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forbarrayar2017-04-02 02:25 pm
barrayarmods) wrote in 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 theexotics 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!
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
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
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!
no subject
Did this happen in the original timeline? he has to wonder for a brief moment. Obviously not the part with the outsiders, but had Sonia ever been captured? Or are things off the rails already to the point where it's all beginning to change?
None of that matters right this second. "I'm here!" he yells over the din. He throws himself bodily between Sonia and Tarn, raising his arm to aim the stunner at her. God dammit, why is it him here and not someone taller? He won't stop much of anyone by force. "Leave her alone!" he yells, brandishing his weapon. "Unless you want a goddamn hole in your head!"
Not that that's even possible with a stunner. He doesn't bother to keep up the ruse; he's already squeezing the trigger to fire the shot. And - shit. No charges left. The weapon fizzles in his hand.
no subject
Tarn is reaching for Sonia, wrapping a firm hand around her arm when Miles throws himself between them. His grip is knocked loose and Sonia's arm slips free.
It wouldn't be the first time since arriving here that he's experienced stunner fire. He tenses as Miles squeezes the trigger-- nothing happens. A smug smile tugs on his lips as he cocks his head.
"A noble effort." He lifts his own stunner to level at Miles' chest. He doesn't squeeze the trigger. Not yet. "I think You'll find that mine is in better repair. Better luck next time."
Tarn looks past Miles at Sonia, expression unreadable.
"Although, you'll be fortunate if there is a next time. Sometimes I get a bit carried away..."
no subject
That woman is a terror, and Sonia quails slightly as she approaches. Tarn has them both cornered, shit out of luck, and the threats on top of it -- blind panic seizes Sonia at the the thought and she grabs Miles by the shoulder, pulling him back.
"Wait!"
no subject
He lifts both hands as if in surrender, though his body is coiled as tense a spring. If Tarn fires that stunner - or makes a move towards Sonia - he is going to launch himself, dammit. Fight tooth and nail if he has to. But his tongue has always been his best weapon, so he's damn well going to try it now. "You're after the Princess," he says, stating the obvious. "But she's not your best target. You'll do better dragging me back instead."
Please, please take him instead.
no subject
"Go ahead, I'm all ears." Honestly, it's inconsequential, but he presses anyway. Tarn already knows how this will go down. Megatron trained him to be thorough. He never leaves empty handed.
His eyes flit to Sonia's daring her to make another move.
no subject
There's desperation and terror in her eyes as she looks back up at Tarn, her breath short. Sonia's stared murderers and assassins in the face before. Never for very long, but she knows the look in those red eyes. A look that promises no mercy, no quarter, no matter the negotiation. Tarn's stunner is too close, pressed against Miles's chest, close enough for Sonia to see how high it's set -- if this outsider hits him with a heavy stun at this point-blank range, it wouldn't kill him, no, but -- what about his seizures? Could that send him into one of his fits, render him utterly defenseless? Doesn't Tarn know these things have a range of at least three meters? That she doesn't need to stand nearly so close? It's too close. Wait. It's...close.
Sonia's mouth parts slightly as her breath stills, eyes on the stunner. She never did quite get that knife disarm right in her lessons with Wash, and the self-defense training of her youth on Beta Colony is years removed now. But Tarn is only a few inches taller than her, and Sonia's hand is still clamped on Miles's shoulder, and she's so terrified out of her mind that she thinks that maybe, maybe it might work. Of all the weapons in the world, a stunner is the only thing Sonia wouldn't hesitate to use.
With a force she's never used on Miles before, she hauls him bodily back by the shoulder to throw him behind her, immediately going for Tarn's stunner with an arm bar. If she's quick enough -- if she can get it right --
no subject
Miles had been completely focused on the threat from Tarn - and completely oblivious to the possibility of Sonia being the one to grab him. He goes down with a startled cry, hitting the ground just hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Not hurt, no, but dazed for a critical moment. By the time he gets air back in his lungs, Sonia is already moving, and he can't get back up fast enough to stop her. (Does he want to stop her? His heart leaps in his throat at the thought that she might actually manage to turn the tables here.)
no subject
As Sonia is reorienting herself he steps up, backhanding her hard across the face with the hard metal of the stunner with a sick crack. Immediately he follows through, firing at Miles to keep him down.
"A pity, I had been wanting to hear more of your proposal."
no subject
Sonia lets out a startled cry as Tarn strikes her in the face with the butt of his stunner with enough force to knock her to the ground, face in the dirt. Pain splits through her head and overwhelms her for a second before she can override it, trying to push herself to her knees, if not her feet. She hears the stunner blast before she turns, and she scrambles to her feet dizzily, lurching back toward Tarn and Miles.
"Miles!"
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God, what kind of a monster tries to incapacitate someone out by hitting someone physically with a stunner? For fuck’s sake. Stunning Sonia would be bad enough. That’s just cruel. And likely intended as such. It makes him simultaneously furious and terrified to picture what else Tarn might do in the name of taking Sonia “alive.” Clearly there’s no qualms about “alive” meaning “unharmed”…
He needs a moment to get to his feet. Needs to get Sonia out of this. So it’s the same plan as before, with the same weapon; he’s just way less fucking happy about it. As if he was happy with this to begin with. “I’ll give you another chance, then,” he says, getting up onto his hands and knees. “You think Piotr’s sister-in-law is a good target? Try his time-traveling grandson.”
