Ekaterin Vorsoisson
Encyclopedia
Ekaterin Vorsoisson is a character in Lois McMaster Bujold
's sci-fi series, the Vorkosigan Saga
. Her character is first introduced with the Vorsoisson surname, though it changes to Vorkosigan when she marries Miles
.
, one of nine expert troubleshooters for the Emperor.
As Dr. Vorthys points out in the novel Komarr, sometimes the low Vor are more passionate about the tradition of Vor than the "High Vor", the true aristocracy. Thus Ekaterin grew up believing in the need to live up to her word, which left her with few options when her marriage went bad. She also developed a hard shell around her, thanks to the torments of her older brothers. The fact that she has three older brothers is itself an artefact of the changes in Barrayaran society, as the newly introduced technology allowing parents to choose the sex of their children collided with the long-standing cultural preference for male children.
Ekaterin's mother died of disease when Ekaterin was a teenager. When her father later desired to remarry, he encouraged an arranged marriage between Ekaterin and Etienne Vorsoisson, in order to tidy up family affairs. Ekaterin, who was 20 at the time, accepted Etienne, who was ten years older, and the couple seemed initially happy. Although she genuinely loved him, she also saw the marriage as her part in the "Vor pageant".
The marriage became troubled, providing a major plot element in the book Komarr. They had a child, Nikolai
, who was 9 years old when introduced in the novel Komarr. Unlike most contemporary couples, they chose to gestate Nikolai the natural way, instead of using a "uterine replicator", a piece of galactic technology which had been available for some time. This was primarily Etienne's decision that Ekaterin was pressured into, based partly youthful bravado, partly Vor snobbery, but it had the effect of concealing Etienne's genetic disorder until after Nikolai had been born, when they discovered the evidence of the condition in Etienne's dead brother's papers.
.
Etienne died during the novel Komarr, in an accident caused by his own fecklessness. During the investigation of Tien's death and his part in a mysterious conspiracy, Imperial Auditor
Miles Vorkosigan
realizes that he has fallen in love with Ekaterin, having previously ignored his nascent feelings while she was still Tien's wife.
Ekaterin, for her part, had made up her mind to walk away from Tien, her marriage and her son, because of her husband's psychological abuse. In her words, she had "come to the end of myself". Having been ground down to nothing, she had nothing but her own honor to sustain her, and in leaving Tien she abandoned even that. It is at this point that Tien's death threw her life into confusion, but also offered her a way out with honor.
Drawn by accident into the lair of the conspirators, she found enough courage and ingenuity to ruin their plot. In this she returned to her own vision of herself as a Vor, being willing to sacrifice everything, including her own life, to defend Barrayar. This in turn convinced Miles Vorkosigan that she was indeed the woman for him.
She thus became, in full, Lady Ekaterin Nile Vorvayne Vorsoisson Vorkosigan. As such, she plays a significant role in the novel Diplomatic Immunity
. In the most recent novel in the series, Cryoburn, she plays a minor role, dealing almost exclusively with the four children she and Miles have: twins Helen Natalia and Aral Alexander, and daughters Lizzie (the namesake of her paternal great-grandmother, Elizabeth Naismith) and Taurie (the namesake of Sgt. Taura).
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...
's sci-fi 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...
. Her character is first introduced with the Vorsoisson surname, though it changes to Vorkosigan when she marries 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...
.
Ekaterin Vorvayne
Ekaterin was born to a comparatively low Vor family, the Vorvaynes. Her mother was the sister of Dr. Vorthys, who later became an Imperial AuditorBarrayaran Imperial Auditor
Imperial Auditor is a fictional position in the government of Barrayar in Lois McMaster Bujold's sci-fi series the Vorkosigan Saga; alternatively referred to as 'The Emperor's Voice'.-What is an Auditor?:...
, one of nine expert troubleshooters for the Emperor.
As Dr. Vorthys points out in the novel Komarr, sometimes the low Vor are more passionate about the tradition of Vor than the "High Vor", the true aristocracy. Thus Ekaterin grew up believing in the need to live up to her word, which left her with few options when her marriage went bad. She also developed a hard shell around her, thanks to the torments of her older brothers. The fact that she has three older brothers is itself an artefact of the changes in Barrayaran society, as the newly introduced technology allowing parents to choose the sex of their children collided with the long-standing cultural preference for male children.
Ekaterin's mother died of disease when Ekaterin was a teenager. When her father later desired to remarry, he encouraged an arranged marriage between Ekaterin and Etienne Vorsoisson, in order to tidy up family affairs. Ekaterin, who was 20 at the time, accepted Etienne, who was ten years older, and the couple seemed initially happy. Although she genuinely loved him, she also saw the marriage as her part in the "Vor pageant".
