[ game update: may ]

[barrayarmods]

may
Last month was a WILD RIDE (but what month isn't): Princess Sonia was kidnapped by Cetagandan forces, and Emperor Dorca and Crown Prince Yuri arrived shortly thereafter with reinforcements of their own, upping the ante and their odds of success with the attack they're planning on the base and, hopefully, the subsequent retaking of Vorkosigan Vashnoi.

Micah led a space expedition for the Star Gate Project to launch a data-collecting satellite and get a good, close-up look at the collapsed wormhole that's responsible for all this. Meanwhile, Diya and Sei seem to be both working with and against each other at the same time.

There's a whole lot of political tension on both sides. Shit is getting realer by the day.

weather
Ideal weather conditions: Well, lucky you. Two non-disastrous weather rolls in a row!

There'll be some light rain on and off through the month, but May will mostly be sunny and warm with light breezes. The mountains are going to burst into color for a short period -- still mostly tending toward the reddish with the native fauna, but all kinds of trees and flowers are in bloom, both native and Earth-descended. The highs in the mountains average around 25°C/77°F with lows around 12°C/54°F. At sea level, the highs are around 28°C/82°F with lows around 15°C/59°F.

barrayar resources Food: Sustainable: The improved weather and collective effort toward helping with Riverfall's farming means that the Barrayarans are no longer strictly rationing their food. It's still military camp food, but if you were around in February, you're probably all kinds of grateful right now. Water: Abundant: In addition to the nearby creek being totally unfrozen, Vorvolk's encampment is near a freshwater lake, so they have a new source for drinking (and bathing) water. Weapons/Equipment: Sustainable: The recent weapons smuggling operations went well enough that they have enough equipment to get them through this next attack and then some, assuming things go well. Medical Supplies: Abundant: Troops aren't the only thing Dorca and Yuri brought with them. Only some of it is galactic medicine and supplies, but even locally cultivated antibiotics and basic supplies are a huge help. Facilities/Manpower: Adequate: Between the Vorkosigan's District troops and Dorca's own battalion, the Barrayarans now have 470 soldiers, which puts them at a considerably higher advantage compared to before -- not that they have much of an advantage against the Cetagandans at all. status Things are tense in the Barrayaran camps due to hostility towards outsiders from Vorbarra soldiers and those Vorkosigan soldiers who were under Vorvolk's isolated command for the last few months, but Piotr hasn't backed down on his endorsement of the outsiders as worthy comrades in their cause. Fights have been breaking out, much to the disapproval of the top brass, though Dorca hasn't barred Piotr from letting outsiders on missions. intelligence Intelligence gathering between the three camps has yielded up-to-date intel on guard patrols around the Cetagandan perimeter so that they can perfectly time their infiltration. The power supply recon back in January is also crucial for this mission.

cetaganda resources Food: Sustainable: Sometimes boring news is good news: no danger of a food shortage on the Cetagandan base, and considering recent crises, that's a relief. Water: Abundant: The Cetagandans' water treatment plant is in working order as ever. Nothing new to report. Weapons/Equipment: Abundant: The (sort of) upside to the massive personnel loss is that there are more than enough weapons to go around! Yay. Medical Supplies: Low: The base hasn't received a supply drop since before the flu epidemic, and while they're not critical, they're definitely low on supplies. Facilities/Manpower: Low: No reinforcements have arrived in Vorkosigan's District yet, leaving Zahal with only 6,000 troops split between the base and Vorkosigan Vashnoi. status The flu epidemic is well behind them now, and the Handmaiden's presence seems to have served as a kind of morale booster for the soldiers, the scientists even more. Diya doesn't seem as comforted by her presence, though, as she learns more about just how she was culled. Zahal, however, is incredibly frustrated with the ground he's been losing, and Gail…Gail is apparently up to something of his own. intelligence Thanks to eavesdropping, some of the exotics are aware that there's more than just a shared romantic and professional history between Diya and Sei: Sei was apparently responsible for Diya's culling from their constellation. And on top of that, the Star Crèche has officially been given full jurisdiction over the Star Gate Project by Imperial writ, taking it out of Zahal's hands entirely. The Project itself is yielding useful information, though. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Micah, the science officers and the lab assistants, they've identified a new field tentatively named the Niadem field that bears resemblance to a Necklin field, but seems to be the primary force responsible for bringing people through the collapsed wormhole via a strange "tidal drag" effect. What's more, the naturally-occurring Niadem field seems to be growing weaker over time, indicating that their time to send people home may be limited.