forbarrayar | [ april i log: if home is where the heart is ]

Entry tags:

[ april i log: if home is where the heart is ]

Who: Everyone
What: The sun finally comes out in proper spring, the labs are full of excitement, and Piotr prepares for real war. Your princess is in another castle.
When: April 1st - 18th
Where: the Barrayaran camp, the Cetagandan base, Riverfall Village
Warnings: TBD

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

TIMELINE
4/5 Eavesdropping Eta
4/6 Eavesdropping Sigma
4/8 Eavesdropping Mu
4/10 Mystery Plot
4/11 - 4/12 Resources: Weapons & Equipment

riverfall
The locals are celebrating the much-welcome coming of spring, and it is a warm one. Pleasant mountain breezes carry the far-off scent of the ocean, and bit by bit, the Barrayaran flora is beginning to bloom. Wildflowers spring up all over, adding a lively splash of color to the camp and village on the backdrop of Barrayar's rust-red native flora.

While the villagers aren't exactly hosting a festival, the entire village is pitching in to sow the spring crops, delayed by the cold freeze. But they lost a quarter of their population to the flu, and they're short on hands. So Barrayarans and outsiders alike come to the village to help, the villagers welcoming them into their homes for the night, as it's a half a day's hike between the camp and the village. While it isn't quite summer yet, the village children are already starting to splash around near the waterfall, inviting others by way of playfully splashing water on them as they pass by.

After the battle, however, the mood in the village turns to ash. With another dozen dead to bury, they've lost almost half their population in the last few months, only 48 of them left, and some of their homes were damaged or destroyed by plasma fire during the fight. Mercifully, their fields were untouched, but the village is littered with bodies, the site of a massacre. Barrayaran soldiers carry off their own dead as well as the Cetagandans, while the villagers burn death offerings beyond the fields.

barrayar
Morale is finally on the rise with the brightening weather, especially with their food stores replenished and the full recovery of the flu in the camp. Their numbers are down, but the Cetagandans' are even worse, and the tactical situation has changed. With half the Cetagandans' force either dead or out of commission, a window of opportunity presents itself. Piotr decides that need to recapture Vorkosigan Vashnoi -- if the city weren't occupied, then Micah's kidnapping by the Cetagandans could have been prevented. The base is an easy target right now with its defenses down -- until reinforcements arrive -- and the reconnaissance they'd done on the base's power generators a few months ago will finally be put to use. They may have a chance at using this to drive the occupying forces out of the city, too.

But they don't have a chance of successfully taking hold of the city without the rest of Piotr's army. About a month before the first outsiders arrived, the location of Piotr's previous camp was discovered by the Cetagandans, and the army split in two to return to fallback locations. The plan was always to rendezvous as soon as possible and reunite the army, and they need to rejoin forces now more than ever. Scouts are sent off into the mountains, looking to make contact with their comrades, and they're in luck -- the other half of Piotr's army, currently led by Major Rifkin, one of his missing general staff.

The last few months haven't been kind to the Barrayarans' supply of weapons and equipment. There's no way they could launch a successful assault on the base with their meager supplies, so Piotr sends several parties to make contact with the underground civilian resistance in Vorkosigan Vashnoi and stock up, then smuggle the weapons out of the city.

They're also low on weapons and equipment, which means Piotr is sending several parties back to Vorkosigan Vashnoi to stock up. Piotr and Ezar have contacts in the city, valuable allies who are part of the underground civilian resistance. They can provide the goods -- but one of the teams will be responsible for making sure the weapons are smuggled safely out of the city with the assistance of other members of the civilian resistance.

With Micah in Cetagandan hands, they are no doubt making progress on the Star Gate Project. Piotr, however, is convinced of Micah's sympathies, and their work could still be to their benefit -- or at least, to the outsiders'. And if nothing else, Micah would be the ideal candidate for sabotage should it come down to it. But for now, Piotr is interested in keeping Micah alive. Micah is a personal friend of Prince Xav's as well as a sympathizer, and their care was entrusted to Piotr, a matter of honor. So for now, his orders to his informants are merely to keep a close eye on Micah and their activities, even befriend them, but not to let slip their true sympathies to Barrayar. And now, with Sonia held captive, Piotr wants more than ever to make new informant contacts on the Cetagandans.

camp
Morale is on the rise, steady and surely. People are feeling good, enjoying the sun and warmth, a relief and a blessing after the weeks of cold and near-starvation. And so the soldiers do what Barrayarans always do when they're in good spirits: they drink. Evenings spent around bonfires playing cards or chest, drinking wine and mead, and they're a lot friendlier to the outsiders these days. Even the new ones have proven themselves with all the aid they gave during the epidemic, so if you're invited over for a drink and a game with the soldiers, don't be too surprised.

