of investigation to eliminate even part of the list, the final overlap ought to... well, it would be nice if it all came down to one."

"And then what?" Ivan demanded doggedly, his brows drawn down in suspicion. "What do you have in mind for us to do then?"

"I"m... not sure. But I do think you"d agree that a quiet conclusion to this mess would be preferable to a splashy one, eh?"

"Oh, yeah." Ivan chewed on his lower lip, eyeing the wormhole nexus map. "So when do we report?"

"Not... yet. But I think we"d better start doc.u.menting it all. Personal logs." So that anybody who came after them-Miles trusted not posthumously, but that was the unspoken thought-would at least have a chance of unraveling the events.

"I"ve been doing that since the first day," Ivan informed him grimly. "It"s locked in my valise."

"Oh. Good." Miles hesitated. "When you talked to Colonel Vorreedi, did you plant the idea that Yenaro had a high-placed backer?"

"Not exactly."

"I"d like you to talk to him again, then. Try to direct his attention toward the satrap governors, somehow."

"Why don"t you talk to him?"

"I"m... not ready. Not yet, not tonight. I"m still a.s.similating it all. And technically, he is my ImpSec superior here, or would be, if I were on active duty. I"d like to limit my, um..."

"Outright lies to him?" Ivan completed sweetly.

Miles grimaced, but did not deny it. "Look, I have an access in this matter that no other ImpSec officer could, due to my social position. I don"t want to see the opportunity wasted. But it also limits me-I can"t get at the routine legwork, the down-and-dirty details I need, I"m too conspicuous. I have to play to my own strengths, and get others to play to my weaknesses."

Ivan sighed. "All right. I"ll talk to him. Just this once." With a tired grunt, he heaved himself out of his chair, and wandered toward the door. He looked back over his shoulder. "The trouble, coz, with your playing the spider in the center of this web, pulling all the strings, is that sooner or later all the interested parties are going to converge back along those strings to you. You do realize that, don"t you? And what are you going to do then, O Mastermind?" He bowed himself out with all-too-effective irony.

Miles hunched down in his station chair, and groaned, and keyed up his list again.

The next morning, Amba.s.sador Vorob"yev was called away from what was becoming his customary breakfast with Barrayar"s young envoys in his private dining room. By the time he returned, Miles and Ivan had finished eating.

The amba.s.sador did not sit down again, but instead favored Miles with a bemused look. "Lord Vorkosigan. You have an unusual visitor."

Miles"s heart leapt. Rian, here? Impossible... His mind did a quick involuntary review of his undress greens, yes, his insignia were on straight, his fly was fastened-"Who, sir?"

"Ghem-colonel Dag Benin, of Cetagandan Imperial Security. He is an officer of middle rank a.s.signed to internal affairs at the Celestial Garden, and he wants to speak privately with you."

Miles tried not to hyperventilate. What"s gone wrong... ? Maybe nothing, yet. Calm down. "Did he say what about?"

"It seems he was ordered to investigate the suicide of that poor ba-slave the other day. And your, ah, erratic movements brought you to his negative attention. I thought you"d come to regret getting out of line."

"And... am I to talk to him, then?"

"We have decided to extend that courtesy, yes. We"ve shown him to one of the small parlors on the ground floor. It is, of course, monitored. You"ll have an emba.s.sy bodyguard present. I don"t suspect Benin of harboring any murderous intentions, it will merely be a reminder of your status."

We have decided. So Colonel Vorreedi, whom Miles still had not met, and probably Vorob"yev too, would be listening to every word. Oh, s.h.i.t. "Very good, sir." Miles stood, and followed the amba.s.sador. Ivan watched him go with the suffused expression of a man antic.i.p.ating the imminent arrival of some unpleasant form of cosmic justice.

The small parlor was exactly that, a comfortably furnished room intended for private tete-a- tetes between two or three persons, with the emba.s.sy security staff as an invisible fourth. Ghem-Colonel Benin apparently had no objection to anything he had to say being recorded. A Barrayaran guard, standing outside the door, swung in behind Miles and the amba.s.sador as they entered, and took up his post stolidly and silently. He was tall and husky even for a Barrayaran, with a remarkably blank face. He wore a senior sergeant"s tabs, and insignia of commando corps, by which Miles deduced that the low-wattage expression was a put-on.

