The Vorkosigan Companion (46 page)

A powerful lending company that owns the lease contract on the
Ariel
, and that sends an agent to investigate the insurance claim on the ship. (WA)

Lura:

The Cetagandan Ba, or neuter servant, who enters Miles's ship when he lands at Eta Ceta IV's docking station and leaves him with a fake copy of the Great Key of the Star Crèche and a small nerve disruptor. Hairless, it had disguised itself with a white-haired wig. It was the Dowager Empress's personal attendant for sixty years, but had been tricked by Governor Ilsum Kety into contacting Miles and Ivan and giving up the fake Great Key to provoke a war with Barrayar. It is killed by Vio d'Chilian, and its body left near the Dowager Empress Degtiar's as she lies in state, made to look like it committed suicide. (C)

Leutwyn:

No first name given. Adjudicator called in on Graf Station to judge if warrants could be issued for arrest and fast-penta interrogation, arrived in time to witness the arrival of Russo Gupta and sanction his arrest and interrogation. He also attends the inspection of the Idris, and escapes the ship with Security chief Venn's help after Dubauer hijacks it. (DI)

L-X-10 Terran-C:

The project name for Terrence Cee, Doctor Jahar's genetic-  engineering telepathy subject on Cetaganda. (EA)

Mail:

Physical delivery of mail on planets is uncommon in major metropolitan areas, replaced primarily by electronic communication. Special messages, such as the invitations to Emperor Gregor's wedding, are written on parchment and hand-delivered. Some mail is sent by small recording or speaker devices. In the backcountry, such as the Dendarii Mountains on Barrayar, mail was delivered via mounted rider during Ezra Vorbarra's time, but has since been replaced by comconsoles. Since some backcountry people were illiterate, particularly during the Time of Isolation, the mailman might have read the message for the recipient, and written a reply for them as well. (B)

Malka:

One of the four hired thugs sent to castrate Lord Dono, he is captured by Ivan and Olivia, and injured in the process. (CC)

Maree:

No surname given. She is a very pretty clone with blond hair and blue eyes. Her actual age is about ten years old, but she appears to be twenty. She has had surgery done, including giant breast enlargements. After being removed from the clone crèche on Jackson's Whole, she attempts to escape the
Peregrine
and go back with Baron Bharaputra, but is stopped by Mark. Afterward, he attempts to molest her, but suffers a trauma-induced flashback, rendering him nearly catatonic. She is one of the clones who is set up with an education from Mark's fund after he makes the Deal to get the Duronas off Jackson's Whole. (MD)

Margara:

No first name given. An administrator at Beauchene Life Center. Doctor Aragones advises Miles to speak to her about recertifying the Dendarii medics in the latest triage and cryo-chamber techniques. (MD)

Marilac:

A planet that is key to Cetagandan plans to expand the Empire because of its location near a jump point to Zoave Twilight. The Marilacans have accepted large amounts of aid from the Empire, which Lord Vorob'yev thinks is lulling them into a state of complacency, since they don't think Cetaganda will attack an ally. After the invasion, Miles saves almost ten thousand of their soldiers to form a new guerrilla army to continue fighting, and also uses the Dendarii to smuggle aid to the Marilacans during the war. Eventually, the Cetagandans withdraw their forces without gaining control of the planet. (BI, C)

Marilican Embassy:

Miles and Ivan attend a welcoming party at the embassy for the various planetary diplomats at the start of the Dowager Empress's funeral ceremonies, and first meet Lord Yenaro there. The embassy has a large, elaborate, multimedia sculpture in its lobby entitled "Autumn Leaves." (C)

Mattulich, Mara:

Harra's mother, she is tall, stringy, tough, and chews gum-leaf. Harra is her only surviving daughter, but she gave birth to four other children, two stillborn, and two she killed because each was born deformed. Many of the older generation in Silvy Vale, including Mara's own mother, condoned the practice. Miles sentences her to death, but stays the actual execution, stripping her of all legal rights and placing her in the care of her daughter and the Speaker. After her death, Harra doesn't move her grave, leaving it to be covered by the new lake formed by the hydroelectric dam. (MM)

Mayhew, Arde:

