video

[jacksonian]

[ The young man on the screen looks a hell of a lot like Admiral Miles Naismith, or (a bit less) Dr. Hermann Gottlieb - he's clearly small like Miles, just from the angle of the camera and the proportions of the chair in comparison to him. But he's also fairly recognizably different. He doesn't have Miles' Cool Facial Scar (tm), for one. He's a little fatter, too - just a little. And he's dressed much differently: black, expensive clothes, black tie over a black shirt under a black suit jacket, not exactly tasteful but pricy. Hair slicked back. The kid is trying hard to look cool, and he's poured almost enough money into his wardrobe to accomplish it. ]

Hello.

[ This is a Businessman Smile that he flashes at the camera. ]

My name is Peter Kane. I'm very grateful to the imPort community for being very helpful when I arrived last month - [ And he pronounces that very smugly, because he wants everyone to be impressed by his conspicuous wealth having been accumulated in only a month. ] And so I'm going to offer you all an opportunity. And I wouldn't recommend that you pass it up.

PKE - that stands for Peter Kane Enterprises - a full-service investment firm - is offering you a golden opportunity. I'm willing to take all of you on as clients, to manage your money and make you all rich.

What am I offering? I'm guaranteeing you at least an eighteen percent return on investment. [ Which is really good, though he mysteriously looks a little disgruntled when he makes that promise. He could do much more, but...he'd sooner that it not be really obvious that he's cheating using his Porter-given power. Sooner not deal with the SEC... ] All I ask for is a five hundred dollar initial minimum and a year guaranteed commitment. Which is low and generous. I'm going to be asking for much more from non-imPorts. [ When he's built up enough of a reputation to actually be able to pitch things to non-imPorts. This is less charity, more desperate nosing around for clients to build capital. ]

Contact me if you're interested in getting in on the ground floor of this incredible opportunity. Or you'll need to come to terms with the fact that you turned down the opportunity to make enormous amounts of money. So if you love poverty, feel free to ignore this message.

Kane out.

Comments

[dendarii]

... Do you dislike me, Mr. Kane?

[jacksonian]

Of course I do, Lord Vorkosigan.

[dendarii]

Why?

[ He seems honestly baffled. ]

[jacksonian]

Because you're high-handed and overbearing. We've been over this.

[dendarii]

[ He waves a hand dismissively. ]

No, you've disliked me from the beginning, I'm sure of it. Is there history I don't know about?

[jacksonian]

[ He heaves a sigh and reaches out to turn off the video. ]

Goodbye.

[dendarii]

I'm serious, Kane. You liked me just fine as a child, and I guarantee you I was no less overbearing then.

Who hurt you? With my face?

[jacksonian]

Who hurt me?

[ That makes him choke out an incredulous laugh. But his hand does drop, short of turning off the video feed. He feels a little sick under it, though. ]

That's the question you ask?

[dendarii]

[ Miles continues on, undaunted. As long as the line is open, he'll take it as a victory. ]

Of course it is. Something must have happened to prompt this.

[jacksonian]

[ He clenches his jaw hard enough that the muscles jump. ]

You have my face and a vile personality. I'd think that's enough without questions like who hurt you.

[dendarii]

No, there's something else. I'm sure of it. I've no doubt of my ability to annoy away potential friends, but never from the start like this.

[ He pauses. And then, quite abruptly: ]

Did you break your hand when you were about twelve?

[ Because Miles did. Riding accident. ]

[jacksonian]

What?

[ He shifts uncomfortably. Swallows. ]

I don't know. I don't remember. I broke a lot of bones.

[dendarii]

Oh, certainly. I don't doubt that. But -

[ The video background shifts a bit as Miles starts to pace in earnest. ]

Your handwriting is exactly the same as mine. That should be impossible - I broke my right hand very badly around that time, and it changed the way I wrote from then on out. Some loss of fine motor control.

[jacksonian]

[ They hadn't broken his hand to replicate that handwriting. But he'd had so many hours of hand-cramping training, hour after hour learning to emulate that unnatural way of holding the pen, until his muscles had seized up and he hadn't been able to write any longer, and then...

He gives a short shrug. ]

Impossible like how traveling between universes and having the same face as someone else is impossible?

[dendarii]

Oh, I'm well familiar with that. But Hermann doesn't have the same handwriting.

[jacksonian]

He's also taller.

[dendarii]

Exactly. There are other differences - other changes I ought to be seeing in you. But I don't. Even your name is ...

[ He drifts at that, frowning a bit. ]

I was originally supposed to be named Piotr.

[jacksonian]

[ A shrug. No more than that. ]

[dendarii]

... It makes me me wonder. If you might not be an alternate version of me.

[ There is nothing but sympathy in his tone for that statement. ]

[jacksonian]

[ Snappishly: ]

I'm not any version of you.

[dendarii]

The reverse, then. I'm an alternate version of you.

[jacksonian]

[ His jaw clenches. But...It's a convenient excuse. So he swallows down his fury, and instead mutters: ]

Yeah. Maybe.

[dendarii]

I hope, then, that you don't hate yourself as bitterly as I do. Though given your dislike of me I'm assuming that's not the case.

[jacksonian]

...Excuse me?

[dendarii]

Which part wasn't clear?