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It was over.
Captain Jason Vorkeres felt his hands tremble with relief, or perhaps exhaustion—but, happily, not the nervous breakdown that had been creeping up on him for about a week now.
The little Auditor was safely aboard his fast courier, and due to embark any moment now, at which point he would pass entirely beyond the captain's responsibility. After one failed assassination, two attempted kidnappings (only one foiled), and being ordered to direct not merely one or two but six strike team assaults—one of which the Lord Auditor had insisted on leading himself, very nearly setting off the aforementioned nervous breakdown—the transference of responsibility couldn't come soon enough.
Ah, but speak of the devil. The Auditor's Armsman was approaching him now. Jason's gaze flickered downwards, but happily the Auditor himself seemed to still be aboard his courier.
"Captain Vorkeres, sir." Armsman Roic stopped short and offered a stiff nod of not-quite-military precision. It was the not-quiteness that had grated on Jason's nerves since he met the man. That, and the looming, though Jason supposed that was something he couldn't quite help.
"Armsman Roic. Does Lord Auditor Vorkosigan require something further?"
"No, sir. I am to convey from Lady Ekaterin Vorkosigan sincere apologies for whatever excessive trouble her husband may have caused for you." Jason got the sense that this message had been repeated many times, verbatim. "I am also to give you this." The man held out a code card, which Jason took with some caution. Aside from the com code, the card was marked only with the words "LAMNVK Support Group." It was hardly a puzzle worthy of Lord Auditor Miles Naismith Vorkosigan to interpret. Jason looked back up at the Armsman, who returned the look in that exceptionally bland way of his. "That's all, sir, unless you have a return message."
Jason glanced down at the code card again. "No, I don't think I do. Thank you."
The Armsman nodded again—Jason gritted his teeth—turned on his heel, and marched away to rejoin his lord. Tucking the code card carefully away in his breast pocket, Jason stepped to the window and watched, heart singing, as the Auditor's fast courier unclamped from Jason's own ship and sped away into the starry void.
It was over.