"Off-bloody-planet," he declares at once. "My house will hardly be safe. How long before the Cetagandans come knocking on my door? Or, worse, these cave-dwellers - " He gestures around himself. "Wanting to cut my throat for desertion. Because make no mistake - they're a primitive-looking lot, but Barrayar is not a primitive planet. Our spies are the best in the Nexus." Even if those spies are not always made for mountain-climbing. Even if those spies have absolutely no idea what's going on right now, and how Cetaganda got on-planet, and who's responsible, and why this is all happening...

"No." He leans in and raises his eyebrows and lowers his voice. "I'm going to march right over to the flat of my distant cousin Captain Ivan Xav Vorpatril, in the Old Town district of Vorbarr Sultana - he works for Military Ops, understand - and I am going to tell him, you can sneak me on board a courier, so sneak me on board a courier. And he will, because he is bloody honorable."

He blinks at the girl, then, like he's seeing her for the first time. And he says, slowly, "You should come with me when I do. He'd definitely never be able to turn you down if you asked. He's quite the knight in shining armor, you know - if he sees some kid in distress, he'll definitely help." Or run off on your own, find him, get him to dump you on the first fast courier out of here and away from this war. Don't bother to wait for me. Ivan sure as hell wouldn't help By out of here, but he'd absolutely help this girl.

"Where are you from, anyway? Which planet?"