Laisa

Laisa is recalled as part of the personal and political history Miles Vorkosigan recounts while explaining his new job to Elli Quinn. In this scene she is not present; her place in the conversation comes through Miles’s decision to include matters involving her and Duv Galeni in his account of the preceding months.

Place in Miles’s Account

Miles begins with Simon Illyan’s breakdown, then doubles back to explain about Laisa and Duv Galeni before moving on to his seizure treatment, Gregor’s offer of a new job, and the events that led him to expose Lucas Haroche. Laisa’s inclusion therefore belongs to an explanation that is not strictly chronological: Miles rearranges the story to supply context for how he acquired his appointment.

Narrative Significance

The passage establishes Laisa as part of the recent history Miles considers necessary to tell, while leaving the particulars of her role unstated. As Miles recounts events and facts with increasing animation, he admits that he does not know how to explain his inner journey to Elli. Laisa’s brief mention sits within that larger gap between the readily narrated facts and the more difficult personal meaning behind them; this scene does not specify what happened to Laisa or develop her relationship with Duv.