barrayarmods: (Default)
For Barrayar mods ([personal profile] barrayarmods) wrote in [community profile] forbarrayar2017-02-02 08:00 pm

[ february i log ]

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


Quick links:
Barrayar: Barrayaran camp / Missions
Cetaganda: Cetagandan 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.

barrayar
The cold snap hits the guerrilla camp hard, especially with a handful of new people to care for. On the 1st, a few people from Riverfall Village come to the camp, Village Speaker Yakiv Gura among them, who seems to have a rapport with Piotr. They bring extra supplies with them, such as clothing, heavy wool blankets and bedrolls, as well as extra firewood to help fend off the cold. The new outsiders are accommodated the best they can -- they're all provided bedrolls and any extra clothing they (probably) need -- but the Barrayarans don't have an extra tent to spare, so that means all twelve outsiders are force to share a tent that ordinarily sleeps ten. On the plus side, it should provide some warmth. The cold is

A young boy comes in tow of the villagers; Speaker Gura tells Piotr that the boy turned up a week ago and insisted on helping them with the supply haul, despite his small size. He's clearly Barrayaran, and looks as though he might have been living on hisown for a while. He doesn't speak mcuh, and when asked his name, will only give it as Negri -- first or last, no one's sure, but the boy doesn't seem easily fazed. Piotr tells the villagers he has no room in his camp for lost children, but somehow the day after the villagers leave, Negri turns up in camp again. He's curious, but quiet and unobtrusive, wherever he is in camp. He's a very good listener…even when you might not want him to be.



On the 3rd, the Barrayarans and outsiders awake to discover that the part of the cave where they've kept the majority of their food supply has collapsed, either blocking their access to the cache or destroying it entirely. It's impossible to tell. The villagers can't spare much more than they already have been -- certainly not enough to feed the hundred and fifty-odd soldiers in the camp -- so while they try to find out a way to recoup their food supply, they have no choice but to slaughter their own horses for food. Food will be heavily rationed, but fairly -- the outsiders receive no less than the rest. The prisoners, on the other hand, get nothing. There probably isn't enough wild game in the area to sustain the camp, but Piotr sends out hunting parties, and when they get wind of a Cetagandan supply drop on its way, they organize a raid on the supply lines.

camp
With temperatures well below freezing, no food, and excruciatingly little in the way of advantage against the Cetagandans after their last infiltration attempt, morale is beginning to drop. Piotr and Olivia remain bastions of perseverance as always, but Sonia is beginning to buckle and wilt as the days go on. The soldiers do their best to entertain themselves and keep morale up, but all they've got are maple mead, and old card and dice games. They could use some new forms of entertainment. Maybe a snowball fight might get the blood moving -- assuming you can stand the wind chill. Thankfully, there's no shortage of warm clothes and wool scarves.

The cave isn't big enough to simply move all of camp inside, but the sickbay and mess tents are moved where it's a little warmer and out of the harsh wind. It's generally crowded with off-duty soldiers despite the food shortage, because no one wants to be out in the cold right now. Things get a little better after the mostly successful raids, but food is still heavily rationed.



missions
The hunting parties are only moderately successful; there isn't much wild game out there right now, and while the soldiers fare alright, the outsiders' hunting party fails miserably. The raiding parties yield a little more in the way of relief, enough now that they don't have to keep eating horse meat, but Pearl was captured by enemy forces in the chaos.

Maine helps Piotr with a very successful final interrogation of ghem-Miko, the Cetagandan scientist taken prisoner last month. He reveals that the Cetagandans have been studying the locations where exotics appeared, as it seems to be linked to wormhole technology, and that the Cetagandans are planning on building a device to control it. They have the technology, they're almost sure, but it's a puzzle they haven't solved yet. Ghem-Miko doesn't live long past his interrogation -- public execution by decapitation is his sentence, and when it's done, a few soldiers carry off his body and severed head.

Piotr's interrogation of Duv Galeni goes about as well but, blessedly, less fatally. It becomes known that Duv is from Komarr, the planet that sold Barrayar out to the Cetagandans, and that Duv Galeni is really David Galen, a relative of a few Counselors in the head of Komarran government. However, he's able to successfully convince Piotr that he isn't allied with the Cetagandans, and after a few days of agony, Duv is granted parole at Piotr's discretion.

On the evening of the 15th, Maine, Beth and Byerly inadvertently catch Vorhalas in the act of trying to sabotage what little of their food supply they've been able to recoup. He tries both fight and flight, but the three outsiders are able to take him down and drag him to Piotr's doorstep. It quickly becomes apparent that Vorhalas was responsible for the cave-in earlier in the month. Piotr is both furious and victorious; he now has a lead on the traitor conspiracy among his men, and his esteem of Beth, Maine and Byerly has gone up considerably for their part. Vorhalas is up next in the interrogation chair, and this one won't be pretty.