Of course, sometimes get taken a little too far, and some soldiers start up some drunken swordfight contests, which probably seemed like a great idea at the time. But you know what they say: it's all fun and games until somebody accidentally gets stabbed in the side. Piotr quickly shuts this down, and anyone involved, outsiders included, is likely to receive punishment, probably in the form of manual labor despite any hangover. The camp is down by over thirty men after last month, but on the (slightly morbid) bright side, at least this means that the outsiders finally get two tents to themselves, which is good considering the warming weather.

After the Princess's capture, however, the mood starts to shift back downhill. They're still not remotely ready to launch their attack on the Cetagandan base, let alone rescue Sonia. Both Piotr and Olivia are in vicious spirits; if you thought Piotr's previous demeanor was dour, he was a ray of frigging sunshine in comparison to now. Now he's furious, frustrated, and he has even less patience for time-wasting bullshit than usual.

missions
Overall, the outsiders' contributions to the spring planting on the village farm is helpful and greatly appreciated: they're able to fully sow their fields, and with the weather, they're hoping for a good summer harvest. However, no one should let Carolina around farming equipment ever again.

Hunting parties were sent out to stock up on food stores, with overall success. Some of the outsiders are proving themselves to be pretty competent hunters, much to the Barrayarans' appreciation.

Scouts were sent out to comb through the Dendarii Mountains for the other half of the army. With some help from the outsiders, William and Wash in particular, they're able to make contact with the other half of Piotr's army to coordinate and reunite their efforts.

Several parties were sent into Vorkosigan Vashnoi to make contact with the underground civilian resistance, which has a strong presence there, and smuggle weapons out of the city. There's a dangerous chase by Cetagandan patrols, but ultimately they're able to make it out of the city safetly and successfully return with the goods.

On the 10th, a Cetagandan patrol unexpectedly shows up in Riverfall when Sonia, Gavalas, and several others are there. A fight breaks out across the whole village, resulting in more than 30 casualties, including two Vorkosigan armsmen, and the Cetagandans successfully capture Sonia back to their base.

The unabridged mission results can be found here.

cetaganda
Zahal is furious at Piotr's successful biowarfare attack on his base, however accidental. It's devastated his ranks, and while they still outnumber the Barrayarans about forty to one, it's still a serious blow. The ghem-General decides that they need to force a forfeit, and they'll have to do it as quickly as possible, before Vorkosigan can strike them while they're down. The Cetagandan patrols double down and start swarming the mountains in search of the guerrilla camp.

The Star Gate Project is well underway with Micah on board, who is cooperating for the time being, though not happily. Most of their waking hours seem to be spent in the lab, though they're around the mess at mealtimes. They are certainly interested in the work -- it's totally unprecedented -- but their true sympathies lie with Barrayar, and they are entirely uncomfortable working for the Cetagandans. They're currently focusing their research efforts on possible power supplies and solving the problem of what, exactly, is getting people from the wormhole to the planet surface. To speed things along in the lab, the Cetagandans are asking for more help with their research -- anyone with any relevant knowledge is highly encouraged to step forward. And any informants for the Barrayarans are being instructed to keep an eye on Micah, too, as well as their progress on the project.

The Handmaiden of the Star Crèche is seen about the base, for certain definitions of seen -- she travels exclusive in an opaque luminescent force bubble, often escorted by one or two of her ba servitors. At the beginning of the month, Haut Sei announces the gene therapy trials they're conducting: if you're one of the exotics who lost genetically inherited powers, or were made human from some other type of being entirely, you are invited to participate in a new, experimental kind of gene therapy. Why participate? Well, they're aiming to restore any lost powers you might have had, although there's no guarantee of success, and such an experimental treatment does, of course, come with risks. But what's a little reward without risk?

base
The base feels unusually dreary in the wake of the epidemic, and with thousands of dead, it's impossible to have a service funeral for each of them individually. And so dozens of collective funerals are held, each of them solemn and steeped in ornate ceremony. The Cetagandans take their dead as seriously as anybody, and no nonsense will be permitted during the funerals. The base is only operating at half capacity, with only about 5,000 soldiers ready for active duty. Zahal has put in a request for reinforcements from Vorbarr Sultana, but that request has yet to be answered.

