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Sleeptimer:

A time-release sleep aid that can be calibrated for varying durations of effect. Cordelia suggests Miles use one to snatch some sleep before his wedding. (WG)

Smetani:

No first name given. A corporal in Barrayaran Imperial Security, he mans the front desk when Miles brings his little group to headquarters to arrest Lucas Haroche. Miles orders him not to inform Haroche about his appearance there, which is seconded by Simon Illyan. (M)

Smolyani:

No first name given. A lieutenant in the Barrayaran military, he pilots the courier jump ship Kestrel, and delivers Miles's orders to go to Graf Station in the Union of Free Habitats. He also transports Miles, Ekaterin, and Roic to the station. (DI)

Social duty credits:

Part of a government program on Athos, social duty credits are earned via volunteer work and service to society, to be used toward gaining sons and becoming a designated alternate parent. They can also be used to pay fines, as Janos does when he is arrested for destruction of public property and assault and battery on his boss. (EA)

Soletta Station:

The name for the orbital solar mirror array, and the space station that supports it, in orbit around Komarr. The station was damaged, and six technicians were killed as a result of Barto Radovas and Marie Trogir's experiment with one of the wormhole- closing devices, which created an energy backlash that drove an ore freighter into the solar mirrors, rendering four of the seven panels inoperable. As his wedding present to Komarr, Gregor funds the repair of the station, as well as expanding the solar program to aid the terraforming process. (CC, K)

Solian:

No first name given. A Komarran serving as the Barrayaran security liaison aboard the trade ship Idris, he went missing while the ship was docked at Graf Station. Captain Brun thinks he deserted, because some personal effects and a valise are missing but uniforms were left. About four liters of blood, presumably his, were found in an airlock, so he is assumed dead. The blood was planted by Russo Gupta to try to draw attention to the Idris, so that Ker Dubauer wouldn't get away. Solian fell victim to the same deadly biotoxin that killed the smugglers, administered by Dubauer. His remains are found in another body pod on the Idris. (DI)

Solstice:

The domed capital city of Komarr, it is occasionally rocked by riots caused by Komarrans protesting Barrayar's control of their planet. It is where the infamous Solstice Massacre occurred, with a plaque erected in the martyrs' honor on the site. (K)

Solstice Massacre:

Occurring during the conquest of Komarr, it saddled Aral Vorkosigan with the nickname "The Butcher of Komarr." Two hundred Komarran counselors, including Ser Galen's sister Rebecca, were killed by order of Aral's political officer, who was then killed by Aral when he found out what had happened. A plaque memorializes the site in Solstice. Miles visited the site with Duv Galeni, who burned a death offering for his aunt there. (BA, K, VG)

Solstice University:

The main university on Komarr. Imperial Auditor Vorthys once taught a course there, and he requests the assistance of a university professor, Doctor Riva, while investigating the solar mirror array accident at the Waste Heat experiment station. (K)

Soltoxin:

The poison gas used in an assassination attempt against Aral by Evon Vorhalas, which caught Cordelia as well. Soltoxin is a slow-acting poison that will turn the lungs to jelly within an hour if the antidote is not quickly administered. A delaying first-aid treatment is to wash the gas from the skin and mouth to minimize absorption. The antidote is an inhaled gas that is a violent teratogen, destroying bone growth in a fetus. The antidote damages the fetal Miles, weakening his skeleton, and causing him to be transferred to a uterine replicator for regenerative calcium treatments. In adults, since their bones have already reached maturity, the antidote induces a tendency toward arthritic-like breakdowns that are treatable. Soltoxin also causes