A jump-ship pilot officer from Beta Colony. He lets Cordelia stow away on his cargo run off planet, enabling her to escape to Barrayar. Almost two decades later, he's around forty years old, and is the pilot officer of the jump ship
RG 132
. His jump implants are obsolete and his career will be over when the ship is sold, so he barricades himself inside and threatens to blow it up when Miles first meets him. Miles buys the ship and swears Arde as his armsman. He rams the
Triumph
with the
RG 132
during the Tau Verde IV campaign, and pilots the
Triumph
's escape shuttle C-2 when saving Miles and Gregor during the Vervain conflict. He comes to Barrayar to attend the wedding, spending much of his time entertaining Nikolai and the other children with tales of his adventures. (SH, VG, WA, WG)

Maz, Mia:

She works at the Vervani embassy on Eta Ceta IV as the assistant chief of protocol specializing in women's etiquette. About forty years old, she has olive skin, dark curly hair, and loves chocolate desserts. She helps Miles with his investigation, giving him information on the Great Seal, and explaining some of the dizzying Cetagandan social customs. After the coup plot is stopped and the funeral of the Empress is over, she accepts Vorob'yev's proposal of marriage. (C)

McIntyre:

No first name given. A doctor on the Betan survey team, he is also known as Mac. One of Cordelia's crew that rescues her from the
General Vorkraft
, he tells her Koudelka was the Barrayaran hit by nerve disruptor fire on Sergyar. (SH)

Medical hand scanner:

A portable device used to scan for injuries of bones and soft tissues, and also to detect physical abnormalities in a subject. Miles was going to equip his Dendarii mercenaries with medical scanners to try to catch Mark, until he realized they both had artificial bone replacement in their legs, making them practically identical again. (BA)

Medical stunner:

Used for pain relief and local anesthetic during medical procedures. Miles has a Dendarii doctor numb his broken hand after he gets out of the prison camp on Dagoola IV. (BI)

Mehta:

No first name given. A doctor with the Betan Expeditionary Force Medical Service, she is a slim, tan-skinned woman about Cordelia's age with drawn-back dark hair, and is dressed in a blue uniform. She uses drugs without Cordelia's knowledge to try and get her to talk about her captivity with the Barrayarans. When she advises that Cordelia undergo long-term therapy, Cordelia attacks and subdues her during her escape. (SH)

Memory chip implant:

Simon Illyan's cybernetic eidetic memory chip is the only mention of brain/computer interaction, other than jump-pilot interfaces and feelie-dreams, in the Vorkosigan Saga. The chip, placed between the hemispheres of the brain, is a multilayer sandwich of organic and inorganic components from which thousands of connections go out to various points in the brain itself. Sensory signals for sight and sound pass into and out of the chip, and can give eidetic replay of memories on demand. The chip causes a high rate of schizophrenia in its recipients, with Simon being one of the notable, rare exceptions. His chip is sabotaged by a Komarran bioweapon administered by General Lucas Haroche, causing it to randomly dump stored memories into Simon's brain, creating debilitating hallucinations. It is removed, leaving him perfectly functional, although it necessitates his retirement from Imperial Security. (All except CC, DD, DI, FF)

Mendez:

No first name given. A middle-aged, competent police lieutenant in Rio de Janiero's homicide bureau that is investigating the attempted murder of Anias Ruey. He accompanies her to Doctor Bianca's house, standing by while she gets the feelie-dream back. (DD)

Metropolitan Station:

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

Metzov, Stanis:

A general in the Barrayaran military, he is the commander of Lazkowski Base on Kyril Island when Miles first meets him. A career officer with thirty-five years in service, he is a tall, hard-bodied man with iron-gray hair and iron-hard eyes. Because of his actions in trying to put down the technicians' insubordination during the fetaine spill incident, he is discharged from the military and turns up near Vervain, working with Cavilo as part of Randall's Rangers. He tries to murder Miles twice, once by shooting him as he is about to board the
Triumph
, and again in Admiral Oser's former quarters. He is killed by Cavilo before he can get his revenge. (VG)

Millifenigs:

The currency of Felice, which government representatives try to use to pay Miles's mercenary contract. Delisted from the Betan Exchange, the slick, colorful bills are practically worthless on the open market, but Miles considers using them as wallpaper for Vorkosgian House. When the Tau Verde IV war is over, Miles checks the exchange rate to find them listed at 1,206 millifenigs to the Betan dollar. (WA)

Millisor, Ruyst:

