[ march i log: we need medicine ]

[barrayarmods]

Who: Everyone
What: New arrivals, desperate times, whispers down the hall.
When: March 1st - 18th
Where: Barrayaran camp / Cetagandan base
Warnings: TBD

Quick links:
Riverfall
Barrayar: Plague / Camp / Missions
Cetaganda: Plague / Base / Missions



welcome to barrayar.
It's the dark of night when you come to in the foothills. Snow on the ground, chill winter wind whistling -- in fact, it's dangerously cold, and all you have is the clothes on your back.. A steep mountain range towers just ahead, its peaks illuminated by the light of two moons. Whatever you last remember, it isn't how you got here, and you feel oddly jetlagged, slightly queasy.

And you're not alone. There are a few other people close by, all looking equally lost and confused. But before any of you have a chance to figure out what's going on, the soldiers arrive. There's a war on, they say, and you unlucky bastards have just been dropped right smack in the middle of it.

With March comes some relief. The first few days to a week are still bitterly, dangerously cold, but the weather starts to pick up gradually over the course of the next couple of months. It only gets barely above freezing, but after the last month, it might as well be a summer's day.

riverfall
The party last month definitely boosted morale, and certainly brought the outsiders closer to the villagers. They're noticeably friendlier toward the outsiders afterward, although they still give the exotics and their accompanying ghem soldiers the evil eye.

Given the village's covert assistance with the war effort and the fact that the Cetagandans found enough data to include the village in its regular patrols, Riverfall has become sort of a middle ground between the two sides. Coinciding visits don't happen every day, but they can provide opportunities for the two factions to secretly meet. Of course, this always carries a risk…best be sure not to be caught by either side's soldiers. Thanks to Negri, the Barrayarans roughly know the patrol schedule.

barrayar
Temperatures are still pretty low by the time March rolls around, and the first week is considerably cold, but it's steadily getting warmer as the month goes on. By the second week, it's just warm enough to start taking baths again -- and boy is there ever a queue.

On the 2nd, a small troop of soldiers arrives, led by Prince Xav Vorbarra, Olivia and Sonia's father, and Piotr's aide-de-camp Captain Ezar Vorbarra, a distant cousin of theirs. They bring with them a load of relief supplies fom Beta Colony, improving not only their food and medicine situation, but some to pass on back to the Riverfall villagers in return for their help. Anyone lurking around at night might see Ezar talking to Negri from time to time as well, and Sonia seems to be getting up to some kind of mischief where Ezar is concerned.

Prince Xav gives Piotr a very helpful tipoff -- there's a Betan biochemist waiting in the occupied district capital, Vorkosigan Vashnoi, to rendezvous with him on his way back off Barrayar. Xav can't stay long; he needs to find another way off-planet, and Doctor Micah Niadem has been laying low in Vorkosigan Vashnoi, but the risk of their presence being detected grows with every day. It may be easier and safer to smuggle them back to the camp than try to get them back off-planet for now -- and besides, their expertise in astrophysics might prove useful. But Xav hasn't yet been able to make contact through the soldiers occupying the city, so Piotr sends his own scouts.

Piotr, with Xav and Ezar as advisors, is trying to come to a decision about what to do about the Cetagandans' wormhole project. There's no telling what the Cetagandans really intend to do with the wormhole device, but disrupting or destroying their project would mean no way home for the outsiders, and…Piotr no longer feels that to be the most honorable option. That, and the idea of this technology in Cetagandan hands does them no favors. But their intelligence on the project is limited -- Byerly will prove to be a useful intelligent asset, certainly, but Piotr is looking for more informants. Any outsiders willing and able to make connections with any exotics sympathetic to the cause would certainly be appreciated by the General.

plague
Early in the month, some of the villagers begin to get sick -- it looks just like a particularly nasty cold at first. It quickly worsens and spreads to the camp, and by the 7th it is evident there is an outbreak of the Barrayaran flu, an influenza variant that has mutated over the last several centuries. Barrayarans have built up antibodies against most strains, but this is a particularly virulent strain, and with a population that has neither vaccines nor modern medicine, it can be fatal. The recent cold snap and limited food haven't exactly fortified anyone's immune systems, either, and in the first half of the month, about half the population of the village and camp come down with the flu at some point.