Ghem-Colonel Benin, waiting for them, rose politely as they entered. He was of no more than middle stature, so probably not over-stocked with haut-genes in his recent ancestry-the haut favored height. He had likely acquired his present post by merit rather than social rank, then, not necessarily a plus from Miles"s point of view. Benin was very trim in the dark red Cetagandan dress uniform that was everyday garb for security staff in the Celestial Garden. He wore, of course, full formal face paint in the Imperial pattern rather than that of his clan, marking his primary allegiance; a white base with intricate black curves and red accents that Miles thought of as the bleeding-zebra look. But by a.s.sociation, it was a pattern that would command instant and profound respect and total, abject cooperation on eight planets. Barrayar, of course, was not one of them.

Miles tried to judge the face beneath the paint. Neither youthful and inexperienced nor aged and sly, Benin appeared to be a bit over forty-standard, young for his rank but not unusually so. The default expression of the face seemed to be one of attentive seriousness, though he managed a brief polite smile when Vorob"yev introduced him to Miles, and a brief relieved smile when Vorob"yev left them alone together.

"Good morning, Lord Vorkosigan," Benin began. Clearly well trained in the social arena, he managed to keep his glance at Miles s physique limited to one quick covert summation. "Did your amba.s.sador explain to you why I am here?"

"Yes, Colonel Benin. I understand you were a.s.signed to investigate the death of that poor fellow-if fellow is the right term-we saw so shockingly laid out on the floor of the rotunda the other day." The best defense is a good offense. "Did you finally decide it was a suicide?"

Benin"s eyes narrowed. "Obviously." But an odd timbre in his voice undercut the statement.

"Well, yes, it was obvious from the exsanguination that the Ba died on the spot, rather than having its throat cut elsewhere and the body transported. But it has occurred to me that if the autopsy showed the Ba was stunned unconscious when it died, it would rather rule out suicide. It"s a subtle test-the shock of death tends to cover the shock of stunning-but you can find the traces if you"re looking. Was such a test done, do you know?"

"No."

Miles was not sure if he meant it wasn"t done, or-no, Benin had to know. "Why not? If I were you, it"s the first test I"d ask for. Can you get it done now? Though two days late is not ideal."

"The autopsy is over. The Ba has been cremated," Benin stated flatly.

"What, already? Before the case was closed? Who ordered that? Not you, surely."

"Not-Lord Vorkosigan, this is not your concern. This is not what I came to talk with you about," Benin said stiffly, then paused. "Why this morbid interest in the Celestial Lady"s late servant?"

"I thought it was the most interesting thing I"d seen since I came to Eta Ceta. It"s in my line, you see. I"ve done civil security cases at home. Murder investigations-" well, one, anyway, "successfully, I might add." Yes, what was this Cetagandan officer"s experience in such things? The Celestial Garden was such a well-ordered place. "Does this sort of thing happen here often?"

"No." Benin stared at Miles with intensified interest.

So the man might be well read, but lacked hands-on experience, at least since he"d been promoted to this post. He was d.a.m.ned quick at catching nuances, though. "It seems awfully premature to me, to cremate the victim before the case is closed. There are always late-occurring questions."

"I a.s.sure you, Lord Vorkosigan, Ba Lura was not carried unconscious into the funeral rotunda, dead or alive. Even the ceremonial guards would have noticed that." Did the slight spin on his tone hint that perhaps the ceremonial guards were chosen for beauty rather than brains?

"Well, actually, I had a theory," Miles burbled on enthusiastically. "You"re just the man to confirm or disprove it for me, too. Has anyone testified noticing the Ba enter the rotunda?"

"Not exactly."

"Ah? Yes, and the spot where it lay dead-I don"t know what kind of vid coverage you have of the building, but that area had to have been occluded. Or it could not have been, what, fifteen, twenty minutes before the body was discovered, right?"

Another thoughtful stare. "You are correct, Lord Vorkosigan. Normally, the entire rotunda is within visual scan, but because of the height and width of the catafalque, two-well, there is some blockage."