Haut Sei officially assumes her authority on base as Handmaiden of the Star Crèche, although Diya is, in name, still the head of the genetics project. Sei's ba entourage is most often seen in her company, but occasionally Ba Talim, one of her most faithful, may be seen on its own around the base, possibly on errand for its lady.

Diya is somewhat more present around the base now that the plague is over, but she still most frequently found in the labs or the gardens, and often in the company of Haut Sei, always in her force bubble, making Diya look strangely naked in comparison. The ghem around the base who have recovered are marking earnest attempts at brightening the morbid atmosphere that's settled over the base by decorating the barracks areas with fresh art -- literally freshly engineerd botanical creations, or sometimes hybrid biological-zoological creations…ah, Cetagandan art.

Princess Sonia is taken into custody on the 10th and housed in a cell. The Cetagandans offer her relative freedom to move about the base if she'll only give them her parole; she stubbornly and furiously refuses for the first several days, but the misery of being stuck in a cell by herself gets to her and she reluctantly agrees. Micah, the Cetagandans' other captive, though less strictly guarded, can most often be found in the labs and the mess. Although they're getting to know some of the ~~exotics~~ extrauniversals, they're still ill at ease here and not thrilled to be here. It isn't entirely clear, though, whether Micah's long hours in the labs are by their choice or at the Cetagandans' behest.

missions
The mess is shorthanded, and the exotics' help is much appreciated. A few of them even manage to impress the Cetagandan mess officer a little, who clearly takes the craft very seriously. (They all do.) A few of you, though…you can stick to dishwashing duty, thanks.

As is now established tradition among the exotics (because anything done twice on Barrayar is tradition, and they have done this way more than twice), several people go eavesdropping. On the 5th, Kurt and Pearl overhear Zahal receiving an Imperial writ to turn the entire Star Gate Project over to the Star Crèche. On the 6th, Jasper and Symmetra are caught listening in on a very personal conversation between Diya and Sei, and Diya's overambitious hopes for herself. On the 8th, Byerly and Lapis eavesdrop on a curious conversation between Ba Talim and Diya, hinting that the decision to cull Diya may have been somewhat personal after all.

In the labs, things go more or less alright, although things keep breaking or exploding. A plasma power pack explodes in the lab with Jasper and Whirl (which may or may not be Whirl's fault), though Jasper saves Micah from serious injury. In another stroke of spectacularly bad luck, one of the Necklin rods they've been using for testing falls and crashes down into one of the lab areas, and it's thanks to Natasha that Micah sustains anything more than minor injury.

On the 10th, a Cetagandan patrol unexpectedly shows up in Riverfall when Sonia, Gavalas, and several others are there. A fight breaks out across the whole village, resulting in more than 30 casualties, including two Vorkosigan armsmen, and the Cetagandans successfully capture Sonia back to their base.

The unabridged mission results can be found here.

Note: Negri, Diya and Gail are available for threading by request. Please hit up Madi (Negri & Diya) or Ammay (Gail) if you'd like some CR with the ghem-Lieutenant!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Miles looks up at him. Trying to be comforting here, but ... ]

Why, Wash?

Don't know.

[ Obviously dodging a clear answer. Not even bothering to be subtle about it, he's a little too somber, too guilty for that right now. ]

I just should've been there. Might've made a difference.

[ Dammit, Wash. He can't not call you out on it. ]

Unless you're usually with her every time she goes to the village, I can't see how.

I just --

[ An deep exhale, tipping his head back against the tree, his eyes falling shut. With anyone else, he'd dodge, or he wouldn't slip up like this, but even someone like Wash is starting to get used to not holding back around Miles, with how much they've already shared. ]

Should've been there for them.

[ Miles hesitates a moment. Then reaches out to place a hand on the man's arm. ]

I'm not sure you would have affected the outcome even if you had. Maine was there, and he couldn't stop it.

[ There is the slightest moment of tension, there, despite everything -- it's mostly been Wash reaching out to Miles, up til now, after all. But he does relax almost immediately, his eyes still shut. Focusing on breathing, now. ]

I've lost a lot of people, Miles. [ And if he'd -- been there. If he'd been there for any of them. If he'd been faster, if he'd been. Better. ]

[ He keeps his arm there, then. Not going anywhere. ]

I know. But Sonia isn't lost yet. Isn't that what you were just arguing to me? That we could save her if we're careful about it?