Although the virus isn't spreading much more quickly than your average flu, it's still a nasty infection, and the symptoms are difficult to effectively treat without proper equipment of facilities. Some of the relief supplies brought by Prince Xav include surgical masks and gloves for the people working triage to protect them from the airborne illness as much as possible. The supplies also include some analgesics and synergine, but hardly enough to go around. Fevers, aches and chills, coughing, vomiting -- they treat them with what they have once they run out of relief supplies. And for the most part, those with the flu manage to pull through and recover -- but if the flu turns to pneumonia, there's almost nothing they can do at that point. Thanks to the tireless efforts of villagers, soldiers, and some outsiders, the first half of the month sees only a 10% mortality rate between the village and the camp, resulting in only 23 influenza-related deaths.

Sonia is among the first to get sick, but she sweats it out in five days or so and manages a full recovery. Olivia, on the other hand, falls much more seriously ill. Piotr takes great care not to get sick; the camp is already incapacitated as it is.

camp
Camp morale is still buckling under the weight of crisis after crisis, but the arrival of Prince Xav and the improving weather have done a lot to lighten the mood. Xav and Ezar coordiate to distribute the relief supplies even as the flu ravages the camp and village, never a dull moment . Olivia and Sonia haven't seen their father Xav in over two years, and it's a long-overdue family reunion. Piotr welcomes the return of his friend and aide-de-camp Ezar, and Sonia seems to be getting into some kind of mischief with her cousin. And in a quiet moment here and there, Ezar can be seen talking to Negri.

By the morning of the 1st, Byerly Vorrutyer will have abruptly disappeared from camp.

Piotr is trying to keep military operations running as much as he can while half the camp tends to the sick or fall sick themselves. They'd found the traitors, yes, but Piotr's anger is far from satisfied. The food shortage had derailed their power supply strategy, and it's only further pushed back by this current crisis, so large operations are off the table. But Piotr has never underestimated the value of psychological warfare in this war. He has a few conveniently available corpses for hacking up and planting in the Cetagandan base just to shake things up a little, and anyone who can lift a sword without coughing is qualified. Xav does not approve.

missions
The medical assistance provided by the outsiders doesn't go unappreciated, nor without effect. Not every day is a success, but they manage to keep the mortality rate relatively low.

The infiltration missions to plant the severed body parts mostly go according to plan, although Lakshmi and Nash run afoul of some guards. Between the outsiders and other Barrayaran squads, they manage to plant several body parts, and in doing so, inadvertently spread the Barrayaran flu to the Cetagandans.

The outsiders scouting out Vorkosigan Vashnoi manage to stay undetected by Cetagandan soldiers, although they run into exotics on the other side. They manage to get some information about Micah's location, but very little…thankfully, Byerly passes on to Miles much more specific information the exotics were able to obtain.

Here are the unabridged mission results.

cetaganda
The snow piled up around the base starts to gradually melt over the course of the month as temperatures rise. The new wave of exotics are processed and very gently prodded like every group has been, but they've been treated with the same level of civility. The Cetagandans are generally exceedingly polite, but they are becoming a little less patient with the exotics after the recent bouts of violence and escapism.

Despite the Barrayaran flu sweeping the base, military operations must carry on. Zahal might have lost his informants in the Barrayaran camp, but he knows they've been struggling, and wants to implement some more aggressive tactics to hit them while they're down -- and more than that, the dead body parts of his own soldiers scattered around the base have had their intended effect, rattling and aggravating the ghem-General -- even more so when they realize that this was the means by which the plague spread to the base. Whatever organized strategy Zahal starts to pull together is immediately disrupted by the rapid spread of the virus through the base. With Cetagandan soldiers dropping like flies, military operations all but come to a halt on the base.

However, Cetagandan intelligence gets wind of a Barrayar-allied astrophysicist from Beta Colony, a planet renowned for its cutting-edge technological advances, particularly in the field of wormhole science; they may be able to solve some of the pieces of the puzzle. The Betan scientist is apparently hiding out in Vorkosigan Vashnoi, the capital city of the city. The virus has spread there too; Barrayarans and Cetagandans alike are facing the outbreak, although the native population seems to be faring a bit better. The Cetagandans need help bringing medical supplies, so while they're at it, the ghem-General dispatches a few teams to try and sniff out the scientist's location. Meanwhile, in the R&D labs, some of the exotics who have been promoted to lab assistant are helping the Cetagandans to make some advancements, and they're finally let in on some more details about the project.