He’s not actually lying here; he really is Piotr’s grandson. The trick is that Piotr doesn’t know it, and wouldn’t trade a damn thing for him. Hell, Piotr wouldn’t trade a damn thing for him even if he did believe Miles’ claim. It’ll be much worse if the Cetagandans get this from Tarn and believe the information, but - well, either he gets Sonia out of this safely or he doesn’t. And there’s no way in hell she isn’t getting fast-penta’d shortly after capture, right? He may as well try to buy her freedom with it, given he’s screwed regardless.
“Leave her here,” he says between gritted teeth. “I’ll go with you peacefully if you do.”
And if that doesn't work he's throwing himself bodily at the outsider, but. Words first.
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“Hush." He demands in a tone that would have her knees buckling in pain if he still had his gift. Talking someone to death is a rather pretentious sounding gift, but a useful one. The sharp hiss of his voice would cut through Sonia viciously, but today she’s lucky. Relatively speaking.
Tightening his grip he turns to Miles who is still struggling to his feet.
“I’m sure you would, but those aren’t the orders.” He casts him a polite smile. "So sorry,Miles.”
Tarn turns the stunner on Sonia— a clear threat for him to back off. “You should go."
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"Miles!" Sonia chokes out in abject horror, eyes wide. He didn't -- he couldn't have just -- is he insane? She's terrified by all reason, but there's still a part of her that recognizes that if they take her, at least, there's some guarantee of wellbeing. Miles doesn't have that same benefit. "Miles, stop!"
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Sorry, Sonia. He's not going to listen to you on that one. Even as she yells at him to stop, he launches himself at Tarn bodily, grabbing for the arm with the stunner. He is not a tall man, nor a heavy one, and his combat skills are best suited to surprise rather than full assault here. But he does have a weapon, courtesy of having joined up with the rest of the soldiers. Not much of one - swords are too unwieldy, and he'd dropped his earlier in the fight to go for the stunner - but he has a knife stashed at his belt for emergencies. Now he pulls it out with a glint of steel, slashing it up at Tarn's arm.
If Tarn still wants to take her, fine. But Miles is going to fight tooth and nail, no matter what she tells him to do.
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Miles is small, but he fights dirty. Tarn welcomes the challenge, throwing himself forward. He grabs at any part of Miles that he can, trying to yank him close. Lashing fiercely at him with the butt of the stunner, Tarn hopes to land a solid blow to the head. The stunner won’t kill— he knows that— but a hard enough blow to the temple might.
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Oh. Right. Bleary as the hit left him, he manages to refocus on that stunner now carrying a smear of his own blood. This time he goes for Tarn's hand with the blade while grabbing for the stunner with his free hand. Just give him one good shot, goddammit. He'll never ask for anything else again.
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"This has been fun, but I think I'm done with this silly game." He adjusts his grip on the blood smeared stunner, taking aim. It's hard to miss the faint quivering of the weapon as he struggles to hold it in his injured hand.
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"T-told you --" gasp, wheeze. "You're making - a mistake." That stunner hand is wavering, but Miles doesn't think he can dodge any more. Is Sonia still there? He dares not let his eyes track away from Tarn lest he give her away. If she has stepped away, which he can only desperately hope for at this point. Please, Sonia. Just run and leave him here.
LMK IF THIS IS OK i will remove if not o7
She's tall enough that it might work, a full foot taller than Miles, only a few inches shorter than Tarn. Tarn is a lot more solidly built than she is, all hard muscle, but that might not matter. She can't just leave Miles to be beaten by Tarn like this, maybe to death.
She doesn't think. She just dead runs at Tarn and launches herself up to slam her body weight against Tarn's back with a wild yell, hoping to knock Tarn off balance -- maybe enough for the terrifying woman to fall, maybe enough for Miles to grab the working stunner...
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He's cut off with a grunt as Sonia slams into his back. Tarn stumbles forward, but manages to keep his footing. glancing over his shoulder, his eyes are cold as they narrow into a glare.
"You aren't particularly wise are you?"
Without pause, Tarn lifts the stunner, letting loose another shot at Miles. The moment the charge leaves the barrel, Tarn is turning on Sonia, throwing himself forward into a tackle. The orders to take her alive are explicit, but Tarn's anger management has never been the best. His hands are wrapped around her throat by the time he can convince himself to calm down.
"No matter. You'll come quietly now, won't you?"
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Perhaps that's safer in the long run.
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Sonia's hands have already gone to Tarn's wrists in involuntary protest, but she couldn't pry those hands from around her throat if she tried. Hell, she's still trying to get her breath back beyond unsteady wheezing. Dark eyes wide, tears pricking at the corners, Sonia nods just fractionally, even as her mind screams no, no, no...
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"This could have all been avoided had you done so in the first place." He gestures to the battle and various corpses of villagers and Cetagandan soldiers alike. Tarn doesn't particularly care either way, but he suspects that Sonia might. "So many wasted lives..."
He glances at Miles' stunned frame a few feet away.
"Oh, and Miles," Tarn tosses his thick hair over a shoulder, fine features twisted by scars as he smiles politely. "I'm sure we'll finish this another day. I don't tend to like leaving lose ends untied."
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"You leave him alone," Sonia says to Tarn furiously through the tears that start to roll down her cheeks. "You have me, just -- leave him alone!"
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He casts a sidelong glance at Sonia, looking rather unimpressed.
"Yes, I do." Tarn's voice is like silk despite his rather rough exterior. "But I don't recall making any promises regarding him."