[ Sonia isn't lost, no, but that makes it even closer to home in a strange way. He's never quite lost his sisters either, after all, did he, he just. There's guilt, aching and real, in every syllable out of Wash's mouth. ]

Her life's in no immediate danger, but she isn't walking out of there unscathed. [ And what he's talking about has less to do with whatever the Cetagandans might do to her, and more just worry about her, her mental state, about what it does to a person to be in the middle of that kind of a battle, to be captured. ] I was never there for any of them. I should have been.

[ Captured with dead bodies all around, even. Just the threats to Miles had seemed bad enough. ]

If you had been, would you have changed things?

[ She's strong. Wash has genuine belief in that. But the realities of war, god, he's wish that on no one. His eyes are still shut, and he pauses there for a while, a few moments to focus on his breathing. The contact is -- helpful. Grounds him, on top of everything else. ]

Not the way the whole battle went, no. But one person might've been all it took to help her. Get her out of the way, hide her, somewhere -- I don't know.

Maybe so. But we can't go back and undo it now. Only continue from here on out.

[ And get her back, dammit, before things unravel. ]

And hopefully without being damned idiots about it. Difficult as that will be.

[ But there is something for him to latch onto, here, he'll grab at it immediately, something else to ground him alongside the contact. ]

You said this wasn't something that happened, in your timeline.

[ He nods at that. God, that's the part that scares him most. ]

Didn't happen or wasn't recorded. I don't know which, but - it seems something like this would be remembered.

[ Something else to immediately focus his thoughts on, to put his mind to work. Another few moments to breathe, and he does open his eyes again, looking over at Miles, his brow creased. Not shrinking away from his hand on his arm, still. That feels maybe normal, for them now. Friends with not quite benefits, right. ]

Galeni's not exactly been forthcoming about this particular period of history in our lessons. [ So he wouldn't really know, either, but. ]

Sonia was always going to be a target. [ It'd been part of why he'd reacted so incredibly poorly to the idea of Miles telling her anything at all. ] It'd be a key enough event for any history.

[ It's friendly intimacy, anyway, and not really sexual right now. Miles needs that contact as much as Wash. ]

I would agree. So the fact that it's happening means something has gone differently this time.

[ Physical intimacy of any kind is still difficult for him, really. It's friendly, but a different kind of friendly. He appreciates that from Miles, still.

Something crosses over his expression, and he looks around at Miles, lifting a hand to cover Miles' over his arm. A light squeeze. ]

-- Then things are already changing.

[ Miles' own expression is murky at the thought. Different is not necessarily good. At what point is it too off the rails for his own existence? And alternately, when do things change enough to avoid Mad Yuri's Massacre? ]

Mm. I figured as much. We are too large of an influence, collectively.

[ Wash's is one of worry. As much as he's talked about how Miles seems doomed to decide have to change things, just from who he is -- he'd rather him not accidentally unmake his own existence. That things are already changing is. Alarming. ]

Just the presence of anyone coming through a wormhole from a different world or a different time would probably be too much. Let alone so many.

[ In some ways, he's already given up on going back to a Barrayar where he exists. And in other ways he hasn't quite yet. Somehow he manages both in the same breath. ]

Just so. I was doomed from the start, probably.

[ Another squeeze over his hand. ]

Not the time to give up, Vorkosigan. [ Though he drops his hand away, after, shifting slightly where he's leaning back against the bark. ] Maybe you're stuck here, maybe you're not. Early conclusions help no one.

[ He drops his hand too, then. Folding his arms back over his chest. ]

I know, I know. But it's proof in the wrong direction right now. And - you really have no idea how fragile my existence is to begin with.

[ Duv or Byerly have a good chance of surviving even if things do go off the rails. Miles, well ... ]

[ He has -- some idea, some vague idea, just from the things Miles has said, but of course no real idea. Wash has wondered about Duv's existence, about Byerly's too, has gathered that Miles' is more the issue here just because of how wrapped up his own family is in it. His father barely survived the massacre. What else was there? ]

Serving since before you were born. [ Softly. From memory, again, the very first time they spoke. ] But no. I don't have any real idea.

Still. I doubt you'd go easy.

[ So much, Wash. You have no idea. ]

It's not a matter of fighting. I told you my father survived the massacre by sheer luck, right? He also outlived his older brother. Piotr's original heir.

[ More of Miles' incredibly elaborate family tree to remember. He nods. ]

And then he became his heir, instead.

Just so. He turned to the military when normally he might not have chosen that path. And because he did so, he met my mother. A Betan on an alien world. After his first marriage had gone to hell.

[ Aral the second son might not have had an arranged marriage. And he almost certainly wouldn't have ended up on Sergyar when he did. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject