forbarrayar | [ may i log: the good fight ]

Entry tags:

[ may i log: the good fight ]

Who: Everyone
What: The culmination of months of planning and suffering finally comes to bear as the Barrayarans launch their debilitating attack on the Cetagandan base. Politics, as always, go sight unseen but felt everywhere.
When: May 1st - 18th
Where: the Barrayaran camp, the Cetagandan base, Riverfall Village
Warnings: TBD

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

TIMELINE
5/5 Eavesdropping
5/7 Hacking
5/11 Mystery Plot
5/15 Attack on the Cetagandan base

riverfall
The village is finally starting to get back on its feet after a few blessedly uneventful weeks. Other than the routine Cetagandan patrols, there hasn't been much activity in the village, and no new strife. The villagers merely continue their rebuilding efforts and tend to their fields, and they'll still gladly accept any help offered by outsiders.

With the village down nearly half its population, there's room to grow, even after last month's fight destroyed some of the homes, so Speaker Gura has been taking in refugees from other nearby hill villages – about ten refugees have moved to settle anew in Riverfall in the last few weeks.

barrayar
The time to strike is now.

All three camps are preoccupied with preparations for the attack on the 15th: as far as Barrayaran intelligence knows, no reinforcements are on their way to the Cetagandan base, and the guerrillas need to strike while the Cetagandans are still down nearly half their forces. It's the only shot they have at forcing the occupying troops to leave Vorkosigan Vashnoi and give them a chance at retaking the city – and they're not throwing away this shot, because they might not get another one.

The political unease surrounding Dorca and Yuri is a quieter tension, plaguing only those politically savvy (or well-positioned) enough to understand the situation, but if you're paying close enough attention to the moody Crown Prince, you'll note that Yuri's primary concern isn't the outsiders, but something much closer to home. He's never been a particularly warm man by anyone's account, but lately he's especially given to foul moods, and only part of it is grief for his most recently deceased son.

All further attempts at hostage negotiation from Zahal have been as curtly denied as the first, and just about as politely. Incorporating a rescue plan into their attack strategy wasn't exactly easy, but they won't get another shot than this at rescuing Princess Sonia – or Byerly, whose cover as a spy was recently blown during a failed attempt at smuggling Sonia out of the base. On the 15th, the Barrayarans prepare for war, some donning Cetagandan uniforms and face paint, others swiping mud over their faces to better camouflage themselves in the dark.

And the attack is a success. There's no real such thing as acceptable loss, but the top brass consider the 70 lives spent on the attack a fair cost for what they got: almost destroying the immediate Cetagandan power supply and the return of their Princess. Plus Byerly. The mood lightens considerably, but there is no rest in war, and just as soon as they take their next victory, Piotr, Dorca and Yuri are already planning the next move: finally retaking Vorkosigan Vashnoi.

camp
All three camps are heavily preparing, officers running drills nearly around the clock, quartermasters taking inventory and making sure every piece of equipment is clean and in working order, medical officers and techs preparing the sickbay tent as best they can for the inevitable injured who will return.

But despite the impending mission, tensions are still rising within the army – while top brass is vocally discouraging the fights that have broken out, it hasn't put a complete stop to them, and no one has openly endorsed the outsiders except for Piotr Vorkosigan. Vorvolk and Yuri are both still staunchly in the skeptic camp at best, but Dorca does not seem to have passed a final judgment on the outsiders before the attack. Perhaps he's merely biding his time, because for all the dissent about the outsiders, the Emperor hasn't barred Piotr from letting them participate in critical missions.

The soldiers make enough noise about it on their own. They're especially tetchy about the outsiders who crossed over from the Cetagandan side – they're as good as spies, as far as some of the soldiers are concerned. But even worse is letting Duv Galeni, a Komarran, not only remain in camp and feed on their resources, but actively participate in missions. For the most part, the soldiers in camp who have known the outsiders from the start and have befriended them are sticking with them, but the half of Piotr's army that was with Vorvolk after the split when the location of their last camp was discovered by the Cetagandans are nearly as suspicious as the Vorbarra battalion. Hostility towards Duv and those who escaped from the Cetagandan camp is especially severe, and it's no secret that some of them would prefer the outsiders dead rather than taking up space and resources in their army, though no one has been so bold as to actually make any attempts. Falco Vorkalloner, one of the Rangers who had been in Vorvolk's half of the army, hasn't been afraid to make his voice heard, though. He's even been heard saying that he thinks someone ought to make an example out of the Komarran and demonstrate just what they think of those who would side with the Cetagandans.