The unabridged event writeup is here.

cetaganda
The recent supply drop not only provides resources for the base and for distribution to their other outposts, but also brings fresh species for transplant into the gardens at the Grow Labs. The arrival of a handful of new exotics gives rise to a fresh wave of buzzing curiosity around the base. All of the new exotics are given thorough physicals, just as the first wave were, and provided with fatigues and anything else they might need. They make an even dozen now, their bunk at capacity. The Cetagandans are beginning to become accustomed to having the exotics on base, some of them even forward enough with their curiosity to be friendly. Darkstalker now has a small following of ghem lady scientists who regularly feature him as a subject in their art.

New arrivals will be processed as the first were -- once everyone has been whisked out of the extreme cold, everyone is subject to a thorough physical, including a number of scans that may or may not seem totally arcane to you. Other than a blood sample, nothing they're doing is at all invasive. Lady Diya d'Zefyst, while not a physician, is present at all physicals. She is easily notable not only for her striking, almost ethereal beauty as is typical of the haut, but, as the only haut on base, she is easily distinguishable by her lack of facepaint.

While the exotics still have freedom of movement around the base, the recent extreme temperatures have their hosts diplomatically suggesting they travel as much as possible, they are provided cold weather wear, as the mess hall and medbay are in separate buildings from the barracks. Weather warning aside, they encourage the exotics to take advantage of the non-restricted recreational facilities -- exercise rooms, art rooms, the lush gardens in the Grow Labs -- and will satisfy any reasonable curiosities.

base
In an effort to make the exotics feel more at home, the Cetagandans decide to put on the sort of function they might for visiting diplomats, full of art of all sorts, to show that they're just as willing to share their culture with the exotics as they're asking the exotics to share with them. The function is hosted on the evening of the 7th in an annex to the Grow Labs apparently meant for this express purpose, as it shows off the most beautiful and elegant of the Grow Labs' specimens, and acts as a live arboretum in and of itself, and quite vibrantly beautiful.



If there's one thing the Cetagandans are good at (besides art, and language, and genetics) it's throwing a good party. Functions like this are always an opportunity for Cetagandans to try and socially one-up one another; everyone is in their most fashionable dress in the latest fashions they manage to keep off-planet, or at least a dress uniform, wearing fanciful scents and vibrant facepaint they might not otherwise on the job. For the artistically inclined ghem (read: a lot of them), this is the chance to show off their artistic endeavors as well -- large sculptures of unusual and improbable materials, walkable installations meant to engage every sense, and of course the living art engineered by the ghem ladies, ranging from relatively simple and tame pieces such as koi fish patterned with clan insignia or black roses and blue orchids, to complex combinations of non-human DNA to create some genetic sculpture. There is, of course, food and drink -- in the usual flagrant Cetagandan style, although the hors d'oeuvres and drinks are even more ecletic than the usual mess hall fare. It seems as though the Cetagandan passion for genetic art extends even into the culinary realm.

At the center of the party is a particular kind of art installation called a discernment garden. Housed in a beautiful, improbably architectural tent, the discernment garden consists of a series of rooms, each meant to test the refinement of the senses -- not unlike a varietal wine tasting. Each room is dedicated to a single sense, inviting participants to judge a collection of samples and suss out the differences, or match tastes and smells and textures to labels; the end of the garden presents its visitors with a final art piece incorporating all five senses, as a final test of one's refinement. Some of the ghem might (a bit wryly) confess that this is actually more of an education tool used for Cetagandan children, but this is meant as a gesture of good will toward the exotics.



missions
On the evenings of the 6th and the 8th, some of the exotics do a little sneaking around, and not for the first time. York lends Kaidan his access badge to the R&D Lab on the 6th and Kaidan, along with Sans and Symmetra, stumble onto a whole lot of wormhole data and schematics to construct a device capable of controlling the phenomena of the exotics' appearance. On the 8th, Deanna and Natasha sneak around to the tactical buildings and overhear some marital discord between Zahal and Diya, and a troubling glimpse at their diverging plans.

On the evening of the 13th, Jasper, York and Daryl are all in the medbay when a biocontainment breach sends it into automatic lockdown, trapping them inside. They overhear Diya arguing with one of her subordinates over unauthorized use of ba genetic material, whatever that is.

