Captain Vorpatril's Alliance characters

Also known as Lord Ivan Xav Vorpatril

Appears from the start

A Barrayaran Imperial Service captain serving Admiral de Plen on Komarr. An Imperial Security operative asks him to approach a shipping clerk who may be in danger, but the woman and her companion suspect his motives and take him captive.

Appears from the start

A shipping clerk living under an assumed identity on Komarr. Convinced that someone is hunting her and her companion, she treats Ivan's unexpected approach as a possible assassination attempt.

Appears from the start

Nanja's resourceful protector and companion. Her striking engineered blue-and-gold appearance forces her to remain hidden, but she acts decisively when Ivan enters their refuge.

Appears from the start

A surveillance officer examining a suspected smuggling operation with possible military links. He asks Ivan to make contact with Nanja while withholding much of the investigation from him.

Also known as Nanja Brindis

First appears in chapter 2

The hunted woman formerly known to Ivan as Nanja Brindis. After abductors locate her Komarr flat, she and Rish abandon it and accept temporary refuge in Ivan's home.

First appears in chapter 3

An analyst in Imperial Security's Galactic Affairs branch whose specialty is Jackson's Hole. He recognizes Rish as Lapis Lazuli, an engineered Jewel of the fallen House Cordona.

First appears in chapter 4

A daughter of Shiv and Udine ghem Estif Arqua, who ruled House Cordona before its overthrow and are presumed dead. She and Rish have hidden their origins.

Also known as Baron of House Cordona

First appears in chapter 4

Tej's father and one of House Cordona's former joint rulers. At this point he is known only through Tej's account and is presumed dead after the house was overthrown.

Also known as Barone of House Cordona

First appears in chapter 4

Tej's mother and one of House Cordona's former joint rulers. Tej identifies her as a parent lost in the takeover, with no confirmed survival known at this stage.

First appears in chapter 5

Tej's sister, whose fate after the overthrow of House Cordona remains uncertain. Tej believes she may have escaped during the family's emergency evacuation.

Also known as Cuz

First appears in chapter 7

Ivan's notable cousin and the relative ahead of Ivan's branch in the Barrayaran succession. His place in the family helps make Ivan's own dynastic risk more remote.

Also known as Emperor Gregor

First appears in chapter 7

The Emperor of Barrayar. The existence of his sons has greatly reduced the chance that Ivan's branch of the family will become entangled in the succession.

Also known as Ivan's mother

First appears in chapter 8

Ivan’s well-connected mother. Imperial channels have already alerted her that her son is involved in an unusual problem, although Ivan postpones explaining his marriage until he reaches Barrayar.

First appears in chapter 9

Lady Alys's partner and the retired former chief of Imperial Security. Removal of his memory implant impaired his recall, but not his judgment, and he proposes a covert route that could take Tej and Rish to Escobar.

Also known as Commodore Galeni

First appears in chapter 12

An Imperial Security officer who heads Komarr Affairs. He once supervised Ivan at the Barrayaran Embassy on Earth and meets Tej and Rish at Ivan's birthday dinner.

First appears in chapter 13

The domestic-affairs officer behind the Komarr surveillance operation. He has become privately involved with Rish, who is troubled by his professional habit of testing what people tell him.

First appears in chapter 14

Tej's grandmother, a former Cetagandan haute woman who reaches Barrayar with Tej's surviving relatives. She enters the country as part of the family's provisional asylum group.

Also known as Tej's brother

First appears in chapter 14

Tej's brother, now altered to resemble a male Jewel. He arrives with the surviving Arqua group under disguise as the family seeks temporary refuge on Barrayar.

First appears in chapter 18

A member of the Arqua recovery team. She joins Tej, Amiri, and Grandmama in opening a concealed access point and beginning the secret bore toward the buried laboratory.

First appears in chapter 20

A former associate of Shiv who runs a storage and transshipping business. He agrees to supply anonymous transport, storage, and covert export services in return for an advance and a share of the recovery.

First appears in chapter 21

A male Jewel traveling with Tej's family. He is reported missing with Star and Rish after armed attackers intercept them near the recovery tunnel's exit.

First appears in chapter 23

An engineering officer in the emergency response. He traces the storm sewer outlet and the mud flow as the damaged tunnel network destabilizes Imperial Security headquarters.

First appears in chapter 25

A figure implicated in the public account supporting Byerly's fugitive cover. He is in custody when Byerly leaves Barrayar.

Also known as Tej's brother

First appears in chapter 26

Tej's brother, revealed to have helped House Pristine capture Cordona Station before later fighting against it. He remains in cryogenic suspension while the family's succession is stabilized.

First appears in chapter 26

A claimant in House Cordona's unresolved succession. The choice between Pidge and Star has not yet been settled while Eric remains suspended.

First appears in chapter 26

One of the Jewel performers. After replacement legs heal and Cordona Station is repaired, Topaz joins the reunited group in returning to public performance.

Also known as Ivan's clone cousin

First appears in chapter 26

Ivan's clone cousin and an investor. He acquires the damaged former Imperial Security headquarters, stabilizes it, and turns it into a combined hotel, restaurant, nightclub, and espionage museum.