[ The lack of last name in the introduction is, indeed, noted, and it is analyzed. Byerly considers the possible reasons that Nash wouldn't have given a last name and determines that they are, in descending order of likelihood: that he's a casual sort of person; that he comes from a culture that doesn't use last names; that he's hiding something; that he is from a culture that does have last names, but he is not of a social class that gets them. (The last is the least likely because the fellow seems a bit too eloquent to be a lower-order prole, and because the wormhole seems to take pleasure in spitting out people who have quite a lot of secrets, a fact that gives Byerly quite a lot of pleasure in turn.) ]

Byerly Vorrutyer.

[ He bows, though he peers up at Nash from under his lashes, curious if that'll get any reaction. By is not the highest-profile traitor to the Barrayarans, but they've probably been cursing his name around camp. It'd be flattering, he thinks, if Nash has heard of him. ]

For our part, here on this planet, our nobility control the army, and many of them are good at it. Yet even so, I think we should let people who like the army go into the army, and let priests be priests and nobles be nobles. But, well, no one ever listens to me.