The unabridged event writeup is here.
komarran: (who did what now and why)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-02-08 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
"Yes," he growls. Better not to correct the man that Miles had been the one to bring him to Vorhalas. As much respect as he has for Miles, he knows the other man's appearance can't be winning him favors among his ancestors. What a pair they make here.

"I'm sure he told you of my good behavior." A dry comment he can't help adding even as he braces himself for the incoming retaliation. "I saw this as my chance to get away from them. Far away from them."
oldvor: (pic#10679797)

[personal profile] oldvor 2017-02-10 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
The blow Duv braces for doesn't come this time, but one of the officers grabs him by the hair at his commentary. Piotr barely acknowledges anything but the one-word answer. The rest of it might as well be dead silence to him. His eyes bore in on Duv.

"Is Duv Galeni your real name?"
vorrutyer: (world-weary (and smug))

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2017-02-10 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
Just say no. Byerly comments, wryly, archly, "A Komarran with a Barrayaran name. It does seem unlikely, doesn't it?" Internally, he's hoping desperately that the man will give something - anything - to make the Armsmen lighten up on him.
komarran: (you can't be serious round two)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-02-10 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
They know something. He can tell by the 'hint' the younger man is dropping and the way Piotr is boring into him. He can't lie to Barrayarans about his very Komarran parents selecting a Barrayaran name to improve business relations back when the planet had been newly rediscovered. Perhaps when selecting his new name he should have veered farther from his heritage than stubbornly sticking close to his family name.

"No," he finally spits out. "It's not."
oldvor: (pic#9429950)

[personal profile] oldvor 2017-02-10 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
Piotr's expression doesn't change, but there's a spark in his eyes, a tiny flare of triumph. He stares Duv down, intent. The officer hasn't yet let go of Duv's hair.

"What is your real name?"
vorrutyer: (world-weary (and smug))

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2017-02-10 12:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh. Oh, that's good. If Duv is talking - That question comes without another blow to the face, which Byerly frankly treasures. An exchange without violence is an exchange he approves of.

He stands back a bit, arms crossed, eyebrows raised, trying to look impressively sadistic and Vorrutyerly. By, of course, can't help but be a bit curious about the answer here. The handsome Komarran in charge of Komarran Affairs has always been a little bit of a mystery, and no one on the social scene seemed to know much about him - and, unfortunately, dear Delia Koudelka told him to go soak his head when he put a few subtle and well-phrased questions to her at a party one time. So discovering this information would be - hm. Interesting.
komarran: (one day i'll turn terrorist)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-02-11 05:36 am (UTC)(link)
Are they asking for the nail in the coffin or do they truly not know? There's a long moment where Duv considers the two men, or what he can see of them with his limited range of vision. If they didn't know now it would only be a matter of time before the connection was made. If his fate is to be sealed, he may as well do it with his own words.

"Only if you promise to include it in my obituary," he manages to joke dryly. There's only a second's pause before he continues, "David Galen."
oldvor: (pic#10679797)

[personal profile] oldvor 2017-02-12 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
Piotr's eyes flash not with surprise but triumph. The answer earns Duv another blow to the side of his head. He leans forward, as though bearing down on Duv, though he hasn't taken a single step towards him.

"Of any relation to Counselor Vincent Galen?" Piotr's words come out cool and hissing. "Or perhaps to his cousin, Counselor Theresa Galen?"
vorrutyer: (smug and punchable)

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2017-02-13 02:15 am (UTC)(link)
In retrospect, it seems obvious. Galen, Galeni - But good God. Duv Galeni, of Komarran Affairs, related to those Galens? Heavens. And they let him into ImpSec? Because By doesn't remember his Komarran history too well - or much history at all, really - but he's fairly certain that the Galens were involved in the Komarran resistance. Heavily involved. His eye lights on Galeni with mingled surprise and, vaguely, horror.

Well. All the more reason to be careful with the man, isn't it? Though...ImpSec has trusted him, in spite of that colorful past. Illyan trusted him. For some odd reason, that information...well. It...rather makes Byerly more inclined to trust him, rather than less. What a strange effect.
komarran: (squints suspiciously)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-02-13 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
His head is spinning from the attacks. There's a long moment where he focuses simply on his next breaths and ensuring what little might remain in his stomach doesn't end up heaved in front of him. No, he knew that admission wouldn't earn him any points though the good General's triumph and ready list of relatives seems to confirm this was an assumption on their part before he said anything.

