[ 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

[symmetricks]

R&D/Barracks

[ With the illness quickly spreading, there is no more time for learning of the arts and culture, no more parties or poetry readings. All efforts are focused towards curing this ailment, as it quickly becomes apparent that it was brought her by the means of butchered pieces of the Cetagandans laid about the place, in a manner one might lay out poison for mice.

Biological terrorism. And still people find a way to sympathize with the rebels. It's absolutely abhorrent.

Satya continues her work with the R&D department as she is best able, the secrets of returning her own tech to working order now no longer the priority but still a priority all the same. She's still doing what she can on the more mundane technical side of things, but it appears most of the scientists here are aware she can be relied on for certain tasks.

Of course, one still needs recuperation after all that. And giving the ill a clear and wide berth, she finds her center back in the barracks where the exotics are still being housed, falling back to her yogic exercises to clear her head and bring balance to her troubled spirit.

Soon, she'll set out to try and find a means of ending this plague. ]



Riverfall

[ Which means learning about the people of this world, and how best to blend in amongst them. Their mission depends on her ability to slip about unnoticed.

For this reason -- and perhaps a lingering doubt left in her mind by people who have long since left for the rebels side, Satya makes her way to Riverfall village. There is no effort to appear as one of the Cetagandans this time, her clothes much plainer, even if there is a stateliness to her stride and posture that cannot be hidden. She observes, quietly, while keeping her distance from most of the villagers lest they recognize her as one of 'them' and turn their critical gaze upon her.

They could live so much better than this, she thinks as she observes their day-to-day goings on, if only this foolish war could be ended. She pities them, in truth. But the rebels have proven just how low they're willing to sink in order to gain the upper hand. Pity can only be allowed to extend so far. ]

Riverfall

[lovernotafighter]

[Now that shit was starting to wind down, Tucker had to get out, just away from those fucking medical tents and breathe without a damn mask. He didn't know shit about medicine; the best he had was dealing with Doc and then his own kid, but both of those weren't conventional by any stretch. He had mostly tried to bring people who actually knew what the hell to do stuff, tossed some blankets around, fed folks who could keep the shit down, and saw Sonia.

And sure, it wasn't bad enough that there was a war, that it was balls cold, that they lost most of their food last month; they had to get sick, too. Bullshit. It was all such bullshit, which was why he stepped up in the first place.

Well, that and watching Sonia get sick, well....

But shit could last for a day without him, and he headed off to the village only after toning down his clothes so he could blend in more, an act that was hard for him in the first place considering how he didn't exactly do subtlety at all, let alone well. Case in point: checking out a hot chick at three o'clock (which was, as far as he was concerned, the only good time to use those stupid time-directions), off away from the main aspects of the town, just like he was.

Without thinking, he sidled up to her, and had enough self-control not to wrap his arm
around her waist at least.]
My two favorite letters of the alphabet are E Z. What about you?

[symmetricks]

[ This was not the greeting she'd expected, if she'd expected to be approached at all. Her head turned to regard the young man as he approached, brow ticking upwards as though she hadn't quite heard him correctly. Surely she hadn't. ]

I beg your pardon?

[ If Tucker was hoping for easy, he'd picked the wrong woman. ]

[lovernotafighter]

[Surely, she had heard him correctly; this was pretty much par for the course when dealing with him. Hell, the fact that he kept it even this tame was a wonder to himself, but phrases like this were no different than saying hello or asking about the weather. Sure, there was hope in there, intent there always would be hidden among the syllables, but he’d not be put off because of a little thing like “manners” and “respect”.]

I mean, if begging is your thing, we can jump right to that. I don’t mind.

[And how sly his smile was, all egotistical smirk and big brown eyes. So much for being subtle.]

[symmetricks]

[ Immediately her eyes narrowed, a recoil of disgust flickering across her face at that lewd curve of his mouth. No question then what he'd intended. What he still intended.

Ugh. Uncouth cretin. No doubt with the rebels. ]

Do you address all women so carelessly? Be gone before you try my patience any further.

[ And with a dismissive flick of her hand, she turns to walk away before a scene is made. She doesn't need to draw the additional attention, not when there are more important things to see to than warding off this idiot's clumsy advances. ]

[lovernotafighter]

[Oh, someone was uptight, weren’t they? No surprise; she had that air about her, but that just meant more work was involved to grease those wheels, more effort to get this going. Cool. This was the only subject that he didn’t mind putting some work into.

