(backdated to pre-Pan plot -- also threadjack Miles in the comments!)

[vorbarra]

[There is a thin, angular man with dark neat hair and intensely focused hazel eyes on the screen. He clears his throat when the vid starts; he's had to swallow down his nerves and put on his calm political mask to speak. His accent is a gravelly, guttural sort of Russian, as if Russians went into space and were fast-forwarded a thousand years. Which they did.]

Hello. My name's Greg. I'm adding to your barrage of new arrivals. It's still very surreal to be here, if for no other reason than that I'm on pre-space travel Earth.

[He does look honestly bemused by that.]

I was wondering what the regulations are for obtaining jobs around here. They've assigned me one, but I was hoping for something... low key. Normal, menial work. [A quirk of his lips.] I have experience putting in lights, if that's relevant, and as a navigator.

I was also looking for confirmation that all of the, ah, abilities listed in our files are real. I'd prefer not to test something like this to find out.

Thank you.

Comments

[vorbarra]

[There's a long pause. But Miles has already responded, so it's clearly not Miles playing a joke on him, as Gregor would have thought at first. Despite that not seeming like Miles much at all.]

Do you have any recommendations among those businesses? For someone without much technical expertise.

And-- I'm sorry, this might be a strange question, but you don't recognize me, do you?

voice;

[mathemagier]

[It is a strange question, but it really makes him think, and his response is slow in coming]

No, I don't recognize you. Your colleague however..

[vorbarra]

Exactly. Cloning is not unheard of in our universe, which makes this very... interesting. Can I ask where and when you're from?

[mathemagier]

Cloning? [Alright, he's more than a little concerned now]

I ah.. well that largely depends on what you mean by that. However, I am 'from' the year 2025 in my world, and most recently stationed in Hong Kong.

[vorbarra]

It's not common practice but it's nothing radical, either. [He can't know about the practice of using clones as brain transplant receptacles, so Gregor isn't sure what's concerning about it.

A brief pause as Gregor has to Google that.] Oh, you mean Earth. No, you definitely have nothing to do with us, then. How very weird.

[Gregor feels a very strong urge to ask Hermann how tall he is. He can't tell if he shares Miles's physical alterations over voice, after all. But no, that question is poised to hurt Miles unnecessarily. He will leave that discovery to him.]

[mathemagier]

[Oh nothing, just that his friend/colleague looks almost exactly like him roughly fifteen years ago]

Yes... how strange. [It shouldn't be, though. These are completely strangers from another world; why should he have anything in common with them? And he normally doesn't care, but] Where did you say the two of you were from?

[vorbarra]

Other parts of the universe distinctly not Earth in the 31st century. We're from separate parts of the galaxy.

You... do look just like him, don't you?

[Gregor will respect his desire not to have the video function on, but-- ah. Yes. This is the covert way to ask how similar they are.]

[mathemagier]

..If I were somewhere around fifteen years younger, we may be mistaken for twins.

[vorbarra]

[He's been very closely following his conversation with Miles. Gregor has a very careful non-reaction.]

Or nearly, [he murmurs.] Have you ever heard of this happening before?

video

[mathemagier]

[As there's no point in constantly changing, Hermann just leaves it up as it is, mouth twisting into a frown. It's a very good question. Has he heard of it happening here yet?]

Not to my recollection.

[vorbarra]

[Gregor's eyebrows go right up, and if he seems to be drinking in his appearance, well, that can be forgiven, he assumes. But it's not for the reason Hermann is likely to suspect-- it's that he looks like Miles should have looked.

And Gregor has never forgotten that he'd received that soltoxin poisoning in his name, when he was still too young to understand it. Miles's state is a casualty of his reign.]

Then... this really is very odd. I'll have to ask around if there's any further information on it. [Gregor hesitates.] I suppose if I'm recalling my physics, there's no reason it should be impossible.

[mathemagier]

[It really is a bit disturbing to be scrutinized to such an extent, but at least there's no visible evidence of his disability]

No, certainly not- particularly in this sort of setting. But even so, these circumstances remain peculiar.

[vorbarra]

[If anything, learning of it would make him abruptly much more normal to Gregor. The fact that he doesn't seem to have a disability is what's so fascinating to him, but he shakes it off a second later, dropping the scrutiny. It's rude to continue.]

They are. It's not something someone expects to ever deal with themselves. How long have you been here? [He forms the question as a polite inquiry.]

[mathemagier]

Certainly not. We've -- I've -- been here since August of last year. Almost precisely five months.

[vorbarra]

That's a fair length of time. If you're anything at all like Miles, I'm sure you haven't been idle. What is your assessment?

[mathemagier]

[He's been very idle, thank you very much. Or at least, as idle as a workaholic scientist gets. He's taking a vacation in a few days for god's sake. The world is not in fact ending]

I'd rather hope we don't share too much. As far as this world goes.. Well I'd say it's all a matter of perspective. You aren't from Earth, so you won't see all the strange incongruities this one holds from the one most of us are accustomed to.

