The Vorkosigan Companion - Lillian Stewart Carl [186]
Thames Tidal Barrier:
Also jokingly known as the King Canute Memorial, it is a huge dike that protects London from the sea. Watchtowers spaced a kilometer apart house engineers and technicians who watch for damage to the massive seawall. Ser Galen locks Ivan in a pumping station access well, to be killed when the high tide comes in, and has Miles and Duv Galeni meet him and Mark in Section Six, among the auxiliary pumping stations. Miles, Duv, and Mark must navigate their way through the section to rescue Ivan and Elli, avoid the Barrayaran and Cetagandan hit squads, and get out alive. (BA)
Thermal mine:
A portable munition that releases a large amount of thermal energy upon detonation. During the clone rescue mission on Jackson's Whole, House Bharaputra guards used a thermal mine to completely destroy a Dendarii combat shuttle's cockpit and kill the pilot. (MD)
Thin Blue Line, The:
A holovid documentary made on Beta Colony of the Barrayaran invasion of Escobar nineteen years ago, when Aral re-met Cordelia. Named for the blue uniforms of the Betan Expeditionary Force, of which Cordelia was a member during that time. Elena sees it and is very upset at what she terms the "fictions" perpetuated by the Betans. (WA)
3rd Armored All-Terrain Rangers:
A captured Marilacan military unit held in the prison camp on Dagoola IV until being rescued by Miles and the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. (BI)
Third Cetagandan War:
A military action that Aral Vorkosigan participated in while serving as the Regent of Barrayar. (WA)
Thorne, Bel:
A Betan hermaphrodite, it has soft, short brown hair, and a chiseled, beardless face. Formerly a lieutenant in the Oseran Mercenary Fleet, it starts over as a trainee-ensign in the Dendarii Free Mercenary Fleet. It gains a brevet promotion to captain after successfully leading the ore refinery takeover operation at Tau Verde IV.
Four years later, while on picket duty near Vervain, Bel rescues Miles after he is freed by Cavilo to infiltrate the Dendarii. It is instrumental in assisting Miles in retaking the Dendarii from Admiral Oser. It also participates in the prison break on Dagoola IV. During the mission to Jackson's Whole, Bel is attracted to Nicol at first sight, and is furious when Barons Fell and Ryoval discuss selling her, or selling a genetic sample of her. Bel agrees to smuggle Nicol out of Jackson's Whole for one Betan dollar, on Miles's condition that the operation be kept top secret. During the Dendarii's time on Earth, Bel is sent to testify on Private Danio's behalf in London.
When Mark impersonates Miles to launch his mission to Jackson's Whole, it is not fooled, but goes along with his plan because it wants to rescue the clone children too. For its error, Miles makes it resign from the Dendarii, but he suggests it apply to Imperial Security for an undercover position. Bel has had a crush on Miles for a long time, and kisses him passionately before leaving.
Later, Miles learns Bel has become the assistant portmaster at Graf Station, and also the Imperial Security civilian employee/informer on Graf Station. It is considering becoming a permanent civilian and wants Miles to relieve it of its Imperial Security duties. Kidnapped by Ker Dubauer, Bel takes the ba aboard the Idris to retrieve genetic samples of the haut-fetuses; then the ba infects Bel with the same biotoxin it used to kill the smugglers. Found by Miles, Bel is cured of the poison at the last minute, leaving permanent injuries. Bel receives a Warrant of the Celestial House from the Cetagandans in acknowledgment of the actions in saving the haut-lords' children. (BA, BI, DI, L, MD, VG)
Time of Isolation:
A period on Barrayar that occurred after the first wave of fifty thousand colonists arrived, only to find that the wormhole they had used to get there had mysteriously closed. Their terraforming project collapsed, and the intervening period degenerated into