Cordelia Naismith
Encyclopedia
Cordelia Naismith is the name of two fictional characters by Lois McMaster Bujold
. One is the titular character from a Victorian era
Sherlock Holmes short story entitled "Adventures of the Lady on the Embankment" included in her anthology Dreamweaver's Dilemma. The other is from the science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga
.
on a river embankment, wet and naked. Scotland Yard
calls in Sherlock Holmes
to help piece together her story and history.
, is a citizen of Beta Colony
, and was a member of the Betan Astronomical Survey, which was converted into the Betan Expeditionary Force during wartime.
The homeworld of the Vorkosigan Saga Cordelia Naismith first appears in the short story entitled "Dreamweaver's Dilemma" which is also included in the Dreamweaver's Dilemma anthology that contains "The Adventures of the Lady on the Embankment".
, she was captured by the controversial Admiral
Aral Vorkosigan
of the Barrayaran Imperial Military Service
, scorned by galactic society at large as the "Butcher of Komarr". They spent an arduous period on the planet's surface together, and during that time, they fell in love. However, given their positions on opposing sides of a military struggle, they did not act upon their feelings, though Aral asked her to marry him.
's abortive attempt to invade Escobar
, into which Beta Colony
was brought as an ally of Escobar. Cordelia received a promotion to captain and was transferred into the Betan Expeditionary Force (the Betan military). She was captured along with her crew after she successfully broke the Barrayaran blockade
, allowing vital military supplies and weapons to reach the Escobarans, which were instrumental in turning back the invading Barrayaran forces.
During her time as a military prisoner she was brought to the attention of Ges Vorruyter, a high-ranking commander of the Barrayaran forces and a notable sadist and pervert who enjoyed tormenting and raping female captives. She was spared a violent rape at the directives of Vorruyter when Sergeant Bothari
rejected his orders and killed him by slicing his throat because Bothari knew that Cordelia was important to Aral Vorkosigan. Later, upon the conclusion of the war, many of her compatriots and allies believed that she was the heroine who slew Vorruyter, earning her a brief status as a heroic celebrity on Beta Colony
.
However, her favorable opinion of Aral Vorkosigan
, protestations of his honor and integrity and later her profession of love for him, quickly earned her the suspicions of her government, which believed that she had been psychologically conditioned and brainwashed to serve as a Barrayaran deep-cover mole, using the cover of a faked love affair as a means to transmit intelligence to Barrayar. After several attempts by her Betan superiors at remedying this non-existent psychological tampering, including being drugged against her will, and being told that her mental state would prevent her from resuming her command, Cordelia fled to Barrayar and became Aral's wife, and thus Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan, only to learn that the retired soldier she thought she was marrying was to be pressed into government service as the new Regent
of Barrayar upon the death of the elderly and gravely ill Emperor Ezar Vorbarra
. Upon her husband's appointment, she was to be titled Regent-Consort.
, a period of political instability ensued, replete with assassination attempts on both Cordelia and her husband, the new Regent
. While pregnant, Cordelia was present at a soltoxin poison-gas attack on her husband by political terrorists. While both Cordelia and Aral were given the antidote, the teratogenic antidote would have disastrous affects on her unborn child. Aral Vorkosigan was rendered infertile by the poison. Cordelia was moved to attempt to save her fetus, despite any damage he had sustained in the attack, by placing him in a uterine replicator, a new technology on Barrayar at the time.
While the uterine replicator was safely ensconced in the imperial capital city, the political instability flared into full scale insurrection when Count Vidal Vordarian and his conservative Vor allies mounted a coup d'etat
and seized the Imperial Residence in the hopes of apprehending both the child-Emperor Gregor
and his mother Princess Kareen, whom Vordarian hoped to marry and use to seize the throne. The ensuing civil war became known as the War of Vordarian's Pretendership, in which Gregor was rescued from the palace by loyalists and Princess Kareen was killed. Count Vordarian was also killed and beheaded during an attempt by Cordelia and her allies (Sgt. Bothari
and Ludmilla "Drou" Droushnakovi) to break into the Imperial Residence to rescue her gestating fetus, as the uterine replicator would have failed due to neglect under Vordarian.