"Ah, ha! So how did the Ba know exactly-no, let me rephrase that. Who all could have known about the blind spot at the late Empress"s feet? Your own security, and who else? Just how high up did your orders come down from, Colonel Benin? Are you by chance under pressure from above to deliver a quick confirmation of suicide and close your case?"

Benin twitched. "A quick conclusion to this vile interruption of a most solemn occasion is certainly desirable. I desire it as ardently as anyone else. Which brings me to my questions for you, Lord Vorkosigan. If I may be permitted!"

"Oh. Certainly." Miles paused, then added, just as Benin opened his mouth, "Are you doing this on your own time, then? I admire your dedication."

"No." Benin took a breath, and composed himself again. "Lord Vorkosigan. Our records indicate you left the reception hall to speak privately with a haut-lady."

"Yes. She sent a ba servant with an invitation. I could hardly refuse. Besides... I was curious."

"I can believe that," muttered Benin. "What was the substance of your conversation with the haut Rian Degtiar?"

"Why-surely you monitored it." Surely they had not, or this interview would have taken place two days ago, before Miles had ever left the Celestial Garden-and been a lot less politely conducted, too. But Benin doubtless had a vid of Miles"s exit from and entrance to the reception area, and testimony from the little ba escort as well.

"Nevertheless," said Benin neutrally.

"Well-I have to admit, I found the conversation extremely confusing. She"s a geneticist, you know."

"Yes."

"I believe her interest in me-excuse me, I find this personally embarra.s.sing. I believe her interest in me was genetic. I am widely rumored to be a mutant. But my physical disabilities are entirely teratogenic, damage done by a poison I encountered pre-natally. Not genetic. It"s very important to me that be clearly understood." Miles thought briefly of his own ImpSec eavesdroppers. "The haut-women, apparently, collect unusual natural genetic variations for their research. The haut Rian Degtiar seemed quite disappointed to learn I held nothing of interest, genetically speaking. Or so I gathered. She talked all around the subject-I"m not sure but what she perceived her own interest as being rather, um, questionable. I"m afraid I don"t find haut motivations entirely comprehensible." Miles smiled cheerfully. There. That was the vaguest convincing-sounding uncheckable bulls.h.i.t he could come up with on the spur of the moment, and left a good deal of turning-room for whatever the Colonel had got out of Rian, if anything.

"What did interest me, though, was the haut-lady"s force-bubble," Miles added. "It never touched the ground. She had to be riding in a float-chair in there, I figured."

"They often do," said Benin.

"That"s why I asked you about who saw the Ba Lura enter the chamber. Can anyone use a haut-bubble? Or are they keyed in some way to the wearer? And are they as anonymous as they look, or do you have some way of telling them apart?"

"They are keyed to the wearer. And each has its own unique electronic signature."

"Any security measure made by man can be unmade by man. If he has access to the resources."

"I am aware of this fact, Lord Vorkosigan."

"Hm. You see the scenario I"m driving at, of course. Suppose the Ba was stunned elsewhere-a theory that hurried cremation has rendered uncheckable, alas-carried unconscious inside a haut-bubble to the blind spot, and had its throat cut, silently and without a struggle. The bubble glides on. It wouldn"t have taken more than fifteen seconds. It wouldn"t have required great physical strength on the part of the murderer. But I don"t know enough about the specs of the bubbles to judge the technical likelihood. And I don"t know if any bubbles went in and out-how much traffic was there in the funeral rotunda during the time-window we"re talking about? There can"t have been that much. Did any haut-lady bubbles enter and exit?"

Benin sat back, pursing his lips, regarding Miles with keen interest. "You have an alert way of looking at the world, Lord Vorkosigan. Five ba servants, four guards, and six haut-women crossed the chamber during the time in question. The ba have duties there, tending to the botanical arrangements and keeping the chamber perfectly clean. The haut-women frequently come to meditate and pay respects to the Celestial Lady. I have interviewed them all. None report noticing the Ba Lura."

"Then... the last one must be lying."

Benin tented his fingers, and stared at them. "It is not quite that simple."

Miles paused. "I despise doing internal investigations, myself," he said at last. "I trust you are doc.u.menting every breath you"re taking, at this point."

