The Vorkosigan Companion - Lillian Stewart Carl [200]
It is where Evon Vorhalas tries to assassinate Aral, and catches Cordelia in the soltoxin attack. Almost thirty years later, Miles moves in after resigning from Imperial Security, and takes over his grandfather Piotr's former suite of rooms after his confirmation as Imperial Auditor.
There is an empty lot adjoining the house where a house was demolished long ago and Imperial Security did not want anything new built, as it would have blocked their field of fire as they protected Count Vorkosigan. Miles has Ekaterin build a native Barrayaran display garden there. Vorkosigan House is the initial site of Mark Vorkosigan's butter bug industry. But several of Doctor Borgos's butter bugs escaped the lab in the basement, and later Borgos tries to dump fifty kilograms of bug butter down the sink drain, which clogs the main drain, leaving Miles to go in and fix the problem. The house is also the site of the bug butter war, where Kareen and Martya try to save Doctor Borgos from the Escobaran parole officers by pelting them with tubs of bug butter. (B, CC, M)
Vorkosigan, Mark Pierre:
Miles's clone, he was created from stolen tissue samples on Jackson's Whole, financed by a hostile Komarran faction to create a copy of Miles to kill Aral and take over the Barrayaran throne. Mark was raised with other clones in Jacksonian clone crèches until he was fourteen, when he was taken by Ser Galen for more intensive training to impersonate Miles and in espionage and assassination. Galen's training regime for Mark was filled with torture and abuse.
Six years younger than Miles, he is a nearly exact physical duplicate, right down to the plastic replacement bones in his legs. He doesn't suffer from the brittle bone syndrome that Miles has, but is as intelligent as his brother, and comes up with the plan to have Miles kidnap himself so they can insert Mark into the Dendarii and the Barrayaran Embassy in London. Mark is obsessed with Miles, who nearly talks him into coming back to Barrayar as his true brother. Arrested on suspicion of hiring assassins to kill Admiral Naismith, Mark is freed by Ser Galen, who tries to get him to kill Miles at the Thames Tidal Barrier. Mark shoots Galen instead, and takes Miles to where Ivan is trapped in a pumping chamber. Miles gives Mark a half-million-mark credit chit, and tells him he's free to do whatever he wishes with his life.
Four years later, Mark pretends to be Admiral Miles Naismith again to gain control of the Ariel and a squad of Dendarii commandos to rescue a group of fifty clones from House Bharaputra on Jackson's Whole. After the events in London, Cordelia is aware of his existence and has read the intelligence reports concerning him. Mark's attempt to rescue the clones fails, leading Miles to come to Jackson's Whole to save him. Miles is killed during the rescue and cryogenically frozen in front of him. Mark is sent to Barrayar, where he meets Aral and Cordelia, who tell him if Miles is dead, he is the Vorkosigan heir. Not wanting to get enmeshed in Barrayaran politics or family trees, Mark figures out where Miles is, and goes to rescue him with help from Cordelia, Elli Quinn, Bel Thorne, and Elena Bothari-Jesek. He is captured by Baron Ryoval's men and tortured, causing his personality to fracture. One of his personalities, Killer, kills Ryoval. Mark then negotiates a deal with Baron Fell to let the Duronas leave Jackson's Whole and goes back to Barrayar with Miles, two million Betan dollars richer, and ready to plan his