Madame Ekaterin Vorsoisson
In marrying Etienne Vorsoisson her name changed. Etienne's branch of the Vorsoissons were still low Vor, and thus she did not gain the title Lady. There are Vorsoissons among the high Vor, as related in the novel Mirror Dance. In her own story, Ekaterin remembers the historical Countess Vorvayne who followed her treasonous husband into death by starvation, staging a hunger strike alongside him as he was chained up in public to die. Thus she sees it as her duty to stand by her own ignoble husband.The marriage became troubled, providing a major plot element in the book Komarr. They had a child, Nikolai
Nikolai
Nikolay or Nikolai is a Slavic variant of the masculine name Nicholas, meaning "victory of the people." It may refer to:-People:*Nicholas I of Russia , or I, the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855...
, who was 9 years old when introduced in the novel Komarr. Unlike most contemporary couples, they chose to gestate Nikolai the natural way, instead of using a "uterine replicator", a piece of galactic technology which had been available for some time. This was primarily Etienne's decision that Ekaterin was pressured into, based partly youthful bravado, partly Vor snobbery, but it had the effect of concealing Etienne's genetic disorder until after Nikolai had been born, when they discovered the evidence of the condition in Etienne's dead brother's papers.
Etienne Vorsoisson
Etienne "Tien" Vorsoisson was Ekaterin's first husband and the father of her son, Nikolai. Despite his advantages as a member of the Vor, Etienne was a failure at most things. In his ten-year stint in the Army, he never rose above the low rank of lieutenant. His subsequent employment was characterized by movement from one administrative position to another, which he blamed on the incompetence of others. To make matters worse, he found that he carried the stigma of a genetic disease, "Vorzohn's Dystrophy", which would have killed his brother had he not killed himself in an apparent air crash. Although the disease was treatable, Etienne refused to seek treatment on Barrayar, or let his son be treated, taking a position instead on the planet Komarr in order to build funds to get treated outside the Barrayaran Empire and be spared the humiliation of being known to have a genetic disease, which is highly stigmatized on Barrayar. However he bet most of his money, along with some loans and bribes, on a "merchant adventure" that went disastrously wrong. By the time of his death he faced financial ruin and possible prosecution. According to the author herself writing on a mailing list in 1999, Etienne's behavior fit the pattern of Borderline Personality DisorderBorderline personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder is a personality disorder described as a prolonged disturbance of personality function in a person , characterized by depth and variability of moods.The disorder typically involves unusual levels of instability in mood; black and white thinking, or splitting; the...
.
Etienne died during the novel Komarr, in an accident caused by his own fecklessness. During the investigation of Tien's death and his part in a mysterious conspiracy, Imperial Auditor
Barrayaran Imperial Auditor
Imperial Auditor is a fictional position in the government of Barrayar in Lois McMaster Bujold's sci-fi series the Vorkosigan Saga; alternatively referred to as 'The Emperor's Voice'.-What is an Auditor?:...
Miles Vorkosigan
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...
realizes that he has fallen in love with Ekaterin, having previously ignored his nascent feelings while she was still Tien's wife.
Ekaterin, for her part, had made up her mind to walk away from Tien, her marriage and her son, because of her husband's psychological abuse. In her words, she had "come to the end of myself". Having been ground down to nothing, she had nothing but her own honor to sustain her, and in leaving Tien she abandoned even that. It is at this point that Tien's death threw her life into confusion, but also offered her a way out with honor.
Drawn by accident into the lair of the conspirators, she found enough courage and ingenuity to ruin their plot. In this she returned to her own vision of herself as a Vor, being willing to sacrifice everything, including her own life, to defend Barrayar. This in turn convinced Miles Vorkosigan that she was indeed the woman for him.
Lady Ekaterin Vorkosigan
Returning to Barrayar, Ekaterin went to live in the Vorthys household in Vorbarr Sultana. She entered the traditional "year of mourning" for her husband, with the hidden desire never to remarry. Miles Vorkosigan, however, was determined to woo her, while his cousin Ivan Vorpatril mischievously caused other single Vor males to call on her. The result was a social disaster of epic proportions, recounted in the novel A Civil Campaign. Dealing with the fallout from this, complicated by insidious Barrayaran dynastic politics, led to Ekaterin discovering Miles's true self, and eventually to her proposing to him in front of the entire Council of Counts.She thus became, in full, Lady Ekaterin Nile Vorvayne Vorsoisson Vorkosigan. As such, she plays a significant role in the novel Diplomatic Immunity
Diplomatic Immunity (novel)
Diplomatic Immunity is a 2002 science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 2003.-Plot summary :...
. In the most recent novel in the series, Cryoburn, she plays a minor role, dealing almost exclusively with the four children she and Miles have: twins Helen Natalia and Aral Alexander, and daughters Lizzie (the namesake of her paternal great-grandmother, Elizabeth Naismith) and Taurie (the namesake of Sgt. Taura).