"Not closely. I'm afraid I haven't had any conversations with them around the dinner table."
oldvor: (pic#9429950)

CW FOR TORTURE/HAND TRAUMA THIS IS WHERE IT REALLY STARTS

[personal profile] oldvor 2017-02-15 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
Duv gets another blow to the head for that bit of sass, but Piotr holds up a hand and the soldier stops immediately mid-swing in a follow-up. Piotr's expression is hard, intent, but there's no joy in it, even in the flashes of triumph. Just a terrifying wall of sheer will.

"Now," he says evenly, kicking a small, battered chest next to his feet in front of him, "we have a baseline."

Piotr flips open the top and pulls out a handful of something thin and rust-colored, each about half the length of man's finger. "You may not know this, being Komarran," he starts, sounding dangerously conversational, "though having been on our planet for some time and seeing how incomplete the terraforming is, I'm sure by now you know that much of Barrayar's native flora is toxic to humans when ingested. Useless for food. But up here, in select parts of the Dendarii mountains -- and this, I wouldn't expect even a Barrayaran to know, if he's not a district man -- there grows a particularly hardy species of grass. Nearly as tough as bamboo, though it doesn't grow as fast."

Piotr fans the blades of grass in his palm, mindful of their points. "Lieutenant," he says, holding his hand out. The officer at Duv's left carefully retrieves the handful of grass from him, and Piotr watches, unblinking, as the officer takes the pointed end of one blade of grass and slowly pushes it under Duv's thumbnail.

"Now," Piotr says again, his voice hard, "are you working for the Cetagandans?"
vorrutyer: (super broody)

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2017-02-15 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, Byerly thinks to himself, oh, god. Involuntarily his hands curl in on themselves, protecting their vulnerable parts. God. For a single mad moment, he thinks that this is why he's been invited here - that right now, Vorkosigan will turn around and leer at him, this is what we do to traitors and liars. He'll strap By in beside Galeni, start torturing him for information, all he knows that he's not telling the man...

But...No. That's not Vorkosigan's way. Too byzantine. If he thought By knew something more, he'd just torture him, without any elaborate set-ups or pointed torture of other people or whatever. It's certainly not too cruel for him, of course - it's visibly, obviously not too cruel - but it would be too complicated.

What does one do with cruelty like Piotr Vorkosigan's? That's the thing that frightens By. It's not like he's any stranger to cruelty, no. But you can appease sadists. You can beg mercy, or start crying, or pass out from lack of air, or your bone can finally snap, and that'll make them happy. But someone doing this with a purpose? How do you satisfy them? By giving up the information, yes, but they'll always be convinced there's more, that there's a lie in there somewhere, that they can get something extra. How do you appease a man who starts in on torture with an expression of businesslike grimness? By feels like he's going to be sick. Bile stings his throat.

But he can't show that. No. Instead, he forces his hands to uncurl. He forces his jaw to unclench. And he forces himself to let loose a laugh - a sadist's laugh, a laugh of appreciation and regard. A well done good show laugh.
komarran: (miles is serious)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-02-19 02:24 am (UTC)(link)
A baseline. The words playback in his ears, hanging in the back of his mind as Piotr continues. He knows what that phrase means, that this had been building to this moment. He would be a damn fool to think this would start and end with a few questions and punches. No, that would be far too generous for an untrustworthy Komarran. His eyes follow the movement of his torturer's hands. He knows damn well which of the men will be orchestrating this, if there's one thing he's gathered from the guest Vorrutyer he's a man that prefers to watch as someone else's hands get dirty.

When the blade of grass is handed off, Duv's bracing himself for what he knows is to come next. Torture techniques of this period had been a portion of his studies although experiencing it was something he had hoped to avoid. If only time travel had never been a factor. The fingers on his free hand curl into the arm of the chair as he sucks in a sharp breath and hisses. His head already spinning from the previous attacks and with the fire burning under his thumb, he wonders if he'll have a damn nail by the end of this.

Would he even be believed if he told them no? That he wasn't a spy sent here to gather information? It's not as if he has an easy route out of here. The pain blurries his thoughts and it's not until he hears the laughter coming from Vorrutyer and ringing in his ears that he can steady himself. No, he's come through too damn much to allow this to be what unravels him.

"I'm not," he grits out, his feet planted firmly on the ground to keep himself upright. "They already spent their bribe money."
oldvor: (pic#9429950)

[personal profile] oldvor 2017-02-22 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
The slow push of the blade of grass under Duv's thumbnail stops, but the officer doesn't take it out. Piotr's eyes bore into Duv, cold and calculating, weighing the evidence before him.

