The Vorkosigan Companion - Lillian Stewart Carl [170]
Olshansky:
No first name given. A colonel in the Barrayaran military, he is the first Head of Domestic Affairs for the planet Sergyar. (M)
120-Day War:
The term used by Escobarans referring to the brief war between Barrayar and their planet. (SH)
Orb of Unearthly Delights, The:
A pleasure dome on Beta Colony. Its services are not quite as wide-ranging as Jackson's Whole, but varied enough to entertain a broad spectrum of guests. Commodore Koudelka is very upset when Doctor Borgos mentions that Mark and Kareen visited the Orb. Miles and Ekaterin also visit the Orb during their stay at Beta Colony during their honeymoon. (CC, DI)
Orbital solar mirrors:
A large array of enormous solar mirrors above Komarr to reflect extra sunshine onto the planet's surface. The increase in solar flux to Komarr's surface is increased by an undefined percentage, adequate to help warm the planet and foster plant growth over a period of centuries. The orbital location of the array is not specified (though it sets after sunset) but seems not to be in Komarran orbit nor as far away as the L5 stable orbit point. The station-keeping method is not specified. (K)
Orient IV:
The planet with whose government GalacTech had entered into a ninety-nine-year lease on Rodeo. When rich mineral deposits were discovered thirty years later, the Orient IV government initiated stricter taxes and other economic penalties to drive GalacTech off-planet and take it back. (FF)
Orient Station:
A space station owned by the government of Orient IV. GalacTech leases about one-quarter of it from them while working on Rodeo and the Cay Habitat Project. (FF)
Oser, Yuan:
Admiral and the commanding officer of the Oseran Free Mercenary Fleet, he has graying hair, a beak-like nose, and a penetrating stare. Miles describes him as having a look that makes junior officers search their consciences. He loses Ky Tung to the Dendarii when he chews him out over losing the Triumph in battle and denies him another command. When Miles breaks the blockade of the wormhole and puts the Oseran mercenaries at odds with their employer over nonpayment of salary, Oser offers to join the Dendarii Mercenaries.
When Miles rejoins the Dendarii four years later, Oser has taken over the Dendarii from Baz Jesek in a bloodless financial reorganization coup and renamed them the Oseran Mercenaries. After capturing Miles, he orders him killed, but then has to work with him against the Cetagandans. When Miles can't convince him to fight, Elena injects him with fast-penta, and they lock him up before the upcoming battle. During combat, he escapes the brig and tries to flee with a few others to the Peregrine, but his shuttle is destroyed by the Cetagandans. (VG, WA)
Oseran Free Mercenary Fleet:
A mercenary group under contract with the "legal" government of Pelias on Tau Verde IV to blockade the wormhole near their planet and search all inbound cargo ships for contraband. After Miles defeats them and breaks the blockade by interrupting the payroll between Pelias and the mercenaries, their leader, Admiral Yuan Oser, offers the rest of his force to the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. (WA)
Other:
Another name for Mark's sub-personality Killer, it comes out to kill Baron Ryoval. (MD)
Outlands:
An area on Athos with no rules, and inhabited by "outlaws," men who have turned their backs on regular society. Janos, Ethan's former partner, goes there to live while Ethan is on his mission to Jackson's Whole. (EA)
Ovarian tissue cultures:
Used to populate Athos with exclusively male citizens. Genetic designations of the various lines include CJB, JJY, LMS, EEH, and others, with a number following the three letters. Doctor Ethan Urquhart is a CJB-8. The initials CJB stand for Cynthia Jane Baruch, a doctor who was hired to create Athos's ovarian cultures, and who used her own genetic material to help start the