"Just so. Better to have more than one son, especially in these times." Piotr idly turns his glass in his hand before lifting it to his lips. Taking his mind off the war is difficult, and taking his mind off the war entirely is impossible, and hardly something he can afford, anyway. But conversation with Lakshmi is -- not a distraction, per se, but a welcome lull in his work. Piotr sets his glass down, frowning slightly down at it.

"My mother died of illness shortly before the war, and my father was in Vorbarr Sultana when the initial wave of attacks hit. I have no brothers, or any other living relatives, for that matter. If I die before producing an heir, the Vorkosigan line ends with me."