Continuing my Vorkosigan saga shenanigans, it is time for a Mark Pierre Vorkosigan appreciation post.
Ways to tell Lord Mark is a true Vorkosigan:
Wants to save everyone even when it's obviously impossible
Good at personnel and recruitment
Faithful worshipper of Cordelia
Some of my favorite quotes:
"I'm not sure you're ready for this, but here goes. You had exactly three role models to learn how to be a human being from. The Jacksonian body-slavers, the Komarran terrorists—and Miles. You were steeped in Miles. And I'm sorry, but Miles thinks he's a knight-errant. A rational government wouldn't allow him possession of a pocket-knife, let alone a space fleet. And so, Mark, when you were finally forced to choose between two palpable evils and a lunatic—you upped and ran after the lunatic."
Having named them all, he finally found Mark by process of elimination. Gorge and Grunt and Howl and the Other had sent Lord Mark deep inside, to sleep through it all. Poor, fragile Lord Mark, barely twelve weeks old.
[...]
"Don't you dare pity me. I won. Save your sympathy for Baron Ryoval, if you must. I took him. Suckered him. I beat him at his own game, on his own ground. I will not allow you to turn my victory into defeat for the sake of your damned . . . feelings." [...] I don't want to have to fight Ry Ryoval in my head, or in their heads, for the rest of my life. He's dead, I'm not, it's enough."
Mark said valiantly, "If Kareen wants me to marry her, I will. If she doesn't, I won't. If she wants me to go away, I'll go—" This last was accompanied by a covertly terrified glance her way.
"If she wants me to walk downtown backwards on my hands, I'll try. Whatever she wants," Mark finished up.
"Mark is as much a veteran of our wars as any Barrayaran I know, Kou. He was conscripted earlier, is all. In his own strange and lonely way, he fought as hard, and risked as much. And lost as much."
And of course, "Miles, what have you done with your baby brother?"
It's not a coincidence that half of these are Cordelia talking to or about Mark. I wish we'd been able to see a little more of the two of them together in Gentleman Jole. All three of them really, with Cordelia gently roasting Miles to Mark's benefit. Maybe Mark could give everyone updates on his luxury sex-hotel.
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