Benin almost smiled. "That"s entirely my problem, isn"t it."

Miles was actually beginning to like the man. "You are, considering the venue, of rather low rank for an investigation of this sensitivity, aren"t you?"

"That too... is my problem."

"Sacrificable."

Benin grimaced. Oh, yes. Nothing Miles had said yet was anything Benin hadn"t thought of too-if he"d dared to speak it aloud. Miles decided to continue sprinkling the favors.

"You"ve won yourself quite a pretty problem, in this murder, I"d say, ghem-Colonel," Miles remarked. Neither of them were keeping up the pretense about the suicide anymore. "Still, if the method was as I guess, you can deduce quite a lot about the murderer. His rank must be high, his access to internal security great, and-excuse me-he has a peculiar sense of humor, for a Cetagandan. The insult to the Empress nearly borders on disloyalty."

"So says an examination of the method," said Benin, in a tone of complaint. "It"s motive that troubles me. That harmless old ba has served in the Celestial Garden for decades. Revenge seems most unlikely."

"Mm, perhaps. So if Ba Lura is old news, maybe it"s the murderer who"s newly arrived. And consider-decades of standing around sopping up secrets-the ba was well placed to know things about persons of extraordinarily high rank. Suppose... the ba had been tempted, say, into a spot of blackmail. I would think that a close tracing of Ba Lura"s movements these last few days might be revealing. For instance, did the Ba leave the Celestial Garden at any time?"

"That... investigation is in progress."

"If I were you, I"d jump on that aspect. The Ba might have communicated with its murderer." Aboard his ship, in orbit, yes. "The timing is peculiar, you see. To my eye, this murder shows every sign of having been rushed. If the murderer had had months to plan, he could have done a much better and quieter job. I think he had to make a lot of decisions in a hurry, maybe in that very hour, and some of them were, frankly, bad."

"Not bad enough," sighed Benin. "But you interest me, Lord Vorkosigan."

Miles trusted that wasn"t too much of a double entendre. "This sort of thing is meat and drink to me. It"s the first chance I"ve had to talk shop with anyone since I came to Eta Ceta." He favored Benin with a happy smile. "If you have any more questions for me, please feel free to stop by again."

"I don"t suppose you would be willing to answer them under fast-penta?" Benin said, without much hope.

"Ah..." Miles thought fast, "with Amba.s.sador Vorob"yev"s permission, perhaps." Which would not, of course, be forthcoming. Benin"s slight smile fully comprehended the delicacy of a refusal- without-refusing.

"In any case, I should be pleased to continue our acquaintance, Lord Vorkosigan."

"Any time. I"ll be here nine more days."

Benin gave Miles a penetrating, unreadable look. "Thank you, Lord Vorkosigan."

Miles had about a million more questions for his new victim, but that was all he dared cram into the opening session. He wanted to project an air of professional interest, not frantic obsession. It was tempting, but dangerous, to think of Benin as an ally. But he was certainly a window into the Celestial Garden. Yeah, a window with eyes that looked back at you. But there had to be some reasonably subtle way to induce Benin to slap himself on the forehead and cry, Say, I"d better take a closer look at those satrap governors! He was definitely looking in the correct direction, up. And over his shoulder. A most uncomfortable position in which to work.

How much influence could the satrap governors, all near Imperial relations, put on the Celestial Garden"s security? Not too much-they were surely regarded as potential threats. But one might have been building up convenient contacts for a long time now. One might, indeed, have been perfectly loyal till this new temptation. It was a dangerous accusation; Benin had to be right the first time. He wouldn"t get a second chance.

Did anyone care about the murder of a ba slave? How much interest did Benin have in abstract justice? If a Cetagandan couldn"t be one-up in any other way, holier-than-thou might do. An almost aesthetic drive-the Art of Detection. How much risk was Benin willing to run, how much did he have to lose? Did he have a family, or was he some sort of pure warrior-monk, totally dedicated to his career? To the ghem-Colonel"s credit, by the end of the interview Benin had been keeping his eyes on Miles"s face because he was interested in what Miles was saying, not because he was not-looking at Miles"s body.