It's an old war that's being fought here- one that appears to be repeating history in an arguably more 'modern' era. If you're from a peaceful world, that can be disconcerting. But in comparison to mine, it's actually rather peaceful.

The 'superpowers' of course, don't seem strange to the majority of the imPorts here. To the rest of us, they're unnatural and unpredictable- but undeniably useful in most cases.

Personally, I lament the loss of my research, but there are many mysteries here that follow it seamlessly enough that I will be occupied for many years. The thought doesn't trouble me much, as I'm fortunate enough to have completed the most vital aspect of my life's work.

[vorbarra]

[Oh. Well then. Miles is such a force of nature that Gregor can't help being startled by just how different Hermann is. There's no reason they actually should be the same, and yet... He'd let his preconceptions be colored.]

Calling Barrayar peaceful is laughable, [Gregor says with some dryness.] But I take your point. These superpowers as you call them are bizarre to us, too.

May I ask what it was that you worked on? And what you continue to research now?

[He can't help being even more curious if he really isn't that much like Miles.]

[mathemagier]

[If he looks exasperated, it's because he explains things about his world a lot. He's in the middle of writing a comprehensive report to link to in the future, but for now, here's the pretty condensed version]

I studied an inter-dimensional wormhole we called The Breach in my world. I was tasked with discerning its weaknesses and sorting out how best to destroy it- which we did eventually manage just before I was brought here. I would have like to have studied all my data more thoroughly, perhaps sort out how it was formed to begin with. Because while we may lack the ability to create such things ourselves - and perhaps that's for the better - I am still endlessly fascinated.

As you can rather imagine, the device said to have brought us here intrigues me in a similar manner. Not to mention the array of physically impossible abilities some of us find ourselves with. How and why they function in such a manner is something I'll never tire of attempting to discern.

[vorbarra]

[Miles frequently looks impatient when others can't follow him quickly enough, even Gregor, so Gregor is oddly comforted by this familiarity. Clearly some things haven't changed, such as how smart he is, just differently applied.]

Destroying a wormhole? [Gregor shivers visibly, an instinctive Barrayaran revulsion overtaking him.] God. That's the stuff of nightmares. You could cut Barrayar off from the entire rest of the galaxy-- again. We rely on wormholes to travel.

Our wormholes aren't inter-dimensional, thankfully. But I can appreciate your fascination, if this is your area of research.

[mathemagier]

[It's a curious reaction, and oh, now he is very interested. He leans forward, a half dozen questions at the ready. He tries not task too many of them at once, as it's a very Newtonian habit he'd rather not adopt. He's only marginally successful]

Travel? How does that work? Are they permanent tears in space-time, linking two places together to simply travel through, or are they created? What is your relationship to the rest of your galaxy?

[vorbarra]

[He sees that gleam. For all they really are different people, it looks very familiar. It's the restraint that he's not used to seeing on Miles's face. He'd be amused if this weren't such a grim subject that hits close to his Barrayaran home.]

We have no idea how to create them; they link two locations, yes; we don't know what's through the other side unless we make the jump, an occupation that has correspondingly gained some notoriety. We travel through them with spaceships, same as anyone else, I imagine.

Our relationship to the rest of the galaxy is that we're a cul-de-sac. [Ah yes, here's his absolute somberness.] Our wormhole collapsed and we were left stranded for 600 years, a period referred to as the Time of Isolation. It was a dark time. Two generations ago, we found a new route out. We've been catching up ever since.

You would be... a source of much terror on my homeworld, doctor.

[mathemagier]

[Same as anyone else, like tears in space-time are common and everyone's built spaceships to fly through them. It's an amusing thought]

Well I assure you the destruction of ours was of absolute necessity.

[Hermann leans back, contemplative, then looks beyond the camera and straightens] Well I won't keep you, Mr.. Gregory? But do answer me one last question if you will. Has an alien species made up of massive silicon-based creatures ever invaded your world?

[vorbarra]

[Of course they're common. They seem rather inevitable to Gregor-- everyone here is just behind.]

I mean no criticism, of course. The knowledge itself, separate from intent, would be enough to hold all of Barrayar hostage. I can't help but think it.

Greg Vorthys, [he introduces himself politely, though it sends a brief, strange pang through him to be lying to someone that looks so like Miles. Pure instinct, that.] And no, we haven't made contact with any aliens at all. We've looked.

[mathemagier]

Mr. Vorthys, then. Well I must say I'm relieved in that case. It was a pleasure speaking with you.

[He's very obviously distracted by something off-screen] Ah, I hope you manage to settle in well.

Newton, don't--!!

[click]

[vorbarra]

[Under his cover, he'd properly be Lord Greg, but he really doesn't expect anyone else to understand Barrayaran modes of address. It's a weird thing to send a short pang of homesickness through him, but it does.

Gregor had just opened his mouth to return his farewell, though he's not sure why he'd cut off the conversation-- and then his question is answered.

Right. Well. Time to go find Miles.]