barrayarmods: (Default)
For Barrayar mods ([personal profile] barrayarmods) wrote in [community profile] forbarrayar2017-04-02 02:25 pm

[ 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!
shri: (» the future runs through our bones)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-11 12:03 pm (UTC)(link)
I do. [ She's amused a moment, settling back as she talks. ] I think I was signing up for something closer to my home, when I did, I wasn't aware that women didn't ride to battle at all here.
komarran: (decisions are happening over dinner)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-12 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
Not traditionally no, though they serve their own important place during wartime. [ Because how else would their homes stay safe if not for the woman safeguarding them. ] Is it different where you're from?
shri: (» our visions turned too cold)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-12 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, not all women and it is not always considered seemly, but many women do, and many are famous for it. Long before I ever thought I would be a queen, just so, my father trained me from girlhood just the same as he had been.

[ She thinks, humming with fond childhood stories. Thinks of Devi, even now. ] There are my guards women, as well. You will not find better fighters. But even so, we have many stories. The Princess Mastani is said to have won the love of Bajirao as much on the battlefield as with her singing. Empress Jodhaa is believed to have trained as all Rajputs do in the sword. I myself warred with the Queen of Orcha, I have seen her skill for myself.

[ She's proud of it, to be of a country where so many women do fight for their homes, to their last, if need be. ]
Edited 2017-04-12 06:18 (UTC)
komarran: (continued skepticism of barrayar)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-14 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ That presented some interesting possibilities. He considers her carefully and asks, ]

Your culture is matriarchal then?
shri: (» it keeps my veins hot)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-15 12:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ That gets a bright bark of laughter as she settles her shoulders back, her head going back. Oh no, not at all. ]

Not at all. Even as Queen, I was my husband's property before I was my own. I wore veils until he died because no man was supposed to look upon my face save him, in truth.

[ She manages to keep the frustration mild, she is long beyond such things. ]

But every woman deserves to fight for her home, and many do.
Edited 2017-04-15 13:00 (UTC)
komarran: (how many icons are there of duv drinking)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-15 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
That sounds barbaric if I'm being honest.

[ Which he assumes he's allowed to be if her initial reaction is to laugh. ]

You'll find the Vor agree with that last sentiment at least. It's one of the reasons the women are left at home, to defend it from threats. This is the first time they've had a non-internal one.
shri: (» and the scars that mark my body)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-16 12:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ Her smile is... polite in its fanged nature, sharp, restrained. Like she often is, but never at the extent of hiding the truth about herself. ]

It has its uses when you're a ruler, strangely enough... and I am becoming acquainted with how Vor treat the thought of such things. It is a little... too anaemic for me. I was trained since I could walk to the weapons of my people.

[ Bloodless, not right. We don't risk our women in battle. ]

If they cannot fight, the other option left to them to protect themselves is simple if their homes are taken. They put themselves to the flame.
komarran: (nevermind still awful)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-16 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ He shrugs. The ways of the Vor were a mystery to him even after living on Barrayar for years and doing his damn graduate research over their history. ]

To avoid capture they force themselves into a slow death?

[ Slow and painful. There had to be a reason for it or they would choose a faster route. Even a slit throat would be less painful than death by burning. ]
shri: (» we know now we won't go)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-16 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ She shakes her head because that is it broken down to an outsider, she supposed. But to her, it is simple. Oh, there are worse things that a slow death, there are worse things than burning. If she had done as she should have, ]

To live a life dishonoured is an even slower one - but worse than that is to have your body left to rot, festering, ripped apart by animals. We believe that the fastest way for the soul to reach its next left is for the body to be burned. If all things were as they should be, your family does this after you die. But in times of war, your enemies most certainly will not, that much is certain, so they do it to themselves to ensure it.
komarran: (still making that pattern work)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-16 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He should have guessed there was a spiritual aspect to it given how long ago she is from. ]

