The Vorkosigan Companion (60 page)

Vorvayne, Rosalie:

The wife of Ekaterin's oldest brother, Hugo, she is in her forties, with dark hair and olive skin. She has three children, two sons and a daughter. She comes to Vorbarr Sultana to tell Ekaterin about Alexi Vormoncrief's marriage offer. (CC)

Vorvayne, Sasha:

Ekaterin's father, he has a modest flat in the small South Continent town where he retired. Before his retirement he was an officer in his district government on Barrayar. He knew Etienne slightly through his work. After his wife's death, he wanted to remarry a woman named Violie, and wished to have Ekaterin "settled" before doing so. To him this meant properly married off to a Vor, so he supported Etienne's courtship of Ekaterin. (CC, K)

Vorventa, Edwin:

A captain in the Barrayaran military, he accosts Mark in the garden at the Imperial Residence. Mark finds it disturbing that he knows so much about his relationship with Miles. But the chain of evidence proves Vorventa got the information from his younger brother, who was Simon's Galactic Operations supervisor's adjutant, and who as a result is demoted and transferred out of the department. (MD)

Vorventa, Tatya:

One of the formerly eligible Vor women that Ivan does not have the chance to marry. (M)

Vorville:

No first name given. A Barrayaran count, at the time of the Hegen Hub war, he is described as a man who would be backed by the French-speaking populace if he attempted to claim the throne. At the time of the Emperor's wedding, he'll vote for René Vorbretten because of his friendship with René's late father. (VG, CC)

Vorville, Mary:

A Barrayaran noblewoman, she ensures that her father, Count Vorville, will vote for René Vorbretten due to a friendly relationship between him and René's late father. (CC)

Vorvolk:

No first name given. A Barrayaran countess, and wife of Lord Henri Vorvolk, she dances with Miles at one of the Imperial parties. (M)

Vorvolk, Henri:

A friend and contemporary of Gregor's, he was pulled out of classes at the Imperial Academy three times during the events of Miles's first off-planet adventure to attend secret committee sessions of the Council of Counts about the pending charges. At the time of Gregor's wedding, Miles spends much of the night before the votes on René Vorbretten's and Dono Vorrutyer's countships arguing with Henri's friends about the merits of the individual cases. Henri has an office in the old dungeon area of Vorhartung Castle. (CC, MD, WA)

Vorvolynkin:

No first name given. A count on Barrayar, he is involved in a water boundary lawsuit with Count Vortaine, and will vote for René Vorbretten and Dono Vorrutyer just to irk his opponent. (CC)

Vorvolynkin, Louisa:

A Barrayaran noblewoman, she is the daughter-in-law of Count Vorvolynkin, who is involved in a boundary water rights dispute with Count Vortaine, and whom she has persuaded to vote for both René Vorbretten and Dono Vorrutyer in the Council of Counts meeting to antagonize his legal enemy. (CC)

Vorzohn's Dystrophy:

An adult-onset disease, the result of a mutation that arose on Barrayar, it first appeared in Vorinnis's District during the Time of Isolation. Its symptoms include a bewildering variety of physical debilitations that set in during middle age, and ends with the unfortunate gene carrier's decline in mental activity and death. It can be cured if caught early enough. It runs in the Vorsoisson family, and has already manifested in Etienne, causing uncontrolled muscle tremors, and his brother, who committed suicide. Etienne's son, Nikolai, has the gene complex as well, but hasn't shown any symptoms yet. Regardless, Etienne doesn't want him treated, for fear it will expose his own disease. Only after her husband's death can Ekaterin take her son to be cured. She does so with a little assistance from Miles in his Imperial Auditor mode. (CC, K)

Wah-wah:

The slang term for a gale-force wind at Lazkowski Base, which can reach speeds of 160 kilometers per hour. When the wind siren sounds, anyone outside must take cover immediately. Miles watches a vid on the subject that features a flying latrine. (WA)

Watts, Boss:

A middle-aged quaddie male, dressed in a conservative slate blue uniform, he is the supervisor of Graf Station Downsider Relations, and is in the party that greets Miles, Ekaterin, and Roic when they arrive at Graf Station. He is involved in the negotiations with the renegade ba, and threatens to destroy the
Idris
if it looks like it's going to ram the station. (DI)

Weddell, Vaughn:

See Canaba, Hugh.