plague
A few days into the month, some of the soldiers start to show cold-like symptoms -- and then the outbreak of Barrayaran influenza spreads rapidly throughout the base. Unlike the Barrayarans, the Cetagandans have no antibodies for this strain, and even their advanced immune systems cannot defend them against a totally new pathogen. They are infected even more quickly than the Barrayarans and their symptoms escalate rapidly as well, resulting in an alarming mortality rate. Cetagandan soldiers are falling sick left and right. Triage starts in the medbay, but they have to quarantine off another wing of the building just to make room for the rapidly growing population of infected ghem. The airborne virus is spreading through the base at an alarming speed -- save for Byerly, no one on base has ever been exposed to it. The symptoms are severe and while the Cetagandans have plenty of equipment, they have neither an antiviral nor a vaccine for the Barrayaran flu. High fever, vomiting, dehydration, respiratory and sinus problems run rampant, and though they have plenty in the way of synergine and analgesics, the Barrayaran flu quickly leads to pneumonia in most Cetagandan patients, and with their immune systems so completely unprepared, most patients with pneumonia die within 24 to 48 hours. The triage assistants are, at least, provided with surgical masks and gloves and antibacterial gel by the bucket load to protect them from the airborne illness as much as possible. By mid-month, nearly two thirds of the base has been infected.

The medical staff scrambles to put up a quarantine while also working on a vaccine for the uninfected population on the base. Byerly, being the only person on base who has ever been exposed to the Barrayaran flu, offers a blood sample -- potentially containing antibodies to this strain. Some of the Cetagandans' testing methods are a little ethically questionable, but they're trying to work fast. They're able to develop a working vaccine with a projected effectiveness of 70%.

Toward the middle of the month, Amai catches the flu and is laid low for about a week. Diya and Zahal take great care not to catch it -- Diya seems particularly absent lately.

base
Paranoia of infection hovers over the entire base, but some of the Cetagandans are concerned with another upcoming event: the arrival of the Handmaiden of the Star Crèche. What the Handmaiden of the Star Crèche actually is or does seems to be rather vague to the exotics -- she seems to play some role in genetic politics -- but it's known that she's haut, like Diya. The Cetagandans are scrambling to prepare for her arrival with considerable worry about resolving the flu epidemic before she touches down. The Cetagandans are about as close to cultural panic as they get right now. Diya received personal notice from the Handmaiden of the Star Crèche herself.

Starting on the 1st, Byerly Vorrutyer joins the exotic ranks as an undercover agent, looking not only for information but to potentially recruit exotics sympathetic to the Barrayaran cause.

Meanwhile in the labs, the Cetagandans have been letting the exotics get a little more hands-on with their research. Natasha, York and Symmetra have risen a bit in the ranks and are brought in on more specific projects. The ghem ladies are, surprisingly, now looking for volunteers to work in the gene labs too -- personnel shortage, of course.

missions
Even though a few of their own fall prey to the illness, the exotics' medical assistance does wind up being quite helpful, particularly with development of the vaccine. Meanwhile, eavesdroppers are doing their usual business and digging deep in places they shouldn't -- particularly where Amai and Diya are concerned.

The exotics that accompany the Cetagandans to Vorkosigan Vashnoi manage to stay undetected by Barrayaran soldiers, although they run into exotics on the other side. They are able to get some very detailed information about Micah's location, which Byerly passes back to the Barrayarans via Miles.

Here are the unabridged mission results.

Note: Negri and Zahal are available for threads by request only. Please hit up Madi or Ammay respectively for you want threads with either of those NPCs. You can also request a thread with Village Speaker Yakiv Gura if you want, in which case hit up Madi.

Comments

what up let's party

[komarran]

[ He's not sure why he's allowed himself to be brought along for this. A trip to a very Barrayaran village to drink with Miles sounded, on paper, like an awful idea. But he's tired. Helping around a camp that is only grudgingly accepting him has started to take its toll on him.

