barrayarmods: (Default)
For Barrayar mods ([personal profile] barrayarmods) wrote in [community profile] forbarrayar2017-02-18 03:21 pm

[ february ii log ]

Who: Everyone
What: Traitors exposed, celebrations had, sleight hands passing cards under the table. And so begin the preparations for what is soon to come.
When: February 18th - 28th
Where: Barrayaran camp / Cetagandan base
Warnings: Torture (interrogations thread)

Quick links:
Riverfall
Barrayar: Barrayaran camp / Party / Missions
Cetaganda: Cetagandan base / Moon-poetry party / Missions


The harsh weather rages on, which temperatures still averaging far below freezing, and the wind is still strong. But things are a little less dire for the outsiders, and for the exotics -- well, they have their own chills to deal with.

riverfall
Riverfall village is your typical Dendarii mountain village, which means it's small, humble, and mostly poor. This is the most rural of the rural around here, a little backwater even by Barrayaran standards. Most of the villagers live in houses of wood and stone built themselves or by ancestors. Despite the cold, there are plenty of people outside at any given time -- working, mostly, because the daily grind stops for no one, but even the occasional group of children taken over by fits of cabin fever. The village is built up against a rocky mountain face, from the top of which the eponymous waterfall flows into the river that borders the west edge of the village and continues down the mountain. The place isn't exactly hidden, but if you don't know your way around, it'd be hard to find without a native guide.

The villagers are wary of the outsiders at first, even more than the soldiers had been -- the rural Dendarii are as superstitious as they come -- but, slowly convinced of their good intentions, start to warm to them. They're a blunt, hardy people, largely uneducated and tending toward the most extreme of Barrayaran sensibilities, but they are undeniably fierce. The General Count trusts them, so they'll be more or less civil (by Barrayaran standards, anyway), but you might catch the occasional scrutinizing, watchful stare. With Cetagandans in camp and exotics among them, they border on hostile, especially those who are visibly nonhuman. They keep their heads down enough to keep from getting into trouble with the soldiers, but they do not like you at all.

Not everyone in Riverfall speaks English -- Russian is everyone's first language, and only about half the village has any passable command of English. Thankfully, the village's Speaker Yakiv Gura speaks English, if heavily accented. They're clearly stretching to the limit to help the camp, but to the Dendarii, there's no higher act than one in the Count's service, especially when it comes to fighting this war.

barrayar
Even after scoring themselves a little extra food, morale in the camp is at an all-time low. The miserably dangerous weather hasn't let up, food is still heavily rationed, and everyone is still at least a little tired, cold, and hungry all of the time. It doesn't help that they've lost a few soldiers in the last couple of weeks, and in Riverfall, too, some villagers have died of the cold despite their relative warmth and safety, mostly children. This is hardly the first harsh winter they've faced, but that doesn't stop the inexorable loss that comes with it. Some villagers may be somberly putting their loved ones to rest in the village graveyard when the outsiders are in town.

But Piotr finally calls Negri out as a spy sent by his aide-de-camp Captain Ezar Vorbarra, partly to deliver a message and partly to test Piotr, because Ezar loves coy bullshit. However, he does learn that both Ezar and Prince Xav Vorbarra, Olivia and Sonia's father, are en route to Vorkosigan's District with relief supplies from Beta Colony secured by Xav's ambassadorial connections and tireless lobbying. Once Piotr judges it safe to release this information, it bring with it a bit of hope -- and to seal the deal, Piotr and Olivia arrange a celebration of sorts in the village.

Finally outing the ring of reason in the camp helps to bolster morale, too. Vorhalas is interrogated, and the names of his co-conspirators are revealed: Lieutenant Boris Vortala, who killed himself in disgrace shortly after his fast-penta interrogation at ghem-General Zefyst's hand, and their commander Captain Aaron Vorbataille. Vorbataille has, of course, already started to make his escape -- but with the help out of the outsiders, he won't get very far. Once Piotr is satisfied with Vorbataille's interrogation as well, both men are put to execution, but not by beheading as Doctor ghem-Miko: the sentence for treason is death by public starvation and exposure, and in this weather, it doesn't take long. They are publicly and emphatically denounced as traitors with no honor to speak of, sending a very clear message. Although this might seem like a gruesome sight to the outsiders, to the Barrayarans this is simply how it goes, and very few of them are sorry to see these traitors suffer, particularly as Vorhalas was the one responsible for their food shortage in the first place.