Well, a little. Very few people were worth that much effort. ]

I mean, only the pretty ones.

[Compliments. Chicks dug compliments.]

You know, you’re way too hot for this village. You’re going to start melting the snow in a minute. [Careful. He was careful not to out himself, talking about her and not himself, careful not to admit that he wasn’t exactly from around here either and if he was local, he should have recognized her.

You know, no big deal.]

[symmetricks]

I'm certain the villagers appreciate your sense of humor regarding their situation.

[ A glare cuts back towards Tucker as her step halts. An exotic though she might be, and certainly in danger if any rebels should discover her, she's not above setting someone in their place when they need it.

And this young man is sorely in need of a new set of priorities. ]

[lovernotafighter]

[She had some bite to her, different than the immediate Punch-In-The-Face that he was familiar with from Tex. Both were a suitable amount of "ow", but in totally different fashions that he wasn't exactly prepared for.

Tucker let the smile twitch down, slowly morphing into a frown. The villagers she said, as if they themselves weren't a part of this, of that world. Was she calling him out? Was she calling herself out? He sure as fuck hadn't seen her around camp, but this was his first time here, so there was no way to know for sure.

Fuck, he was feeling paranoid.]

Dude, I'm not a complete asshole. In case you haven't noticed, I know what goes on here. [Of course she didn't notice it; how could she when all he was doing was making horrible pick up lines sound worse than they already were?]

But fuck, you better believe that when I see someone hot, I'm going to say something because what else am I supposed to do around here, huh?

[symmetricks]

Something useful, perhaps. I know that seems a foreign concept.

[ But it's not entirely him she's angry at, is it? No. He's conveniently there and just annoying enough to bring it to the surface, but she's feeling the pinch of helplessness too. After her talk with Lakshmi doubts swirl in her mind, but she knows...

She knows they must be doing the right thing.

They should be doing the right thing.

Quietly, she lets out a sigh, turning away from him again. ]

It's pitiable...we should be able to do so much more for them.

[moneytwin]

[ The situation in the camp is depressing to say the least, particularly to a new arrival. Vex'ahlia does not have the liberty to roam much of the facility nor outside it yet, and being stuck on what she's mentally termed 'death watch' for the poor souls suffering this plague. She lacks the skills to do anything except help make them comfortable, thanks to this world and the circumstances of her arrival robbing her of even her most meager healing magics.

It's not be fun, to say the least.

She's back in the barracks, freshly scrubbed of the scent of death and sickness, toweling the last drops of water from her hair when Symmetra enters. The half-elf glances up curiously when she does; she's seen the other woman in passing, but not in the medical bay, and she seems to prefer her own company than mix with the other Exotics.

She doesn't quite get the strange stretching exercises, though. Vex watches for a bit, braiding, unbinding and rebraiding her hair, before rising from her cot and edging closer to watch. Eventually, when Symmetra looks to be changing pose, she makes like a distraction: ]

What are you doing?

[symmetricks]

[ Newcomers have of course been surveyed with some interest, but Satya has long since given up on most of the exotics. They appear to be more interested in running off to fight or questioning their hosts motives than doing anything particularly useful, by and large. So if she isn't particularly social with any of them, there's good reason for that.

Still, rudeness is hardly a virtue. She does complete the pose, however, taking a series of deep breaths before rearranging herself gracefully into rest, and only then answering the ranger. ]

Performing a set of exercises I find helpful for maintaining focus.

[ Which only works if she can, in fact, remained focused. A little hard to do while answering questions. Then again, she could have simply ignored the woman. ]

[moneytwin]

[ Vex is only mostly certain these people aren't vampires. Lady Diya, the jury is still out on, but the ghem seem normal enough, for humans. If she has questions, it's because there is such a gap between this reality that's been substituted for her own - and how else can one learn if not by asking questions?

Such as now. Vex does her best to not look impatient for an answer, genuine curiousity evident on the half-elf's face. Satya is nothing if not graceful, and that's something she can also appreciate. ]

They look rather complicated. Are they painful?

[symmetricks]

If one is not practiced in moving their body in such a way, it can be.

[ But she's quite obviously in no distress, and had not been even with her legs and back contorted so. Her gaze shifts briefly over Vex, and of course there's a lingering curiosity regarding her ears...

But she's seen a young woman who was entirely blue and claimed to be a sentient rock, so. Patterns of weirdness have varied enough that a set of pointed ears aren't so strange. ]

The complexity ensures that all focus remains on the movement and stillness required to hold it, rather than any intruding thoughts.