Which is why he's here, walking beside Miles as they make their way through the village. The villagers at least have warmed up somewhat to him being here and he finds it a safer place to drink than the camp itself. His hands are shoved into his coat pockets as he scans the area and--

And he spots someone who might be able to help make this more bearable. Not that he hasn't bonded with Miles, but the man still wore on him after a time and a buffer would be welcomed. ] Wash?

fucking miles

[protocol]

[ Going to the village to explore is something that Wash has always meant to do on a free day, and after spending much of his time being frustrated at his damned teammates who've just left on their damned mission, he decided now was as good of a time as any. He doesn't quite speak the language, has picked up some of the barest, most disjointed Russian over the years, and he's not really speaking to the villagers, just spending his time wandering, observing, learning. Maybe wishing he'd brought something to take those notes with.

He wasn't expecting someone to call his name, and he wasn't expecting the familiar voice. He turns around, looking wary as always, and well, that's unexpected. ]

-- Hey. [ Looking from Duv. To Miles. And then to Duv again.

Just giving them both a questioning look. Should he be expecting trouble. ]

[dendarii]

[ Given that Miles is here ... yes. Probably. That would be a good call. But they're not up to anything sinister at the moment. If anything, Miles looks all the more pleased to see him. ]

-- You know each other as well?

[ Stupid question, given all the outsiders more or less have no choice but to socialize with each other. Duv especially. ]

[komarran]

[ Duv is expecting trouble and it is a hundred percent because Miles is beside him. He glances over at Miles. ]

Yes, we met at... [ Saying 'Cetagandan' out loud in the middle of the village sounds like a poor decision so he opts for, ] the other base.

[protocol]

Feared for the worst when he left.

[ Left. Not quite, but well. Looking between them both, still. Kind of expecting something to be wrong. ]

Anything I can do for you two?

[dendarii]

[ A slight wince. ]

That was mostly my fault, admittedly.

[ But let's not talk about horrible torture right now, okay. Miles brightens again. ]

Join us for a drink? We were going to find some place in the village.

[komarran]

It was my decision to make, [ he grumbles at Miles. He's not going to have his autonomy taken away from him. He knew what waited for him when he chose to leave.

But that isn't why they're here. ]

Yes, you should join us. Miles has found a few villagers willing to share their personal stores.

[protocol]

[ Duv's decision, huh. A glance at him, but he'll leave that. It seems clear enough -- and really, the idea that Miles has connections in the village that he makes use of for drink is. Wholly unsurprising. ]

You know I'm not much of a drinker. [ A look at Miles, back to them both, and then, well. ] Maybe this once.

[ He smiles, warm enough, but there's something in his tone that makes it clear this might be more agreement out of a need for distraction rather than agreement out of deciding to have some fun for once in his miserable life. Sorry you two. He'll come, though. ]

[dendarii]

[ It would be more surprising if Miles didn't use his connections to get drunk. ]

We can get you water if you like. But mead is definitely better the second time around.

[ He says with a bit of a knowing grin. He's already seen you drunk once, Wash. He'll make sure it happens again. Elongating his strides, he turns towards a small house on the edge of the village, where a young woman is there clearing snow. Miles walks ahead of them to chat with her; this is where they're going. ]

[komarran]

You only have to keep us company, if you wish. [ It's not as if Duv is going to force anyone to drink.

He falls into step with Wash and hangs back as he listens to Miles speak with the woman. Murmuring, ] He's done well to charm them despite the constant hex signs.

[ Which was quite the achievement in a rural part of Barrayar. ]

[protocol]

[ He's noticed the signs, unfamiliar with them but he'd gathered the meaning from context well enough. He nods, making some amused sound, folding his arms over his chest. ]

Seems like it. [ A glance at Duv. ] You didn't want to drink alone with him, did you.

[ NOT EVEN A QUESTION ]

[komarran]

We have our differences, [ he replies diplomatically. ] But I respect him enough to share a few drinks.

[ It's even better if it's a few drinks with someone else there as well. ]

[dendarii]

[ Rude, both of you. Miles continues to converse pleasantly with the woman, completely oblivious to their conversation. After a moment, he turns back to beckon them both inside. There's a nice roaring fire in here, with a table and some chairs in the main room. Not much beyond a home, really, but the woman doesn't appear to be a stranger to having guests stop in for food or drink.

He's going to go ahead and get inside here. ]

[protocol]

[ Duv and Miles seem like more than good enough friends, but with -- differences, as Duv put it. He nods, still watching Miles, and when he starts turns to beckon them over Wash follows, though -- uncertain. He was expecting to pick up drink and go elsewhere, not be invited in to someone's home.