Reports from those soldiers and outsiders who were in the village at the same time as the Cetagandan field science team present the General Count with another troubling problem, however: the implications of the Cetagandans building a device that could control this phenomenon are terrifying, particularly to this threadbare resistance movement. But sabotage seems hardly a worthy solution, either. This is the only lead they have on sending the outsiders home, and so many of them have already put their lives on the line for the cause of a planet that otherwise nothing to most of them. There would be no honor in robbing them of their only chance to return home. But whether they should continue to allow the Cetagandans to proceed with their research or try to find a way to copy their plans themselves, a dubiously possible venture at best, weighs heavily on his mind. It only complicates his strategic concerns further, but by his military orders in the next couple of weeks, at least one thing is clear: he wants Cetagandan bodies.

camp
Morale is critically low among the soldiers, particularly after a few casualties during a recent skirmish with a Cetagandan patrol, but spirits definitely begin to lift with news of relief. The soldiers are now more or less accustomed to the outsiders' place in the camp, and they're even starting to become a little friendlier toward them, particularly those who've been involved in the war effort. They might invite outsiders to play card or dice games with them, or share a conversation over an admittedly meager meal, or better still, bond with them in the true Barrarayan form: over a lot of alcohol.

Negri has more or less built himself a niche in the camp, and doesn't look like he's going anywhere any time soon. But he isn't the only spy around. They desperately need a man on the inside, particularly with the troubling news about the wormhole device, and right now, that man is Byerly Vorrutyer. Starting next month, Piotr is sending him on assignment to infiltrate the Cetagandan base under the cover of a cowardly collaborator.

party
By the time they have the party on the 21st, the villagers have warmed up to the outsiders a little, but they don't really bond until the party. With what little they have to share, they scrape together as much of a feast as they can: not much, but by this month's standards, any hot meal prepared with fresh ingredients seems absolutely decadent. And because this is Barrayar there is, of course, plenty of liquor, that Barrayaran moonshine maple mead not the least among them, and there's no shortage of wine or vodka, either.

The hillfolk light lanterns all around the village and raise large tarps to cover the open center of the village where they usually hold gatherings. Inside, protected from the wind and lit by the bonfire and braziers placed around the perimeter, it's actually almost warm. Every villager who's ever laid hand to an instrument seems to gather there to play music all night long, an energetic mix of lively folk music and raucous drinking songs. Anyone with any musical talent would be welcome to join them as well. There's plenty of dancing, too, very little of it formal or complicated, but everyone's having a good time for the first time in weeks, maybe months, and the mood is infectious. By the end of the night, morale seems to have risen overall, and people in camp have something real to look forward to. The partygoing visitors are put up in warmed tents within the tarped village center or in the villagers' homes where they have room. Come morning, they'll head back, but for just one night, it's almost like there isn't even a war on.

missions
Outsiders have been assisting with moving supplies between the camp and Riverfall all throught he rest of the month, and it mostly goes smoothly. Vorbataille is caught on the 20th, although he and Vorhalas aren't publicly executed until a few days later, when Piotr is satisfied with the intelligence he's extracted. By the time he gets Vorbataille's name out of Vorhalas, the traitorous Captain has already fled -- but thanks to Carolina, Duv and Zarya, he's dragged back to camp for his interrogation.

That evening, Maine and William have the misfortune of encountering a dragon -- Darkstalker is on a mission with a Cetagandan patrol, and they run right smack into each other. A fight breaks out, but ultimately Darkstalker and the Cetagandans come out on top, and the outsiders and Barrayarans are forced to retreat -- but not before managing to kill a Cetagandan soldier or two, just barely escaping with one of the bodies.

Miles finds himself in a terrible position when a guard patrol shift goes horribly wrong in a skirmish against some Cetagandans, resulting in the death of their squad leader and a very ugly aftermath.

Zarya, William, Beth and Miles are in Riverfall with some Barrayaran soldiers on a supply run when a Cetagandan field science team arrives with a few exotics in tow. This is a rare chance to learn more about the Cetagandans' scientific exploits, and among other things, they find out that whatever it is that brought them here, the Cetagandan scientists are convincede it has something to do with the wormhole that collapsed 700 years ago.

The unabridged mission writeup is here.

cetaganda
The Cetagandans are a notoriously tight-lipped bunch, but they're blowing away most of the smoke surrounding their wormhole science research. As has been alluded, they're currently working on a device to harness the phenomenon that brought all the exotics here in the first place, and hopefully find a way to send them all home with it. They invite any exotics with scientific expertise to a series of interviews about neurology, astrophysics, and mechanical engineering. None of the advisement they receive helps to solve one of their most critical problems -- that of generating a Necklin field to match the one that must have surrounded each exotic -- but it certainly puts them closer to their goal, particularly in the area of neurology, and they're hardly going to stop there. But it's clear that the mathematicians and astrophysicists on base don't have sufficient expertise to solve the most complex equations before them. But on the brighter side of things, in the interest of this scientific exchange, they're letting the lab techs help a little more beyond just grunt work.