Cordelia become known as the 'woman who executed Vidal Vordarian' after presenting his severed head to her husband, several of his staff, and several of Vordarian's partisans who were present negotiating a settlement, thus bringing the insurrection to an end. This incident earned her no small degree of awe and respect from the military-minded Vor caste, all the more unique due to her being a woman.
In addition to Aral's role as Regent
, and Cordelia's affiliated social position as Regent-Consort, Aral and Cordelia were appointed the distinct status of being the legal guardians of the child-emperor Gregor
, and Cordelia was given essentially a guiding role over his formative years and education, placing the Betan in an enormously powerful position to mold the emperor's political and social attitudes and thus affect Barrayar's future as a whole. The full repercussion of her new role went almost entirely unnoticed by the Council of Counts and the more conservative elements of Barrayaran society.
The chief initial reason that Cordelia did not have any more children was not due to the inability to procreate (with Betan medicine, functioning cells were all that were required to reproduce), but because any healthy children would weaken Miles' stature (and endanger his life) in his family due to his deformity. Barrayar had suffered great damage due to nuclear war, and non-viable mutations in children were common and universally met with euthanasia during its less enlightened past. Miles' grandfather, Piotr, himself almost euthanized Miles. Mark Pierre and Miles' acceptance by conservative Barrayar as Aral's heir, as well as Miles' healthy children, born at the end of Diplomatic Immunity, made Cordelia's desire for more children moot.
, suffered severe physical deformities which were partially ameliorated by additional treatment received in the uterine replicator; her father-in-law, Count
Piotr Vorkosigan
refused to allow the deformed child to use his name. Instead, he was named Miles Naismith Vorkosigan, after Cordelia's own father.
Cordelia and Aral intentionally had only one child, their son Miles
. They later discovered that a clone of their son Miles, named Mark Vorkosigan
, had been created without their knowledge. While his legal status as a Vorkosigan is questionable on Barrayar, Cordelia unquestionably accepts him as her son. She endorses him openly to the rest of Barrayaran society, buffers his culture shock to Barrayar, buys him a ship to use to find Miles and even helps his love life by acting as a go-between for him, his girlfriend Kareen Koudelka and Kareen's parents.
of Sergyar
. Cordelia became Vicereine Countess Vorkosigan, being appointed co-leader of the planet, rather than the title being merely one of courtesy as the spouse of a viceroy. Their new positions required them to move to Sergyar to assume its governance and settlement.
When her husband died from an aneurysm on Sergyar, she made the decision to not have him cryoprepped and frozen since over two hours had passed and any chance of reviving him would have been as a mental vegetable at best.
emigrant, her unique status as a female military hero is/was vaguely ignored by Vor society, partially due to her conscious decision to be apolitical and remain out of the spotlight, initially bending her energies to rearing both her own son (Miles) and Gregor.
She heartily encourages imports of civilized thinking and goods that allows more freedom and independence for the people of Barrayar. As Countess Vorkosigan, she was the architect of a large-scale scholarship program, making galactic standard educations in medicine and science available to Barrayaran students with promise, and not just to those born Vor.
Cordelia is also opposed to natural childbirth
, even more than Betans (who still sometimes practice it as an option), due to the soltoxin attack that nearly robbed her of her first child. She is aiding the new generation of Barrayaran women of the upper- and middle-classes in the use of uterine replicators; she believes that alone is radically changing Barrayaran culture from within.
Early in her marriage and new to her status as Lady Vorkosigan, she relied upon Lady Alys Vorpatril's expertise in Barrayaran fashions and etiquette, as to not socially embarrass her husband to his political foes.
Lois McMaster Bujold
Lois McMaster Bujold is an American author of science fiction and fantasy works. Bujold is one of the most acclaimed writers in her field, having won the prestigious Hugo Award for best novel four times, matching Robert A. Heinlein's record. Her novella The Mountains of Mourning won both the Hugo...