[moneytwin]

[ Being the least strange of the non-humans is certainly something Vex has gotten used to. Even if she dislikes the label immensely.

Still, she looks impressed, leaning forward a little. ]

I've never seen anything quite like it. I like to pride myself on being, hmm, flexible, but I don't know that I could manage that sort of. [hand gesture: that. The yoga.] That sort of focus is impressive, though. Did it take many years to learn?

[symmetricks]

The movements or the focus?

[ The corner of Satya's lips ticks upwards, ever so slightly. Blink (or wink) and you might miss it. ]

The movement is easy to learn. Less so to execute, for a beginner. If you like, I could show you a few movements you might find useful.

[ Someone who's already prone to flexibility, after all, might catch on than your average casual onlooker. ]

[moneytwin]

Either-or.

[ Is that a twitch? Up, down, she's not entirely sure, but since the other woman doesn't look annoyed by Vex's questions.. There's a smile at the offer. ]

Are you sure you're not just offering to make me look a fool?

[ Said with a wink, even as she slides off the bed she'd been seated on, securing her braid with its hair tie. In spite of her words, Vex isn't about to say no. One can never learn too many ways to practice focusing, after all. ]

Why not?

[symmetricks]

Do not concern yourself with how you appear. The world's concerns are not yours to balance in this moment.

[ Satya gestures for her to take a seat across from her. Easier to mirror the movements and poses when directly across from him, and some people learn more visually than through verbal or written instruction. She's always been of that persuasion, herself. ]

Concentrate on your breathing, above all else. Follow my count.

Barracks! As she's doin her yoga

[vorrutyer]

[ Byerly watches her exercise for a while with interest. That's something he's never seen before, and so it's curiosity that makes him attend to her as much as the extremely pleasing look of her twisting body. Eventually, the curiosity overwhelms the aesthetic appreciation, and so when she opens her eyes he asks her, mildly: ]

What is the point of all that?

[symmetricks]

[ Hardly the first time she's been interrupted to be asked such a question. Even so, there's still a tug of annoyance as she gracefully arranges herself upright once more. ]

To keep the mind and body strong.

[ She doesn't immediately turn towards him while answering, however, moving instead to retrieve a towel she's kept nearby. ]

It appears we must do all we can, given the circumstances.

[vorrutyer]

So it does.

[ He presses his hand to his heart and bows towards her turned back. How to approach her, he wonders? Hmm...Well. With a flattering proposition, first off. ]

I don't suppose you might teach me how to do all that? I could use a bit of strengthening.

[symmetricks]

[ It's only then that she looks back over one shoulder, gold eyes flickering over the newcomer with cool curiosity. ]

You have an interest in learning yoga?

[ Color her dubious, and her rather deadpan tone conveys as much. She has no real reason to doubt his interest, but...

He doesn't really seem the type, does he? ]

[vorrutyer]

Very much so.

[ His eyes narrow slightly in a smile. ]

I'll admit, it's not entirely a wholesome desire - you looked immensely fetching while doing that yoga, and I'd like very much to be able to capture a bit of that grace as well. But also - [ He tilts his head slightly to the side. ] I think it would be good for me. As you can guess, I'm not exactly suited to the standard soldierly exercises. [ He gestures towards his lanky, bony length. ] Something like that seems quite a lot more useful.

[symmetricks]

[ That cold, flat look doesn't budge an inch as the man implies that he'd been watching for...reasons other than simple curiosity. But her brow does raise as he suggests another motive for learning. Not a soldier, he says, and her gaze shifts quickly over him once again. ]

You seek to become stronger. Do you intend to fight in this ridiculous war, as well?

[vorrutyer]

I - [ He says loftily - ] Intend to survive this ridiculous war.

[ He looks at her closely. His face is relaxed, ironic - but there's a sort of bright watchfulness to his eyes. He's trying to take the measure of her, watching every movement. ]

If I may ask, madam - what of yourself? You don't exactly sound - hm - committed.

[symmetricks]

Committed only to the restoration of order, and our return to where we belong.

[ And here comes this old, familiar dance. He's not her first partner, and she is already anticipating the steps to come. Everyone has very strong opinions on this conflict, after all, and very few seem to align with hers.

Which is just as well. The popular opinion is not necessarily the correct one. ]

These people have endured quite enough, I think.