A Cetagandan ghem-colonel and counter-intelligence agent, he is an average-looking man with a hard body and eyes like gray chips of granite. He has tracked Terrence Cee across the galaxy, and gets permission from haut-lady Rian Degtiar to pursue him to Jackson's Whole. The trail leads him to Kline Station and the order of modified ovarian cultures that was supposed to be shipped to Athos from House Bharaputra genetics company. His cover on the station is ghem-lord Harman Dal, an art and artifacts dealer. He captures and interrogates Ethan Urquhart, then orders the doctor killed when he yields no useful information. His Cetagandan clan face paint is brilliant blue with yellow, white, and black swirls. After he takes Teki hostage, his room is breached by Biocontrol Warden Helga, and he is arrested after attacking her. Freed by one of his men, he captures Terrence, Ethan, and Elli, and is about to kill the latter two and take Terrence back to the Empire when he is killed by a plasma bolt from the Bharaputran assassins sent to kill him and recover the money the baron paid to Elli Quinn to kill him. (C, EA)

Minchenko, Ivy:

Doctor Minchenko's wife. A frail, silver-haired woman who was a musician on Earth, she loathes Rodeo, in the words of her husband. She plays harpsichord and violin, and begins teaching Silver the latter instrument while waiting for the rescue team to bring Tony back to the shuttle. (FF)

Minchenko Station:

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

Minchenko, Warren:

The medical/fertility doctor for the Cay Project. Nearing mandatory retirement age, he is old and shrunken, with a leathery face and white hair, but is still vigorous and commanding, and is a reassuring authority figure for the quaddies. He thought he should have been put in charge of the Cay Habitat after Doctor Cay's death. Refusing to evacuate with the rest of the Habitat personnel, he accompanies the fleeing quaddies through the wormhole to freedom. (FF)

Minister of the West:

A title of one of the members of the Council of Ministers on Barrayar. (SH)

Ministry of Political Education:

The official name of the Barrayaran secret police. Aral killed the Political Officer, from the Ministry's military branch, aboard his ship during the Komarr campaign when the man countermanded a direct order and instigated the Solstice Massacre, impugning Aral's honor. The Ministry is dismantled and its headquarters destroyed during Ezar's governmental purge following the war with Escobar. (SH)

Mirror dance:

A Barrayaran dance in which one partner must copy the moves of the other partner as accurately as possible, even down to facial expressions. Either partner can lead, as Cordelia finds out when she tries dancing it with Aral. (B, MD, SH)

Missile:

Not used as a major element in space battles due to the effectiveness of defensive force screens. The one exception is when a sacrifice ship lays down a "sun wall" of nuclear-tipped missilettes deployed as a single unit, creating a planar wave that clears the detonation space of everything, often including the ship that created the wall. (VG)

Moglia:

No first name given. The chief of security at Ryoval Biological Laboratories. Miles interrogates him using fast-penta just before being captured by Ryoval security. Moglia tries to recapture Miles and the rest of his team, holding Miles hostage, but Taura violently convinces him to let them go. (L)

Mok:

No surname given. One of two guards Ser Galen used to discipline Mark during his training to impersonate Miles. (MD)

Molino:

No first name given. Middle-aged and dyspeptic-looking, he is the senior cargomaster of the Komarran trade fleet being held at Graf Station. Responsible for the safe passage of the fleet on its route, the incidents at the Union of Free Habitats are giving him quite a headache. When Lieutenant Solian disappears, he tries to get Admiral Vorpatril to order the fleet to disembark for their next destination, but is overruled. He complains about the station personnel trying to fine the Komarran fleet for the Barrayarans' actions, which Miles dismisses. (DI)

Monorail:

A form of land transportation using a series of linked cars mounted either above or below a central rail system. Some long-distance public transportation on Barrayar and Komarr is done by monorail. (B, K)

Moon Garden Hall:

A domed area on Eta Ceta IV, like a smaller version of the Cetagandan Celestial Garden, but not as lush and ornate. It is roughly three hundred meters in diameter, covering steeply sloping ground, with natural paths leading through the hall. The 149th Annual Bioestheties Exhibition, Class A is held there, dedicated by the ghem-ladies to the memory of the Dowager Empress. Miles sets up a meeting in the hall with Rian Degtiar's servant, but cannot keep it due to meeting Lord Yenaro at his exhibit of perfumed cloth, and thwarting his inadvertent assassination attempt on Miles and Ivan. (C)