Meanwhile, the genetics project that seems so strange and arcane to the exotic carries on, largely behind the scenes, although Diya is increasingly at odds with her husband and even some of her senior staff, particularly the precocious Amai ghem-Soren. But there is very real purpose behind it -- and far more than just one -- and Diya d'Zefyst is a woman of great ambition. And more than anything else, she is haut.

Unfortunately, the relative peace on base is abruptly broken when Daryl, Lakshmi and Wash all manage to escape in a wild breakout attempt on the 25th. York and Ratchet are left behind, and as a result, some of their privileges revoked. They're now being watched a little more closely as a result.

base
Overall, despite simmering tensions under the surface and the miserable weather, life on base seems to be going more or less smoothly around them. The Cetagandans have had some recent victories against the Barrayarans, so morale is high. Unfortunately, after the breakout they begin cracking down on security with the exotics -- going back to treating the exotics a little more like they did when they first arrived. They aren't under guard, but after the 25th, they are being watched.

They still maintain that insistent veneer of civility, however, breaking only in cases where they feel the need or security risk is significant enough. The ghem on base remain overall cordial and courteous to the exotics as they ever were, which is to say considerably and always with a touch of smug superiority. With her success at the party earlier this month followed by her performance in the moon-poetry garden, the often-sequestered Amai ghem-Soren is seen more around the base.

moon-poetry party
The moon-poetry party is about three hours long and steeped in ceremony, each participant taking their turn to recite. This is, apparently, not a recitation of one's own work, but rather selections of classical Cetagandan poems, and in so referencing something culturally ubiquitous, each makes a statement in its mere selection and juxtapositions. If you pay close enough attention, you might notice that each participant has very subtly coordinated their outfits to further complement the theme of their recitation. Although there is a definite dignity to the party, it doesn't take much to pick up on the fact that this is yet another arena ghem use to try and socially one-up one another. Among the participants are both the Chief Medical Officer Colonel Faro ghem-Naru and Doctor Amai ghem-Soren, whose performance was especially well-received, the theme apparently being something about subtle passions.

missions
The science interviews with the exotics go more or less well, although not quite so hopeful as the Cetagandans were hoping. They do, however, learn some things about FTL travel in other worlds as well as other kinds of neural implants.

On the evening of the 21st, York, Natasha and Kaidan accidentally bear witness to what is clearly some kind of travesty: clearly a human being, but both overgrown and underdeveloped, and exhibiting powers of hydrokinesis and psychic empathy, referred to only as a ba.

On the 23rd, Jasper, Lapis, Pearl and Darkstalker accompany some soldiers and a field science team to Riverfall village, coinciding with a visit from some outsiders and soldiers. They encounter some outsiders while there but also pick up a bit on what it is the Cetagandans are doing -- that the Necklin field problem still remains their biggest problem, and they've been getting conflicting orders from the higher ups lately.

The unabridged mission writeup is here.

Note: Negri and Zahal are available for threads by request only this round. Please hit up Madi or Ammay respectively if 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.
infailtration: (pic#10657599)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-22 03:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"My name?"

He has to think about that, the expression of confusion almost comical. What name do they want? What name does he call himself in his head these days? York, probably, but they know that one. He but settles on the one that he hasn't heard for nearly a decade. That's probably what they want, right? The name he was born with.

"Josh Lansing." His head tilts to the side, like an intrigued puppy. "What's yours?"
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-22 03:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Naru's brow wrinkles slightly in mild surprise and confusion. Well, 'York' hadn't come as a clan name or a given name as far as he could tell. He ignores York's question and says, "Why didn't you give your name as John Lansing during your physical?"
infailtration: (pic#10657624)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-22 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
"Because I'm York now," he says simply, innocently. Like it makes perfect sense. "I've been York for a long time."

Maybe too long a time, but that's not a happy thought so it floats through his mind without much consideration.

"You should be more specific."
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-22 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Naru lets out a breath through his nose. It's easier when they just talk and talk, although it does get irritating. He gestures with one palm out.