. One is the titular character from a Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
Sherlock Holmes short story entitled "Adventures of the Lady on the Embankment" included in her anthology Dreamweaver's Dilemma. The other is from the science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga
Vorkosigan Saga
The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of science fiction novels and short stories set in a common fictional universe by American author Lois McMaster Bujold. Most of these were published between 1986 and 2002, with the exceptions being “Winterfair Gifts” and Cryoburn...
.
"Lady On the Embankment" character
Cordelia Naismith awakens as an amnesiacAmnesiac
Amnesiac was generally well-received by critics. It was also ranked as one of the best albums of the year by several publications. The Village Voice Pazz and Jop poll ranked it number 6 on their top 10 albums of the year. Alternative Press declared it the #1 album of the year...
on a river embankment, wet and naked. Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
calls in Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
to help piece together her story and history.
Vorkosigan Saga character
Cordelia Naismith, who first appears in the novel Shards of HonorShards of Honor
Shards of Honor is a science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, first published in June 1986. It is a part of the Vorkosigan Saga, and is the first full-length novel in publication order.- Plot summary :...
, is a citizen of Beta Colony
Beta Colony
Beta Colony is an important planet in Lois McMaster Bujold's science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga. The planet's biome is almost entirely desert, described as "screaming hot," and the colony itself exists primarily underground.The concept of Beta Colony was first created and introduced in...
, and was a member of the Betan Astronomical Survey, which was converted into the Betan Expeditionary Force during wartime.
The homeworld of the Vorkosigan Saga Cordelia Naismith first appears in the short story entitled "Dreamweaver's Dilemma" which is also included in the Dreamweaver's Dilemma anthology that contains "The Adventures of the Lady on the Embankment".
Early years
Cordelia was the commander of a vessel in the Betan Astronomical Survey, exploring jump-points and newly discovered planets in the Nexus, a job requiring advanced mathematical and scientific knowledge and no small degree of daring, as well as interpersonal skills, as her crew was composed of non-military civilian scientists that Cordelia often considered "a group of prima-donnas and cry-babies." Brought up with Beta Colony's liberal and anti-militarist values, she despised the military mindset. On a survey mission on the newly discovered world that would later be named SergyarSergyar
Sergyar is one of the three planets that comprise the Barrayaran Empire in the Vorkosigan Saga. The other planets are Barrayar and Komarr. The entire planet has been said to be the personal property of Barrayaran Emperor Gregor Vorbarra.-Discovery:...
, she was captured by the controversial Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Aral Vorkosigan
Aral Vorkosigan
Aral Vorkosigan is a fictitious character from Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series. Known throughout this science fiction universe as “The Butcher of Komarr,” he dominates the imagination of the two main point-of-view characters in the Vorkosigan Saga, Cordelia , who becomes his wife,...
of the Barrayaran Imperial Military Service
Barrayaran Imperial Military Service
In Lois McMaster Bujold's sci-fi series, The Vorkosigan Saga, the "Barrayaran Imperial Military Service" is the national military force of the planet of Barrayar.-History and organisation:...
, scorned by galactic society at large as the "Butcher of Komarr". They spent an arduous period on the planet's surface together, and during that time, they fell in love. However, given their positions on opposing sides of a military struggle, they did not act upon their feelings, though Aral asked her to marry him.
The Escobar War
Aral and Cordelia crossed paths again a short time later during the war precipitated by BarrayarBarrayar
Barrayar is a science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. It was first published as four installments in Analog in July–October 1991, and then published in book form by Baen Books in October 1991. Barrayar won both the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel...
's abortive attempt to invade Escobar
Escobar
-People:*Anasol Escobar, Colombian singer*Alcides Escobar, a professional baseball player.*Alex Escobar, a professional baseball player.*Alexander Escobar, a professional Salvadoran footballer.*Andrés Escobar, a murdered Colombian football player....