"Why did you allow yourself to be taken prisoner?"
vorrutyer: (sweaty)

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2017-02-24 08:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Byerly says nothing, just watching. This...This, he's curious about, too. Will Duv give Miles as his sole reason? And if so...If so, will Piotr decide that his mutie grandson - the mutie he doesn't know is his grandson - is in cahoots with the Komarran? God knows the man hardly needs a reason to mistrust Miles further...
komarran: (no fun duv galeni makes a comeback)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-02-25 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
Well. That's an improvement at least. The lack of movement has the pain set at a constant instead of ever-increasing. It says a lot about his life that he's thankful for this.

"Because I'm not so stupid to think that Komarr will be ignored after this conquest," he spits back through gritted teeth. He can't talk of integration, of how Komarr's changed since coming under Barrayaran rule. Whether it was the best move for his planet is a debate for another time, but he has no doubts that Cetaganda wouldn't stop at taking Barrayar. Not when another government controlled the means in and out. What form that would take is thankfully something Duv's never had to find out.
oldvor: (pic#9429949)

[personal profile] oldvor 2017-03-01 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
Piotr's are lidded, unreadable. He barely moves and yet he seems to give the impression of a pacing predator. Wheels are turning behind those eyes, a black box machine of a mind, and Duv is a problem he hasn't solved yet. What will come out is yet undecided.

"You think Barrayar will win this war?"
vorrutyer: (sweaty)

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2017-03-01 02:31 pm (UTC)(link)
He knows it. Or does he? After all, they're in the past, now. A few well-placed choices could change the course of the war entirely. And Galeni knows that, too...
komarran: (you've got to be kidding me)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-03-01 04:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm not ruling it out," he answers carefully. He can't read Count Vorkosigan, isn't sure if he's saying the right things or coming across as a pathetic prisoner eager to say whatever will appease his tormenters. However the man sees him, Duv believes what he says as he continues, "You're out-manned and at a technological disadvantage, and they still haven't managed to pull the rug out from under you."
oldvor: (pic#9429950)

[personal profile] oldvor 2017-03-05 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
The officer at Duv's side is still, awaiting orders. Piotr looks hard at Duv, reading who knows what, gauging, calculating...

His voice is clipped, abrupt, and just a little bit edged.

"Are you here to help us win, or are you hoping mere platitudes will grand you pardon after the war?"
vorrutyer: (attentive)

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2017-03-10 03:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Byerly's eyes flick between Piotr and Duv. That's...promising. That's quite promising, actually. That question might mean that Piotr is thinking that it might actually be a possibility that Duv is helpful. That question might mean that torture to death isn't Duv's intended future - just torture in the vague direction of death -

He doesn't say anything. He doesn't want to screw this up.
komarran: (approaching critical done)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-03-11 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm here because I viewed the alternative as worse," he spews through gritted teeth. Count Vorkosigan has no reason to believe a Komarran would be here with loyalty to Barrayar. Best to make this seem like its in his own personal interest.

"They're not going to stop at Barrayar and I won't see my planet fall shortly after yours. They can't win." And he damn well hopes both Vorkosigan and Vorrutyer realize that.
oldvor: (pic#9429950)

[personal profile] oldvor 2017-03-14 02:16 am (UTC)(link)
Piotr still regards Duv with a cold, calculating look. He isn't done putting this picture together just yet. The officer at Duv's side has yet to remove the blade of grass.

"But will you help us fight," he says, through his teeth, but not angrily. Just firmly, fiercely. "I have no room in my camp for idle sympathizers."
vorrutyer: (confused)

[personal profile] vorrutyer 2017-03-14 01:15 pm (UTC)(link)
All right. All right. Good. Piotr is strongly thinking about this. Strongly. He's not quite there yet - a word in the wrong direction could prolong the torture - but he's getting there. Getting there enough that Byerly feels confident speaking up and interfering.

"A Komarran?" There's disgust in his voice. Because: Piotr Vorkosigan hates Byerly, and he hates being contradicted, and this'll cost Byerly a few points of Vorkosigan's favor (points he can ill afford to lose) but it'll create a bit of solidarity between Piotr and Duv. Hopefully. God willing. "We're not going to have to fight alongside a Komarran, are we?"
komarran: (you can't be serious round two)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-03-15 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
His gaze tears from Piotr to Byerly, immediately narrowing upon seeing the full disgust in Vorrutyer. Similar to every other Vor he's met since entering the Imperial Service. If there was one thing Duv loved doing, it was forcing Vor to deal with him in whatever form that took.

"Yes," he grits out. It's that stubborn determination that has him able to speak despite the damn pain in his body that he knows will linger long after they're done in this tent. "I intend to remain standing after this."

I'M SORRY THIS IS SO LATE

[personal profile] oldvor - 2017-03-25 01:12 (UTC) - Expand