Gordon asked Lois McMaster Bujold:

Are the Vorkosigan Saga's two hatchet-faced men related? Cordelia's first impresson of Sgt. Bothari matches Tej's first impression of Emperor Gregor in this vividly evocative way. Bothari has protection within the military despite the trouble that his Yuri-like disorder causes, and his dislike of Vor seems like it could stem from feelings of abandonment. Is Bothari a son (maybe even the eldest) of Ezar?

Lois McMaster Bujold Nope. Bothari's unknown father was a Random Customer, probably without gene cleaning so probably Barrayaran not galactic, not that there were many galactics around during that period. Well, apart from the Cetagandans, who would have been gene-cleaned. (See: Rene Vorbretten.) Outside possibility, dad was a passing spacer crewman with considerable radiation or other accumulated gonad damage, though.

If Barrayaran, caste or grand-caste of dad also unknown. (Recalling Cordelia and Piotr's breakfast conversation on the subject, Vor ancestry of some sort is possible, sure, somewhere up the tree.) Some of Bothari's problems also may have been what is now being called epigenetic, exposure to toxins in the womb due to things his dodgy mother was ingesting; some was certainly due to the toxic social environment in which he grew up.

Ta, L.

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