, into which Beta Colony
Beta Colony
Beta Colony is an important planet in Lois McMaster Bujold's science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga. The planet's biome is almost entirely desert, described as "screaming hot," and the colony itself exists primarily underground.The concept of Beta Colony was first created and introduced in...
was brought as an ally of Escobar. Cordelia received a promotion to captain and was transferred into the Betan Expeditionary Force (the Betan military). She was captured along with her crew after she successfully broke the Barrayaran blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
, allowing vital military supplies and weapons to reach the Escobarans, which were instrumental in turning back the invading Barrayaran forces.
During her time as a military prisoner she was brought to the attention of Ges Vorruyter, a high-ranking commander of the Barrayaran forces and a notable sadist and pervert who enjoyed tormenting and raping female captives. She was spared a violent rape at the directives of Vorruyter when Sergeant Bothari
Konstantin Bothari
Sergeant Konstantin Bothari is a character in the Vorkosigan Saga of science fiction novels by Lois McMaster Bujold. He was a deeply disturbed foot soldier and a classic example of an anti-hero.- Character background :...
rejected his orders and killed him by slicing his throat because Bothari knew that Cordelia was important to Aral Vorkosigan. Later, upon the conclusion of the war, many of her compatriots and allies believed that she was the heroine who slew Vorruyter, earning her a brief status as a heroic celebrity on Beta Colony
Beta Colony
Beta Colony is an important planet in Lois McMaster Bujold's science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga. The planet's biome is almost entirely desert, described as "screaming hot," and the colony itself exists primarily underground.The concept of Beta Colony was first created and introduced in...
.
However, her favorable opinion of Aral Vorkosigan
Aral Vorkosigan
Aral Vorkosigan is a fictitious character from Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga series. Known throughout this science fiction universe as “The Butcher of Komarr,” he dominates the imagination of the two main point-of-view characters in the Vorkosigan Saga, Cordelia , who becomes his wife,...
, protestations of his honor and integrity and later her profession of love for him, quickly earned her the suspicions of her government, which believed that she had been psychologically conditioned and brainwashed to serve as a Barrayaran deep-cover mole, using the cover of a faked love affair as a means to transmit intelligence to Barrayar. After several attempts by her Betan superiors at remedying this non-existent psychological tampering, including being drugged against her will, and being told that her mental state would prevent her from resuming her command, Cordelia fled to Barrayar and became Aral's wife, and thus Lady Cordelia Vorkosigan, only to learn that the retired soldier she thought she was marrying was to be pressed into government service as the new Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Barrayar upon the death of the elderly and gravely ill Emperor Ezar Vorbarra
Ezar Vorbarra
Ezar Vorbarra is a minor character in Lois McMaster Bujold's sci-fi series, the Vorkosigan Saga.Ezar Vorbarra was the Emperor of Barrayar during the time of the novel Shards of Honor. His son, Crown Prince Serg, was killed during the Escobar War , leaving five-year-old Prince Gregor as the only...
. Upon her husband's appointment, she was to be titled Regent-Consort.
As Lady Vorkosigan and Regent-Consort
Upon the death of Emperor EzarEzar Vorbarra
Ezar Vorbarra is a minor character in Lois McMaster Bujold's sci-fi series, the Vorkosigan Saga.Ezar Vorbarra was the Emperor of Barrayar during the time of the novel Shards of Honor. His son, Crown Prince Serg, was killed during the Escobar War , leaving five-year-old Prince Gregor as the only...
, a period of political instability ensued, replete with assassination attempts on both Cordelia and her husband, the new Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
. While pregnant, Cordelia was present at a soltoxin poison-gas attack on her husband by political terrorists. While both Cordelia and Aral were given the antidote, the teratogenic antidote would have disastrous affects on her unborn child. Aral Vorkosigan was rendered infertile by the poison. Cordelia was moved to attempt to save her fetus, despite any damage he had sustained in the attack, by placing him in a uterine replicator, a new technology on Barrayar at the time.
