Well, that's a little bit of an improvement. A Cetagandan spy would get...Hah, no, not fast-pentaed, this is far too early for fast-penta. Tortured. Old-fashioned tortured. By had been with a man, once, who was something of a history fanatic and had wanted a re-enactment of Brutal Barrayaran And His Enhanced Interrogation Techniques On His Sexy Vulnerable Betan Captive - all very kinky - but By suspects that experience is less than relevant, since Piotr Vorkosigan's favored torture technique probably doesn't involve a feather. More relevant is By's own ImpSec training, but...While he generally knows techniques for interrogation in the absence of fast-penta, because everyone does, none of them were really pain-based. None of them were Dendarii-style. Byerly really doesn't want the Dendarii treatment of a captured Ceta traitor.
He doesn't especially want the Dendarii treatment of a madman, either, but, hell, that's at least an improvement.
"Well, madness does run in the Vorrutyer line, they say," By replies, grinning something ghastly. And the Vorbarra line, too. And if you'd listen to me, maybe you'd hear a thing or two about what's waiting for your wife and children... No, as furious and as terrified as By is, he finds he can't take any sort of vicious pleasure in the misfortunes that will befall Vorkosigan and his descendants. Damn his conscience.
That same conscience makes him push again, push insanely, when he should be trying to preserve his own hide: "But if you really think that, turn me loose amongst the Cetagandans. Let me darken their doorstep. And then maybe I'll send back a letter or two to you, and you can read them and decide whether they're the ravings of a madman - or intel that you can use."
The smart response would have been Yes, sir, sorry, sir, you're right, I was a liar pulling a prank. Ha ha whoops, someone put me up to it, have you met Ivan? Instead...Well. His life for Barrayar, right?
no subject
He doesn't especially want the Dendarii treatment of a madman, either, but, hell, that's at least an improvement.
"Well, madness does run in the Vorrutyer line, they say," By replies, grinning something ghastly. And the Vorbarra line, too. And if you'd listen to me, maybe you'd hear a thing or two about what's waiting for your wife and children... No, as furious and as terrified as By is, he finds he can't take any sort of vicious pleasure in the misfortunes that will befall Vorkosigan and his descendants. Damn his conscience.
That same conscience makes him push again, push insanely, when he should be trying to preserve his own hide: "But if you really think that, turn me loose amongst the Cetagandans. Let me darken their doorstep. And then maybe I'll send back a letter or two to you, and you can read them and decide whether they're the ravings of a madman - or intel that you can use."
The smart response would have been Yes, sir, sorry, sir, you're right, I was a liar pulling a prank. Ha ha whoops, someone put me up to it, have you met Ivan? Instead...Well. His life for Barrayar, right?