He and Illyan, Piotr decides, are going to have a very long conversation after this.
But he can't be distracted by that now. So Miles only gets a momentary glance out of the corner of Piotr's eye before he's back on Vorhalas, edging into his personal space, but so far he retains a distance between them, his armsmen as his instruments.
"Do you imagine Vortala is doing anything but rotting in a cell, fast-penta'ing him until his brain oozes out his ears? Whoever you've been working for," he says, his voice dropping to a hiss, and the hands clasped behind his back go white at the knuckles, "cannot save you now. He has made you the sacrificial pawn. He signed your death warrant when he ordered you to cause that cave-in. Give me a name, and you'll die a quick death."
Vorhalas might be trying to spit at Piotr and failing, or maybe he just can't decide whether to go that far, but whichever it is, he falters and fails. But his eyes still burn, his chest heaving and shivering. "If we surrender, we'll all stop dying. This war is already over, Vorkosigan. And we lost."
Piotr, as a general rule, does try to keep his physical distance from his subjects. But in this particular case, he permits himself to step forward and audibly break Vorhalas's nose with his fist.
no subject
But he can't be distracted by that now. So Miles only gets a momentary glance out of the corner of Piotr's eye before he's back on Vorhalas, edging into his personal space, but so far he retains a distance between them, his armsmen as his instruments.
"Do you imagine Vortala is doing anything but rotting in a cell, fast-penta'ing him until his brain oozes out his ears? Whoever you've been working for," he says, his voice dropping to a hiss, and the hands clasped behind his back go white at the knuckles, "cannot save you now. He has made you the sacrificial pawn. He signed your death warrant when he ordered you to cause that cave-in. Give me a name, and you'll die a quick death."
Vorhalas might be trying to spit at Piotr and failing, or maybe he just can't decide whether to go that far, but whichever it is, he falters and fails. But his eyes still burn, his chest heaving and shivering. "If we surrender, we'll all stop dying. This war is already over, Vorkosigan. And we lost."
Piotr, as a general rule, does try to keep his physical distance from his subjects. But in this particular case, he permits himself to step forward and audibly break Vorhalas's nose with his fist.