"Vorkosigan" Planetary Origins Quiz

Answer: Kline Station

Elli Quinn was space-born (Kline Station is a space station and the setting for much of "Ethan of Athos"), and on occasion refers to planets as "gravity pits". She loves the spacer lifestyle, and as an ever-more-powerful member of the Dendarii Mercenary Fleet, she truly lives the dream.

Answer: Beta Colony

Cordelia Naismith, later Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, is from the advanced planet of Beta Colony and suffers much culture-shock after she moves to tech-deficient, still-struggling Barrayar in "Shards of Honor". Beta Colony is noted for prevalent (though not universal) use of the uterine replicator technology that Barrayar lacked as of the time depicted in "Shards".

Answer: Jackson's Whole

Tej Arqua (who later adds "Vorpatril" to her notedly long name), introduced and given a leading role in "Captain Vorpatril's Alliance", is from Jackson's Whole, where her parents lead House Cordonah. Her mother Udine was originally Cetagandan (half haut, half ghem, and thus very genetically enhanced), but her father Shiv was Jacksonian.

Answer: Earth

Ky Tung, introduced as part of the Dendarii Fleet in "Warrior's Apprentice", is known as "Eurasian" and is very proud of his Earth heritage. Being a bit of a military buff means that he's a big fan of Barrayaran military history (and military heroes, especially Aral Vorkosigan) as well. He ends up moving back to Earth when he retires from the Dendarii.

Answer: Escobar

Elena Visconti is the Escobaran POW who catches the criminal Ges Vorrutyer's eye during the Escobar invasion during "Shards of Honor". After torturing her through his proxy (the deranged Konstantin Bothari), Vorrutyer lets Bothari, who is confused into thinking he and Elena have a real relationship, keep her.

She is freed after the war, and her unborn child is placed in a uterine replicator and sent to Barrayar.

Answer: Barrayar

Kareen Koudelka, named after the late Kareen Vorbarra, is the fourth daughter of the Barrayaran commoner couple Clement Koudelka and Ludmilla Droushnakovi, and she is introduced in "Mirror Dance". She was one of the first Barrayarans born from a uterine replicator (though her sister Olivia also was).

Her story helps mark the feminist progress that sweeps the planet over the course of the series.

Answer: Athos

Ethan Urquhart is the title character of "Ethan of Athos," a sort of one-off novel mostly unrelated to the "Vorkosigan" cast of characters, though he does meet up with Elli Quinn for most of his adventures in that novel. Athos is a strange planet of entirely men, so when he meets and works with women for the first time, he is certainly thrown.

Answer: Kibou-Daini

Kibou-Daini is the setting for the novel "Cryoburn", and it seems based on Japan with many Egypt-style death mythologies. The cryo-preservation industries rule the planet, with many sinister implications, and political activist Lisa Sato was frozen against her will and spends much of the novel "dead" for this reason.

Answer: Komarr

Duv Galeni, introduced in "Brothers in Arms", is a Komarran whose family played a major part in rebelling against Barrayaran rule, though Duv ended up in the Barrayaran service after those rebellions. Galeni is a highly educated, highly trained official with incredible potential, which is why his connections to subversive people was overlooked by Barrayarans eager to include the best-skilled men in their ranks.

Answer: Vervain

Mia Maz, who features in "Cetaganda", is the Vervani ambassador to the Cetagandan Empire. She and the Barrayaran ambassador Vor'obyev are very close and end up engaged by the end of the story, but she mostly pops in to reinforce the idea of a gender-inclusive ambassadors corps (which Barrayar does not have). Since Cetaganda has very specialized needs for women's culture, it is a real handicap for a planet not to have women on-site for their diplomatic missions.