It's not strange to be asked that from Miles, and Gregor doesn't mind it from this avenue; being asked as a friend has a very different character than being asked as even a political ally. And Miles spends so much time off-planet, he doesn't blame him for wanting a quick and dirty update on the political situation, too. He's less involved but Gregor knows he still cares.

"Happy is a strong word, but, mm, pleased maybe. I'm continuing the progress on the Caravanserai that your father started," by which he means restoring it from a pit of iniquity to its current state as a shopping district, "and I've been making headway on pushing through your brilliant idea of having district peasants get a teacher's education and then return to their towns to educate the rest.

"So yes, I'm doing things as you put it, but it's all behind a desk. I'm sure you've seen more action this month than I did my whole year in service."

That's a leading statement, Gregor inviting him to tell some tale from his last excursion. Gregor is one of the vanishingly few people he can tell the whole unabridged story to, above security clearances as he is.