[open!]

[falsesmile]

Who: Ves (falsesmile) and general!
When: Day 6, afternoon
Where: The Ruined Hull
What: General exploration post!

[ The Ruined Hull has been unlocked! The go-team has been in the area for a while, the stay-team members who are so inclined have probably meandered over here somehow by now -- time to go exploring, but keep an eye on those suit power levels ♥ ]

Comments

[dendarii]

[ Gee, he wonders. ]

And you're the sole pilot? Of something that large? No other crew?

[ceruleo]

[ He nods. ] Honestly, Blue doesn't fit that many people--like, about ten? And even that would be a tight squeeze. It's not like she's hollow inside or something.

[dendarii]

Well no, I didn't expect that, but most capital ships have a crew numbering at least fifty.

[ceruleo]

Maybe the castle-ship had staff before, I guess. [ He looks visibly uncomfortable at the admission. ] You'd have to ask Allura, it's hers. [ A beat. ] Anyway, don't think you can just drop your story!

[dendarii]

Right, well. We go caught by the blockade, but I convinced them I was the commanding arm of the Dendarii Mercenary Fleet and conned them into joining me instead. I took over their ship, used it to take over a larger one, used that one to take over a space station ... And it snowballed from here to the entire fleet.

[ceruleo]

[ What the shiznit. He sort of followed that, except-- ]

What does 'Dendarii' mean?

[dendarii]

It's the name of a mountain range on my home planet. I'm rather fond of it.

[ceruleo]

Your home planet? [ He certainly doesn't recognize any such mountain range, and he's pretty sure he studied for Geography, so. ] You're not from Earth?

[dendarii]

[ Miles shakes his head. ]

Barrayar. Of the Barrayaran Imperium.

[ceruleo]

The Bara-what now?

[ This is absolutely not the first conversation he's had with other spacefarers, and in every single one, where an Empire in concerned, it's always bad news. Lance holds up a finger for a pause. ]

Wait, don't tell me: run by evil conquerors out to take over the rest of the known universe, right...?

[ Lance, that is quite an assumption... ]

[dendarii]

[ Um. Well. Miles looks faintly embarrassed. ]

We don't do that any more.

[ceruleo]

[ MCFREAKIN CALLED IT ]

Wow. This is like a running theme with all of us, or something.

[dendarii]

Look, we've reformed quite well. My father was regent for almost twenty years, and the current Emperor is his foster son. Both of them strove for peace instead of conquest.

[ceruleo]

[ what Lance got from that: ]

So you're basically the Emperor's brother?!

[dendarii]

No, no. I'm actually less related to him than most of the other Vor, except for our common imperial ancestor. But the rest of his family is dead, so my parents helped raise him. I'm more like ... 3rd in line for the throne.

1/2

[ceruleo]

[ Open mouth. Close mouth. ]

2/2

[ceruleo]

Right, totally. Two completely different situations, my bad! Your Majesty.

[ /sarcasm ]

[dendarii]

[ Leo pls. ]

Lord Vorkosigan, if you absolutely must. I'm no prince.

[ceruleo]

[ Who the eff is Leo????

Don't answer that. HE'S PROBABYL INSANELY AWESOME. ]

Right, that's so much better, Lord Vorkosigan. Is that like, your thing? Are you all called 'Vor-'?

[dendarii]

[ LANCE SORRY gg me. ]

Yes. Vorbarra, Vorrutyer, Vorpatril ... It's a prefix denoting the ruling class.

[ceruleo]

[ ♥ ]

Right, I get it. [ At least it's clear by now that he's teasing, having picked up on Miles' general exasperation with his status. ] I am but a mere peasant in the face of your Lordship's greatness...!

[ Faux-swooning. Much eyelash batting. ]

[dendarii]

[ Miles just twitches at that, teasing or not. ]

I'm telling you because you asked. I don't actually care about any of that nonsense here.

Where are you from?

[ceruleo]

[ He's about to say 'thank goodness, because if you started calling me Paladin, that'd be weird', but Miles gives him an opening to talk about his favourite topic. ]

My family's from Cuba! [ There's a bit of a pause, as it dawns on him that Miles has no clue what he's talking about. ] Which is a country. On Earth.

[dendarii]

[ Indeed, he looked completely blank just now. Still does a bit. ]

Ah. That's the one off the coast of east Eurasia, right?

[ He's thinking of Japan. ]

[ceruleo]

[ on the plus side, he tells himself, at least Earth exists in this universe. ]

Uh, no. Caribbean? Central America...? [ Unspoken: how'd you mess up geography that bad? ]