"Why are you named York now?"
infailtration: (2519159 (13))

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-22 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"Because of the Director. I'd say ask him, but he's dead. Will be dead. It depends when you ask." Which is actually confusing, he realizes. Oh well.
Edited 2017-02-22 15:25 (UTC)
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-22 04:08 pm (UTC)(link)
That's the thing about fast-penta, Naru thinks with an inward sigh. You can just about guarantee that you're getting the truth, but that doesn't mean it isn't cryptic as hell sometimes.

"And who is the Director?"
infailtration: (pic#10657603)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-22 04:12 pm (UTC)(link)
"Leonard Church," York answers, assuming the ghem-Colonel is still looking for names. "The Director of Project Freelancer. He's a real dick. Was." It doesn't sound like he minds that right now, though. "You wouldn't like him."
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-22 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
The ghem-Colonel raises his eyebrows at this, vaguely amused at York's conviction. "What was Project Freelancer? I take it York is a codename. Was it a military program?"
infailtration: (pic#10907432)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-22 04:22 pm (UTC)(link)
"Special ops," he confirms, "but it was really just a giant science experiment. How to build a better soldier... you give them all the best toys and stick people in their heads." York looks up at Naru, then, with a flicker of something besides happiness that's quickly drowned out. "I need mine back. You haven't found him yet, though."
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-23 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
Naru has to stifle a scoff. The idea sounds like a mess. The wrong approach entirely. But he keeps the interrogation on topic, lest it get too far derailed.

"Your artificial intelligence program, you mean?"
infailtration: (2519159)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-23 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
A nod, a gesture to his shoulder where the AI's hologram (and his hallucinations of it) usually appear. "His name's Delta."
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-23 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
Another cryptic answer. Naru would pursue it, but they're getting off track. He shakes his head, waving the topic off.

"You were involved in the breakout attempt the other night, correct?"
infailtration: (pic#10119110)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-23 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah. But I'd call it a breakout partial-success, I'm a glass half-full kinda guy." And he's riding pretty high at the moment. "They made it, right?"
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-24 01:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"They did." Unfortunately. Naru has to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. He doesn't know what ghem-General Zefyst's angle is -- or Lady Diya's, for that matter -- but these exotics are giving him a bit of a headache.

"Were you armed?"
infailtration: (pic#10657624)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-24 02:19 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not at first. We took the weapons off the guards Daryl killed." Which he still isn't happy about, but in this state all that he does to express that is crinkle his nose slightly. "Daryl's gross."
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-25 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
What is it about fast-penta that reduces some people to drooling idiots? Alright, perhaps a little strong, but God, fast-penta interrogations do not improve with time. Ghem-Naru stifles a quite so and keeps the interrogation on track, because they've just hit on a very important point.

"And how did that happen?"
infailtration: (pic#10657605)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-25 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
"He had a shiv -- I didn't know. I didn't want anyone to get hurt, we were supposed to just slip out." And now even on fast-penta, York sounds displeased. But Daryl hadn't exactly asked permission before slitting their throats, and York hadn't seen it coming to stop him.
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-25 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
Ghem-Naru narrows his eyes. "A shiv? Do you know what it was made of?"
infailtration: (pic#10119114)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-25 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
"No... it looked like a rock, but it was sharp." He holds up his fingers to indicate the size of the thing. "I don't know where he got it."
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-25 02:18 am (UTC)(link)
Son of a bitch. He's sure ghem-General Zefyst isn't going to be thrilled to hear about this. They've been trying damned hard enough to keep things civil with the exotics.

"Fantastic. You were hoping to avoid casualties, then?"
infailtration: (pic#10907487)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-25 02:21 am (UTC)(link)
"I was. We had it timed so we wouldn't run into any patrols, wouldn't have to hurt anyone. But Lakshmi wouldn't go without Daryl and it put us behind schedule." That's where it had gone wrong, it had to be. They'd planned so carefully.
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-25 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
Ugh.

"Your sole objective was to get Rani out?"
infailtration: (pic#10119113)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-25 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
York shakes his head. It wasn't that simple. "No... we needed to leave, too. We have friends on the other side."
for_art: (ghem lord 01)

[personal profile] for_art 2017-02-25 03:51 am (UTC)(link)
Ghem-Naru's eyebrows raise sharply.

"Tell me about your friends."
infailtration: (pic#10907432)

[personal profile] infailtration 2017-02-25 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
"Maine and Carolina are over there. They were in the Project with me and Wash, best of the best. Maine's a brute, a killing machine, I wouldn't want to be facing him in a fight. You know him, he's been over here, he was the one with Lakshmi that got away. Carolina..." Just saying her name York's tone shifts from pleasantly conversational to dreamy, a smile curling his lips. "She's amazing. What do you want to know?"

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