It's warm, comfortable, much better than anything Wash has seen since arriving in the camp. ]

Should I ask what you had to bargain away for this? [ Nevermind. Probably not. Just moving inside, looking around to check for Duv with him. ]

[dendarii]

[ Miles is already scrambling up onto a chair when they walk in; the woman returns with a bottle and some glasses. She murmurs something to Miles in Russian, then returns to her side of her home. There's a simple curtain drawn up between the two sides. ]

Translation work, mostly. Speaking all four of Barrayar's languages is useful enough to overcome my obvious shortcomings, thankfully.

[komarran]

[ It's a strange thought being invited in like this to a Barrayaran home. He takes in the scene for a long moment before finding a chair. So this is what it was like in the home of the 'hillfolk.' ]

Many in these parts only speak one, maybe two, [ Duv explains. ] Which can create complicated barriers depending on who comes to the region.

[ And with the Cetagandans out and about, there was plenty of reason for people to migrate. ]

[protocol]

[ Wash is definitely hesitant to make use of the hospitality offered them, as well, but after both Miles and Duv settle themselves in he relents, seating himself down and just -- looking around. This is nice. Not luxury, by any means, but warm and indoors, and he'll take that. ]

I barely speak any of it. Could use a few lessons, one of these days. [ Hell he's already doing homework. ] The village seems like a good place to have a few friends.

[dendarii]

[ Miles nods to Duv. His explanation hit the nail on the head precisely. As the other two settle in, he pours glasses for all three of them - only a few fingerwidths for Wash, to drink or not as he pleases. He won't pressure either. ]

We'd be happy to teach you. And I think you might do well with the natives yourself.

[komarran]

[ It's better than he's seen since leaving the Cetagandan base. He relaxes as much as he can in his seat and reaches for his glass to sip from. ]

They're friendlier than I expected here, [ he admits. Not quite as 'barbaric' as they were made out to be from the perspective of the urban areas of Barrayar. ] We could add language to your growing list of lessons.

[protocol]

[ He appreciates that Miles poured him just a few fingers' worth. Thoughtful. He might actually drink more, today, just -- out of frustration, but still careful, always careful. Wash getting any kind of actual blackout drunk is a terrible idea for everyone involved, and not in the funny way.

Wash reaches for his glass, gestures a little towards Miles in thanks, drinks most of it at one shot, and ah, there's that burn. He's getting used to it. Still making a face, though. ]

Glad for the opportunity to continue the education the military life stole from me. [ A little dryly. He doesn't mind, at all, he'd asked for the lessons, but it does definitely feel like he's talked his way into school. ] But I'd appreciate that.

[dendarii]

[ Miles allows himself a long sip in turn. God, he loves this stuff. Nothing better than maple mead. ]

Duv is teaching you? [ He blinks at the two of them. ] History, I assume?

[komarran]

[ He smirks slightly at Wash's comment. That was one way to put it. Leaning back in his seat, he taps a finger on the edge of the table. ]

Yes, and other information about the Nexus. I can't imagine how disconcerting it is to show up here with no knowledge of the political landscape and being thrown in the middle of it.

[protocol]

It's not great, no.

[ And as Miles knows, he's not really planning to leave, anyway -- learning more just makes sense. He shrugs a little, setting down his glass, maybe briefly glancing between Miles and Duv. They're. Most likely aware of each other's situations. But Wash takes his promises seriously, and he's acted accordingly. ]

The base had a good deal of information, I gleaned what I could. Don't think it was all the most objective, though. [ He looked at a lot of pictures of genetically modified kitty cats. ] Figured that Duv could teach me some, while I'm helping him take notes.

[ He has homework, Miles. ]

[dendarii]

[ Good on Wash. Miles is having a similar thought - wondering if Wash knows about Duv in turn. He won't betray Duv's secrets either ... Or Wash's plans, for that matter. ]

Notes, eh. [ A glance over at Duv. ] Saving those for later?

[komarran]

I was hoping to, [ he admits. Store the notes somewhere safe and have them for later. It's a naive hope, Duv is well aware, but sometimes a man has to dream. ]

If most of your information came from the Cetagandans then I'm sure you learned a great deal about perfume mixing and genetic art. [ He says that last word with a scowl. He had seen enough of that and heard enough Cetagandan poetry to last him a lifetime when he worked embassy duty. ]