trade my soul for a wish

[from_scratch]

This is a successor to "call me maybe", which is getting crowded.

Cam is dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into a bowl of tomato soup when he feels the summons. He goes ahead and grabs it. Doesn't even drop the sandwich.


with Mark (kappa)

with Adanya (Aestrix)

with Sable (kappa)

with Ari (andaisq)

with Metella (kappa)

with Miles (kappa)

with Isabella (Eva)

with Steel (Rockeye)

with Daphne (Maggie)

with Edie (Maggie)

Comments

[unmarred]

"In a sense. Data security holds its own, but sacrificed portability to the cause. Anyway."

He starts composing his message.

"'In the event of my apparent death, please personally draw four circles on the floor'—what qualifies as floor, Cam? Paper on floor obviously did the trick."

[from_scratch]

"A mostly flat surface someplace with gravity exceeding ten percent of a gee and not tilted more than twelve degrees in any radius, markings pointing up."

[unmarred]

"—'where floor is defined as,' thank you, 'any flat surface within twelve degrees of perpendicular to more than 0.1G gravity, facing up. Around each circle write, respectively: I summon the demon Campbell Mark Swan, I summon the demon Mark Pierre Vorkosigan, I summon the fairy Mark Pierre Vorkosigan, I summon the angel Mark Pierre Vorkosigan. Critical safety measure: write the words before completing the circle. No, I am not going to explain further. If I'm not dead at the time, there will be no effect'—right?"

[from_scratch]

"Well, if you dismiss me then the circle for me will work. Unless it does not do that for alternate universe reasons."

[unmarred]

He shrugs. "Close enough. All right. Now I just have to pick a keyphrase."

[from_scratch]

"I don't think I can help you there."

[unmarred]

"If you could, it wouldn't be a very secure method."

[from_scratch]

Cam snorts and starts organizing the notes he took during the history lesson.

[unmarred]

Mark thinks for another half-minute or so, and then seals up the message, attaches a note with the clue, and sends it.

(Dear Miles: What did you compare me to, in our memorable first conversation? —Mark)

"There, that's taken care of. Next item: transportation to Jackson's Whole?"

[from_scratch]

"Yes please."

[unmarred]

He starts looking that up.

"Jackson's Whole isn't exactly a popular tourist destination... the next ship leaves in eight days, late afternoon in this time zone."

[from_scratch]

"And how much more expensive and complicated is it to offer a jump pilot a free ship in exchange for one-way passage?"

[unmarred]

"Much, much more complicated. Other options exist, however... let me check something."

Lists of ships currently in Escobar orbit start scrolling by on the holoscreen. Mark skims them.

[from_scratch]

Cam peers over his shoulder.

[unmarred]

He moves on from ships currently in-system to ships recently departed, then to ships with flight plans filed that indicate imminent arrival.

"Aha," he says, halfway through that last. "I knew they'd show up eventually, everything comes through Escobar if you give it long enough, and they favour it as a rendezvous point... You remember I mentioned stories I could tell about Miles? He somehow managed to wind up in command of a mercenary fleet at the age of seventeen. Largely by accident, from what I gather. Miles has a caliber of accident beyond mortal ken. His fleet's fastest ship is arriving in Escobar orbit tomorrow evening. I could borrow his Admiral Naismith identity and commandeer it, or we could show up with lots of money and throw ourselves on Bel's questionable mercy. I do have lots of money."

[from_scratch]

"I don't know who this person is well enough to be thrilled with the prospect of deceiving them. If we're going to throw lots of money at somebody, why one of his ships instead of some other that's available for hire?"

[unmarred]

"Because ships available for hire to take you anywhere in the galaxy you damn well please are rare. Some might even be outside my generous budget. And the Dendarii Free Mercenaries are verifiably trustworthy, an advantage not to be discounted when chartering someone to fly you to Jackson's Whole."

[from_scratch]

"Okay. Can you give me a general idea how many clones are in the pipeline at any given time, is there liable to be one we can save if we leave now and not if we leave in eight days?"

[unmarred]

"More than a dozen and less than a hundred, at any given time, with a replicator-to-operating-table turnaround of just over ten years. It's not likely that another week would make the difference, but it's possible. And it'd be more like another week and a half, adding in transit time; the Ariel is significantly faster than a commercial passenger ship."

[from_scratch]

"And if you are caught impersonating your brother, for instance because your brother is known to be elsewhere, known not to consort with demons, etcetera...?"

[unmarred]

He shrugs.

[from_scratch]

"...right, so I favor asking nicely and non-impersonating-ly and throwing money at the Ariel. I will let you manage my finances while I'm outcompeting the hell out of the clone business and skim some off the top to pay yourself back."

[unmarred]

"Suits me fine."

[from_scratch]

"What is your opinion on how much I should advertise and to whom about how I'm making the duplicates?"

[unmarred]

"My instinct is to keep as much as possible as secret as possible, just because information once released cannot be recalled. And I'm sure I don't have to paint you a picture of what would happen if some Jacksonian got their hands on the notion that you are one of a number of summonable creatures and started trying to get more."