While the uterine replicator was safely ensconced in the imperial capital city, the political instability flared into full scale insurrection when Count Vidal Vordarian and his conservative Vor allies mounted a coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
and seized the Imperial Residence in the hopes of apprehending both the child-Emperor Gregor
Gregor Vorbarra
Gregor Vorbarra is the Emperor of the Barrayaran Imperium in the sci-fi series the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold.As of CryoBurn, Gregor Vorbarra is the current Emperor of Barrayar...
and his mother Princess Kareen, whom Vordarian hoped to marry and use to seize the throne. The ensuing civil war became known as the War of Vordarian's Pretendership, in which Gregor was rescued from the palace by loyalists and Princess Kareen was killed. Count Vordarian was also killed and beheaded during an attempt by Cordelia and her allies (Sgt. Bothari
Konstantin Bothari
Sergeant Konstantin Bothari is a character in the Vorkosigan Saga of science fiction novels by Lois McMaster Bujold. He was a deeply disturbed foot soldier and a classic example of an anti-hero.- Character background :...
and Ludmilla "Drou" Droushnakovi) to break into the Imperial Residence to rescue her gestating fetus, as the uterine replicator would have failed due to neglect under Vordarian.
Cordelia become known as the 'woman who executed Vidal Vordarian' after presenting his severed head to her husband, several of his staff, and several of Vordarian's partisans who were present negotiating a settlement, thus bringing the insurrection to an end. This incident earned her no small degree of awe and respect from the military-minded Vor caste, all the more unique due to her being a woman.
In addition to Aral's role as Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
, and Cordelia's affiliated social position as Regent-Consort, Aral and Cordelia were appointed the distinct status of being the legal guardians of the child-emperor Gregor
Gregor Vorbarra
Gregor Vorbarra is the Emperor of the Barrayaran Imperium in the sci-fi series the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold.As of CryoBurn, Gregor Vorbarra is the current Emperor of Barrayar...
, and Cordelia was given essentially a guiding role over his formative years and education, placing the Betan in an enormously powerful position to mold the emperor's political and social attitudes and thus affect Barrayar's future as a whole. The full repercussion of her new role went almost entirely unnoticed by the Council of Counts and the more conservative elements of Barrayaran society.
The chief initial reason that Cordelia did not have any more children was not due to the inability to procreate (with Betan medicine, functioning cells were all that were required to reproduce), but because any healthy children would weaken Miles' stature (and endanger his life) in his family due to his deformity. Barrayar had suffered great damage due to nuclear war, and non-viable mutations in children were common and universally met with euthanasia during its less enlightened past. Miles' grandfather, Piotr, himself almost euthanized Miles. Mark Pierre and Miles' acceptance by conservative Barrayar as Aral's heir, as well as Miles' healthy children, born at the end of Diplomatic Immunity, made Cordelia's desire for more children moot.
Mother of Miles and Mark Vorkosigan
As a result of the soltoxin antidote given to her, her child, Miles VorkosiganMiles Vorkosigan
Miles Naismith Vorkosigan is the hero of a series of science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold known as the Vorkosigan Saga. In an article in The Vorkosigan Companion, Bujold acknowledged several real-life inspirations for the character: T. E...
, suffered severe physical deformities which were partially ameliorated by additional treatment received in the uterine replicator; her father-in-law, Count
District Count of Barrayar
Count is a title and position in the government of Barrayar in Lois McMaster Bujold's science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga.-Role of the Counts:...
Piotr Vorkosigan
Count Piotr Vorkosigan
Count Piotr Vorkosigan is the father of Aral Vorkosigan and the grandfather of Miles Vorkosigan in the fictitious universe of the Vorkosigan Saga....
refused to allow the deformed child to use his name. Instead, he was named Miles Naismith Vorkosigan, after Cordelia's own father.
Cordelia and Aral intentionally had only one child, their son Miles
Miles Vorkosigan
Miles Naismith Vorkosigan is the hero of a series of science fiction novels and short stories by Lois McMaster Bujold known as the Vorkosigan Saga. In an article in The Vorkosigan Companion, Bujold acknowledged several real-life inspirations for the character: T. E...