A horrible choice to make. I hope you do not have to make a similar one here. [ If she felt those rules applied even here. ] Have you recovered well?
shri: (» the gravel and the stone)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-17 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ Those rules would never not apply, not to her. If only in a different way. But she figures that is obvious in the way she carries her sword, swore herself to the Vorkosigan family. ]

I have. I do not like to be kept in bed over much. It has never suited me.
komarran: (oh for fuck's sake)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-17 04:58 am (UTC)(link)
[ She has a good work ethic, he'll give her that. He watches her a moment before tilting his head towards a group of soldiers out of earshot of them. ]

How much more work have you done compared to the average soldier? And how uncomfortable has that made them?
shri: (» this is the start)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-17 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ His sudden blunt question that understands far too much sends her suddenly laughing. Oh, she didn't make much of a secret, and nor did they, she wagered. But it was always something she just bore, she had to, she was too busy to worry about it if anyone normally asked. But then, Piotr and Olivia couldn't be too harsh with their own men, she understood how it had to be. ]

Do you know, I think I finally learned the Russian and Greek for 'frustrating whore'?
komarran: (and another almost smile)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-17 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ As a fellow outsider who first learned the insults from the Barrayaran languages for similar reasons, he understands. She had a different mark against her, but both of theirs were painfully visible. ]

But not the French?
shri: (» i know my way through the night)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-17 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ That gets more laughter, because yes, they do, don't they? ]

No, that one I already knew from when I was there last. But french insults rather prefer 'bitch'.
komarran: (slightly interested instead of resigned)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-18 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
If I hadn't learned what they were saying, I would have continued thinking French was a beautiful language.
shri: (» to your door)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-18 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
It does somewhat ruin it, doesn't it? [ she waves a hand briefly, what could be done, in the end, save to simply go on. ] I am practiced at least in ignoring them. Ruling gives that sort of benefit.
komarran: (wait maybe not is it--)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-18 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
I've learned that the harder they curse at me, the more I'm doing my job correctly. [ There's a smugness in his tone that he rarely allows. The more agitated he makes Barrayarans, the better he's doing. ]
shri: (» and I'm locking up everyone)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-20 12:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ That makes her laugh again - oh she likes you, Duv. ] Just so. I found myself quite flattered when they banned my name in my home. Proved something, I think.
komarran: (oh for fuck's sake)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-20 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
What was the final straw that caused that? [ Because that sounds like a story worth telling over a drink. ]
shri: (» I turn my back while)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-21 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ She doesn't look exactly sheepish, but she's very particular in how she takes her drink of the mead. ] I can't be sure, but I think it might have been... riding a horse off a fortress wall to escape capture.

[ Then she clears her throat afterwards. She has never been that kind of vain. ]
komarran: (dramatic side look)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-22 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
I would think your house would be celebrating anything that meant your survival. [ Instead of deciding her name was suddenly contraband. ]
shri: (» now we've become the ghost)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-22 10:49 am (UTC)(link)
My people? Perhaps. Those who conquered my land, my home? It was the sort of story they couldn't afford.

[ Laughs - when nothing is funny, because what else is there to do anymore? ]
komarran: (and another drinking icon probably)

[personal profile] komarran 2017-04-23 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
I hadn't realized you meant your name had been hushed throughout all of your lands.
shri: (» the storm of the unknown)

[personal profile] shri 2017-04-23 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
[ She nods, stiffly, and she has done her best, in the intermittent, to not think on it, to only focus on here and now. But it's always there, it is always just there. What she lives for, what she dies for. Her whole being made up of one moment standing on the walls of her Fortress giving the order to fire the cannons in one battle, there she exists, there she will always exist.

She is nothing more than that moment stretched over continents.
]

From Sri Lanka in the south to Bangladesh in the north, I am treason under those ruled by British Law and trading with the United India Company. You face a lifetime imprisonment and exile to Australia, so I am told, for telling my story.
Edited 2017-04-23 05:56 (UTC)

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