"Naw, they're Barrayarans. Galactics."

Ako bit her lip, but seemed to accept this provisional guarantee. She watched as they sorted themselves out, Johannes and Roic to stay with the van till Jin got back to supervise loading it, Raven and Jin to accompany Miles.

"I should come with you," Roic muttered to Miles's ear.

"These people are justifiably nervous of outsiders. I won't get what I want if we hit them en masse, and you're en masse all by yourself." Miles tapped his wristcom. "I'll call you if I need you."

Roic returned him The Sigh, familiar shorthand for the usual argument. Miles let Jin lead him and Raven off down the exchanger tower. Ako trailed as far as the kitchen, where Miles prudently detoured to grab a carafe of coffee and some cups. She stared after them as they trod away toward the stairs to Suze's suite.

As they waited for an answer to Miles's knock, he turned his head and said to Jin, "I had better pitch this to her in my own way. I'll let you know when you can chime in."

Jin, shifting from foot to foot, gulped and nodded.

A slow shuffle from within heralded the door opening a crack. Suze's bleary eye peered out. "You again!" she said. "I thought we were well rid of you." She squinted at Jin. "Of both of you." The eye traveled on to Raven. "Who the hell are you?"

"Raven Durona, from Escobar," Raven answered readily. "Pleased to meet you."

"He's a friend," Miles said. "As in, Pass, friend." He brandished the carafe. "May we come in?"

"Eh…" Reluctantly, but with her one open eye on the carafe, Suze gave way. She wore the same loose black garments as before; she probably slept in them. Her inner chamber had the same close geriatric smell. She went to her window and set the polarization to admit a grudging shade more morning, and waved Miles, and his carafe, cups, and followers, to her battered seats.

"You found your wallet, I see," she said, settling across from them. At Miles's gesture, Jin hastened to distribute coffee.

"Yes, and my luggage and my friends. I'm back in business."

"And just what is your business? Thank you, Jin."

"I'm an investigator, of a sort."

Suze's cup halted on its way to her lips. Her seamed face set in stiff panic.

"Not for any authority on Kibou, however," Miles added.

"Insurance fraud," Jin put in, in hasty reassurance. "He's not a policeman. Or a doctor or a lawyer, even though he went to that conference. Raven-sensei's the doctor."

Miles's eyebrows went up at this description of himself. Clearly, at some point he was going to have to take the boy aside and explain Imperial Auditor to him in greater detail, but perhaps this would do for now. "Not precisely, but close enough. As it happens, the powers-that-be on Kibou are the subject of my inquiries, not its sponsors. I have no interest whatsoever in shutting down your operation. I'd actually like to make use of your facilities. I may be able to make it worth your time."

Suze's eyes narrowed over her coffee cup; she finally drank. "We get by here because we don't draw anyone's attention."

"I don't wish to draw attention, either."

Suze sat back, leathery lips pursing. "You want someone illegally frozen? Hoping you can bribe me into storing the body for you?" Her tone was remarkably neutral, neither leading nor guiding.

Her suggestion came up far too readily-ye gods, had Suze ever provided such services, perhaps for the local underworld? Did Kibou-daini have an underworld? Aside from the literal one he'd been lost in, that is. Could this be the source of some of her protection? Because crime lords would want to cheat death, too. Though you'd think they could afford their own private arrangements-still, they would need benefits to distribute to lesser followers. And for the discreet disposal of enemies, those ranks of anonymous drawers downstairs would certainly trump lead weights and a swim in the nearest river. It would even render murder reversible, if one had been too hasty in one's crime-lordly commands, or otherwise made a mistake. Man, if I wanted to hide a body on Kibou… Miles wrenched his mind from this fascinating side-path. "Have you done such favors before?" he asked cautiously.

Suze shrugged, her alarm giving way to dry amusement in the face of his consternation. "If I had, would I tell you?"

"I have no need to know," Miles assured her. Want to know yes, but then, he wanted to know everything. "My need is quite the reverse. We wish to do a private cryorevival. Which requires proper facilities. And discretion. You may be able to lend us both."

This took her aback. Her jaw worked, and she covered her confusion with another swallow of coffee, then grimaced. "Jin, fetch my medicine out of the cupboard," she commanded. Jin leapt up, rummaged for the square bottle, and brought it to her. At her gesture, he also uncapped and poured-scantly, both Miles and, he thought, Suze noted, but she didn't complain as the boy settled once more. "Cryorevival! How?"

"Dr. Durona, here, is a noted cryorevival specialist. If your facilities meet his specs, we'd like to, as it were, rent them."

A long pause. "How much?" Suze said at last.

"I thought I'd offer you something your money can't buy. In exchange for letting us revive our, um, patron-and for the discretion, of course-Raven will throw in a top-class revival for any other candidate of your choice."

Suze's jaw unhinged. She sank back in her chair. And after a moment breathed, "You devil."

Money would have worked, Miles thought. But some things worked better.

Suze jerked her head toward Raven. "Just how good is he?"

For answer, Miles unbuttoned his gray tunic and white shirt. "This"-his hand traced the spider web of pale scars-"was a needle-grenade, very well aimed, at close range. Ten years ago. Raven did my revival." Assisted at, strictly speaking, but Raven had acquired a decade's more experience and seniority since then. "I guarantee, as a medical challenge nothing that you have downstairs can compare."

Suze looked away as he buttoned up again. "Old age," she said, "is slower than a grenade, but a lot more thorough."

"This is unfortunately true," said Raven, "though I may have a few aids for that as well. What I would suggest is that Madame Suze, here, draw up a list of half a dozen or so candidates, and let me triage them for the maximum chance of medical success. This should produce the most satisfactory result all round."

"Mm," she said. Her hand crept up and rubbed her chest, over her heart. "Hm."

Jin, unable to contain himself any longer, burst out, "Please, Suze-san! Let them!"

The caterpillar eyebrows climbed. "What's it to you, boy?"

Jin pressed his lips together and looked imploringly at Miles.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Miles inquired.

Suze was shrewd enough to hesitate a long moment before her curiosity overcame her better judgment. "Yah."

Miles opened his hand to Jin, who cried, "Miles-san promised to get my mother back!"

Suze's face pinched in horror. "Oh, and you think you aren't going to draw attention, mister galactic investigator? Lisa Sato was all about attention!"

"We may draw some eventually, but not to you," Miles said smoothly. "As soon as her recovery permits, we'll remove her to the Barrayaran consulate and reunite her with both her children. No link to this place."

"You think so? Those that froze her will sure enough want to find out who unfroze her! Which will drop them right back in my lap, which isn't big enough to hold them, I promise you!"

"Yes, but the first thing they'll run into is me. I plan…" Miles hesitated. He didn't exactly have a plan, yet. More of a stab in the dark. He still wasn't sure what his blade would connect with…?

"What?" demanded Suze.

"I plan to give them other worries." He glanced at Raven. "Much depends on Madame Sato, both on what she has to say and how soon she can say it. I had rather severe cryo-amnesia, myself. Which lingered uncomfortably."