. They later discovered that a clone of their son Miles, named Mark Vorkosigan
Mark Vorkosigan
Mark Pierre Vorkosigan is a character in Lois McMaster Bujold's sci-fi Series, the Vorkosigan Saga.Taken from its original location as a sidebar to Miles Vorkosigan...
, had been created without their knowledge. While his legal status as a Vorkosigan is questionable on Barrayar, Cordelia unquestionably accepts him as her son. She endorses him openly to the rest of Barrayaran society, buffers his culture shock to Barrayar, buys him a ship to use to find Miles and even helps his love life by acting as a go-between for him, his girlfriend Kareen Koudelka and Kareen's parents.
As Countess Vorkosigan and Vicereine of Sergyar
Upon Count Piotr's death, she became Countess Vorkosigan. Later, after Emperor Gregor achieved his majority, Aral was named ViceroyViceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
of Sergyar
Sergyar
Sergyar is one of the three planets that comprise the Barrayaran Empire in the Vorkosigan Saga. The other planets are Barrayar and Komarr. The entire planet has been said to be the personal property of Barrayaran Emperor Gregor Vorbarra.-Discovery:...
. Cordelia became Vicereine Countess Vorkosigan, being appointed co-leader of the planet, rather than the title being merely one of courtesy as the spouse of a viceroy. Their new positions required them to move to Sergyar to assume its governance and settlement.
When her husband died from an aneurysm on Sergyar, she made the decision to not have him cryoprepped and frozen since over two hours had passed and any chance of reviving him would have been as a mental vegetable at best.
Ideology and policies
Cordelia maintains an independent and assertive front, being a full partner to Aral. This is a bit disconcerting to Barrayaran society, where women are just barely beginning to look beyond being wives and mothers. Because she is known as a BetanBeta Colony
Beta Colony is an important planet in Lois McMaster Bujold's science fiction series the Vorkosigan Saga. The planet's biome is almost entirely desert, described as "screaming hot," and the colony itself exists primarily underground.The concept of Beta Colony was first created and introduced in...
emigrant, her unique status as a female military hero is/was vaguely ignored by Vor society, partially due to her conscious decision to be apolitical and remain out of the spotlight, initially bending her energies to rearing both her own son (Miles) and Gregor.
She heartily encourages imports of civilized thinking and goods that allows more freedom and independence for the people of Barrayar. As Countess Vorkosigan, she was the architect of a large-scale scholarship program, making galactic standard educations in medicine and science available to Barrayaran students with promise, and not just to those born Vor.
Cordelia is also opposed to natural childbirth
Natural childbirth
Natural Childbirth is a philosophy of childbirth that is based on the notion that women who are adequately prepared are innately able to give birth without routine medical interventions. Natural childbirth arose in opposition to the techno-medical model of childbirth that has recently gained...
, even more than Betans (who still sometimes practice it as an option), due to the soltoxin attack that nearly robbed her of her first child. She is aiding the new generation of Barrayaran women of the upper- and middle-classes in the use of uterine replicators; she believes that alone is radically changing Barrayaran culture from within.
Personal appearance and style
Countess Cordelia Vorkosigan is a tall woman with roan-red hair leavened with gray, which she wears parted in the center and long in the back (in her youth, her hair was a coppery red) and 'sea grey' eyes. Although not accounted a great beauty, with her face having a nose a bit too bold, and a jawline a bit too strong, she is nonetheless an attractive woman. She wears what would be deemed appropriate wear for a Vor-class matron, long flowing skirts and tailored bolero style jackets, but will slip into her Betan Astronomical Survey fatigues in private for comfort and nostalgia.Early in her marriage and new to her status as Lady Vorkosigan, she relied upon Lady Alys Vorpatril's expertise in Barrayaran fashions and etiquette, as to not socially embarrass her husband to his political foes.