Wedding of Vlad Vorbarra le Savante to Lady Vorlightly, The:

An event that occurred during the gaudy, archaic period of the Time of Isolation. Both the bride and groom had to strip naked in front of witnesses to prove neither had any genetic mutations. (CC)

Wilstar:

No first name given. A person Vorob'yev goes to talk with at the Mariliacan embassy party, leaving Miles to chat with Mia Maz. (C)

Winoweh's 2nd Battalion:

A captured Marilacan military unit held in Dagoola Top Security Camp #3 until being rescued by Miles and the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. (BI)

Witgow trans-trench monorail tunnel:

An engineering project mentioned by Doctor Yei when comparing the different emphases in the quaddies' education to Leo Graf. (FF)

Worley:

No first name given. A trooper in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet that participates in the clone raid on Jackson's Whole. (MD)

Worm plague:

A disease on Sergyar that causes uncomfortable and unsightly bloating of its victims, it has just recently been brought under control on the colony planet. Dmitri Corbeau is a worm plague survivor, and has the scars to prove it. (DI, K)

Wormhole:

A shortcut that connects two distant points in space by traveling through a different physical dimension, reducing the travel time from decades to a few days or weeks. Traveling through wormholes is known as "jumping," and is accomplished by Necklin rods, which create a field that enables jump ships to pass through the wormholes. All of the settled planets in the Vorkosigan universe are connected by at least one wormhole, and some have several in their local space. Although wormholes are generally stable, there have been variances, such as when the one to Barrayar closed due to a gravitational anomaly, leading to the Time of Isolation on that planet. Wormholes are economically and strategically vital for all of the planets in the Vorkosigan Saga, and access to and control of them has been fought over many times. (All)

Wyzak:

The airsystems maintenance supervisor on Cay Habitat. He leads a search for Silver when she goes to steal the shuttle for the rescue mission to Rodeo. (FF)

Xaveria:

No first name given. A private in the Dendarii Free Mercenaries, he is one of the three arrested soldiers involved in the wine shop standoff in London. Mark bails him out of jail while posing as Miles/Admiral Naismith. (BA)

Xerxes:

A planet one jump away from Graf Station, Ker Dubauer was headed there when his Komarran cargo ship was impounded at the space station. (DI)

Xi Ceta:

One of the eight satrapy planets in the Cetagandan Empire, it is Marilac's neighbor. Its governor is Slyke Giaja. (C)

Xian:

No first name given. A Marilacan general who fled the fighting at Fallow Core. He had promised to return, but was killed in the fighting at Vassily Station. (BI)

Yalen:

No first name given. A private in the Dendarii Free Mercenaries, he is one of the three arrested soldiers involved in the wine shop standoff in London. Mark bails him out of jail while posing as Miles/Admiral Naismith. (BA)

Yaski:

No first name given. A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he is the fire marshal at Lazkowski Base. After filling in Lieutenant Bonn on the situation in the fetaine stockpile, he agrees to destroy it using plasma mines. (VG)

Yegorav:

No first name given. A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he serves on the
Prince Serg
, and escorts Elena and Miles to Aral for debriefing after the battle. He does not know Elena's and Miles's real identities until they are all in Aral's office. (VG)

Yei, Sondra:

A doctor, she is the head of psychology and training for six years on the Cay Project. Pushing middle age, she is pleasantly ugly, with bright mongolian eyes, a broad nose and lips, and coffee-and-cream skin. A company woman, she initially butts heads with Leo over the quaddies. Evacuated with the rest of the staff during the simulated hull breach on the Habitat, she tries to knock Van Atta unconscious with a spanner when he orders the shuttle crew to fire upon the escaping cargo ship. (FF)

Yenaro:

No first name given. A minor Cetagandan noble about Miles's age, he is tall and lean, with a square skull and prominent, round cheekbones. He wears a small face paint decal designating his rank and clan instead of applying the full pattern. The grandson of ghem-General Yenaro, who fought opposite Miles's grandfather Piotr during the Cetagandan Occupation, he inherited his family's estates, but not the means to keep them up.

He created the Autumn Leaves sculpture for the Marilacan Embassy, and has a strong interest in chemistry/perfumes making. He is a pawn in the plot to overthrow the Emperor, and is manipulated into playing tricks on Miles and Ivan, then unknowingly trying to kill them at the bioestheties display. He tells Miles that Ilsum Kety is behind the plot, and the Emperor rewards him by appointing him a ghem-lord-in-waiting, tenth rank, sixth degree. (C)

Ylla:

On Leo Graf's return trip from this planet, he changed ships on the Morita transfer station on his way to Earth. (FF)

Yoder, Bill:

A sheriff in Ohio. Chalmys DuBauer knows him well, and turns Carlos Diaz over to him after extracting his confession to attempting to murder Anias Ruey. (DD)

Youth:

No name given. He owns a rickety lightflyer, and takes Cordelia, Bothari, and jugs of maple syrup out of the Dendarii Mountains to a small market town. (B)

Yuell:

No first name given. A math professor at Solstice University, he is a stout, sandy-haired young man with very high intelligence. He accompanies Doctor Riva to the Waste Heat experiment station to assist her, and is one of the few people who can argue math with her and be right. He is disappointed there will be no dinner at the Top of the Dome restaurant in Serifosa on this trip. (K)

Yuri Vorbarra's Civil War:

The battle between Yuri Vorbarra and his kinsman Ezar for the throne of Barrayar. Ezar wins, and during the campaign, Aral helps kill Yuri. (SH)

Yuri Vorbarra's Massacre:

The term Barrayarans use to refer to the night Mad Emperor Yuri sent out death squads to assassinate all of his relatives, including Aral. For some unknown reason, he didn't send one for Piotr, but his men kill Aral's mother with a sonic grenade in front of him. (SH)

Zai:

No first name given. An armsman whom Esterhazy hopes warned the village near Vorkosigan House about the Imperial troops searching for information about Gregor's location. (B)

Zamori:

No first name given. A major in the Barrayaran military, he is a heavyset fellow who works in operations, and was once a student of Professora Vorthys. He tries to court Ekaterin, with no success. (CC)

Zara:

A quaddie who pilots the cargo pusher around the Transfer Station, she has dark hair and copper skin, and is dressed in the purple T-shirt and shorts of the pusher crew. She has a top rating among the pusher pilots. (FF)

Zeeman, Dale:

A technician working in Kline Station atmosphere control, he unknowingly helps Quinn dispose of Okita's body by giving her a hundred kilograms of newts to take with her when she leaves. (EA)

Zelaski:

No first name given. A trooper in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet, she is killed in action during a mission to Marilac. (MD)

Zipweed:

A Barrayaran plant with blond and maroon stripes that has a slightly sweet odor. Ekaterin plans to use some of them in the Barrayaran display garden near Vorkosigan House. (CC)

Zlati ale:

A pale ruby, alcoholic liquid. Lord Yenaro offers it to Ivan and Miles during the party at his home. Ivan's drink is laced with an anti-aphrodisiac as a prank to embarrass him. (C)

Zoave Twilight:

A planet with several jump points, among them the third jump point from Vega Station. It is mentioned by Vorob'yev as being the ultimate goal of the Cetagandans in their dealings with the planet Marilac. It is unwillingly abiding by the arms embargo placed on Vega Station by the Cetagandan Empire. Later, Miles and three ships from the Dendarii fleet are orbiting this planet after their mission to recover the Barrayaran courier being held hostage. (C, M, MD)

The next page shows a map of the topology of the wormhole nexus. No attempt has been made to indicate where in the galaxy these systems and stations lie or how far apart they are; only the wormhole connectivity is shown. Actual locations and the five-dimensional wormholes connecting them would be impossible to show on a two-dimensional page. The wormhole connectivity, however, can be nicely arranged into this flat diagram.

This diagram contains all the systems and stations with specified locations as revealed so far. Other systems, stations, wormholes, and connections exist. Below is the list of the systems we know exist without knowing their relationship to the ones shown on the map.

Systems of Unspecified Location:

Beni Ra

Frost

Hespari

Kshatria

Minos

Nuovo Brasil

Skya

Varusa Tertius

Walshea