[ game update: april ]

[barrayarmods]

april
So last month was yet another shit show, with thousands of influenza-related deaths between both sides. The Barrayarans and villagers struggled, but the Cetagandans, despite their still significant numbers, arguably suffered the worst of it.

The Cetagandans had one turn of good favor: the successful acquisition of Micah Niadem, the brilliant astrophysicist who may be the key to finishing the Star Gate Project. They're a staunch sympathizer to the Barrayaran cause, so even in enemy hands, they could still be a useful asset.

weather
Higher than average temperature/lower than average precipitation: Finally.

With the coming of April, so comes proper spring. Within the course of a few days, the temperature goes from "mild winter" to "warm spring", although Vorkosigan's District doesn't see as much rain this month as usual. All the snow at sea level is melted, and a lot of it in the mountains is, too, but some of the larger snowbanks are stubbornly holding out. Flowers and other flora finally begin to spring to life, trees begin to bear fruit again, and the sun is out and shining most days. The highs in the mountains average around 18°C/65°F with lows of 8°C/47°F, and at sea level highs average around 21°C/70°F with lows of 10°C/50°F.

barrayar resources Food: Sustainable: Between the relief supplies and the improving weather, the Barrayarans have been able to restock their food supply to a point where meals are no longer so heavily rationed (but they aren't exactly giving out free snacks, either). The wild game that survived the winter is out in more abundance now, making hunting easier, as well as foraging for edible Earth-descended flora. (Don't eat the local plants, you might die.) Water: Abundant: With the snowmelt and just a little rainfall, the creek is no longer frozen and is in fact running pretty smoothly. The river that flows through Riverfall is also no longer frozen, meaning that the soldiers can transport extra casks of water to camp. Weapons/Equipment: Low: Some of their weapons have rusted or broken beyond repair, and despite the relief supplies, Barrayarans are still too low on weapons for any major assault. They'll need to acquire more elsewhere. Medical Supplies: Adequate: The Barrayarans burned through all of the galactic medicine brought by Prince Xav during the epidemic, but as far as local medicine goes, they're doing…alright. Facilities/Manpower: Low: The camp lost 38 soldiers to the epidemic, which considering their size is a pretty hefty blow -- about 25% of their total forces. Without reinforcements or finding the rest of Piotr's army, they don't stand much of a chance in a real fight. On the plus side, that means the outsiders get two tents to themselves now, which is good considering the weather is warming up. status The camp is recovering from the epidemic, if a bit slowly -- the outsiders now have two tents to themselves, and split between fifteen people, that's not too bad. However, manpower is down, and the camp is still putting itself back together after the food shortage, cold freeze, and epidemic. You guys have had a rough couple of months. On the plus side, morale is on the up and up for the first time in months. Turns out a little sunshine does everyone a world of good. Prince Xav departed mid-month to head back to Vorbarr Sultana, once both Olivia and Sonia had recovered from the flu. intelligence Reports from Piotr's informants on the other side have yielded some interesting information: the fact that the Cetagandans are more or less operating at half capacity, for instance, and the new patrol schedules -- their operations are pretty thin, and seem to be focusing more on the occupation of Vorkosigan Vashnoi and outgoing patrols than internal security. Despite the reduced numbers, Cetagandan patrols through the mountains have increased in frequency. They have also reported what they've observed of the ongoing conflict between the two haut, as well as the ghem-General and his haut wife. There may be an opportunity to undermine morale and utilize the potential with Zahal over what to do with the exotics.

cetaganda resources Food: Abundant: The Cetagandans' food supply wasn't severely affected by the freeze, and now that the weather is warming up, they're able to garner more local supplies. The Grow Labs are, of course, ever productive. Water: Surplus: One of the ghem scientists overseeing the water treatment plant developed a more efficient filtering system, allowing the Cetagandans to process and purify more locally sourced water. Weapons/Equipment: Abundant: The Cetagandans were too busy being sick to do much in the way of fighting for the most part last month, so their armory backstock remains high. Medical Supplies: Low: The Cetagandans burned through a lot of their medical supplies during the epidemic, and while their more secretive drug banks are plenty stocked, their more immediate medical supplies -- antibiotics, analgesics, sedatives, sundries such as bandages, masks, and gloves -- are at an all-time low, and will continue to be until they receive more supplies. Facilities/Manpower: Low: The base was laid low by the epidemic. There were over 3,000 influenza-related deaths, and about 2,000 still in recovery from the flu and its complications, which leaves only about 5,000 personnel on base ready for active duty -- only half its usual force. Even when the sick recover, they'll still be down nearly a third of their manpower. status Morale is not especially high at the moment, especially after the Barrayarans' (admittedly not very successful) raids. The Cetagandan base has never been as vulnerable to attack as it is now, with Zahal focusing his forces more on external security than internal -- increasing patrols in the hills in the hopes of finding Vorkosigan's camp and sending more to Vorkosigan Vashnoi to strengthen the occupation security there. But within the base, Haut Sei's arrival has stirred up quite the fuss, and it hasn't died down. There's a general air of excitement and the pressing need to impress their very illustrious guest, with many whispers as to why she might be here. intelligence Thanks to some persistent eavesdropping, it's now undeniable that Sei and Diya have some kind of very personal history, and that Diya's romantic interest lies not with Zahal, but with Sei -- or some unnamed third party. Diya and Amai are working to cover up their tracks and obscure their illicit ba experiments so as to keep them from Sei's notice, focusing instead on cooperating with her idea to test the newly developed gene complexes on the exotics themselves.