After the attack, the atmosphere of the camp is noticeably changed – the return of the Princess as well as what can only be considered a resounding victory for the Barrayarans has led to a jubilant and triumphant environment. And with Barrayarans, all celebration comes with a whole lot of drinking. Wine, vodka and maple mead are passed around aplenty in the nights and days following the attack, as soldiers burn offerings for their dead comrades and trade stories of action.

The tension with the outsiders begins to lessen after this victory, too. The fact that two outsiders, Wash and Lucy, are responsible for the Princess's rescue goes a long way toward relations between the outsiders and the rest of the army, and after the attack, Dorca gives the outsiders his endorsement as comrades to be trusted and honorary warriors fighting alongside them. Of course, this doesn't mean all hostility and tension merely dissipates – there are still plenty of soldiers like the now-deceased Falco who still think the outsiders are a threat and a parasitic presence. But things do start to lighten up a little after this victory...finally.

missions
General Piotr Vorkosigan himself leads the attack on the Cetagandan base, and Yuri leads his own contingent. Although there are some hitches getting in undetected, their plans to disable base security are overall successful, as is their sabotage of the power supply generators and Sonia and Byerly's rescue.

Meanwhile, Lakshmi and Sisko have found Falco Vorkalloner's dead body, and while it looks like an accident, it also looks like someone might have taken care to make sure it looked like one.

The unabridged mission results can be found here.

cetaganda
The social relief brought by the flower-viewing party quickly fades, and tension settles back over the Cetagandan base, underlined by Zahal's frustration with Piotr's flat-out refusal to meet his demands, or even so much as discuss them. He's sent more than one political ransom demand since Dorca's arrival, too, but to no effect. Given the recent guerrilla activity in Vorkosigan Vashnoi, he knows Piotr must be planning something, but with no informants left in the Barrayaran army, his intelligence is dry, and the investigations into weapons smuggling were ultimately fruitless. All known civilian resistance cells seem to have scattered and disappeared, their bases of operation boarded up or burned down. All he can do is concentrate as many troops as he can afford on the city's occupation, though he doesn't leave the base totally unmanned. But he does add another thousand troops to the occupying force in Vorkosigan Vashnoi in the week before the attack on the base.

Not everyone is being sent over, though, and the transfer doesn't make for as smooth a cover as one might hope. Gail is caught on an unauthorized trip to the city while off duty, and you might hear -- or overhear -- the dressing-down he gets from his commanding officer for it. He doesn't appear to have a ready excuse for it -- at least, not one that doesn't sound flimsy as hell.

Military matters affect those of the Star Crèche, however, and Zahal's frustration does not touch that sphere. Not that it isn't without its own tensions -- anyone who spends enough time with Diya and Sei (and Ba Talim, for that matter) will feel the rising tensions between them, though their origins are as obscure as the haut always are. The Star Gate Project, now officially under the jurisdiction of the Star Crèche, continues on with Micah at the lead, although they haven't for a moment forgotten that they are a prisoner here, or where their true loyalties lie.

After the attack, Zahal's fury reaches a boiling point, and since the Barrayarans did so much infrastructural damage, the consequences of military matters finally reach Diya and Sei, rankling them, too. The power shortage and damage to the science/medical complex has put a serious damper on Star Gate research, although as far as anyone is aware, the gene therapy trials and other related Star Crèche research goes on unimpeded, thanks to the successful protection of the secondary backup generator, which seems to exist only to power the medbay and gene labs. But since power is a hot commodity right now, Zahal is going to start pushing to reroute some of that power to what the haut would probably deem as lower priority needs.

base
The mood around the base is restless, Zahal's frustration trickling down into tensions among his officers and seeping into the very atmosphere. They're hardly prepared for the attack that comes because they don't even know what to expect. The soldiers all seem on edge, nervous, a little tetchy, particularly after Tarn's altercation with Diya and Natasha, and then the failed attempt to smuggle out the Princess -- but that did, at least, lead to the outing of Byerly Vorrutyer as a spy among the Cetagandans, confirming some suspicions held by the higher brass in Cetagandan intelligence. About the only comfort, if one can call it that, in all this tension is Byerly's summary fast-penta interrogation.

The gene therapy trials, despite some...trials, continue, and with much greater success than last month. Sei and Diya are as impassive as ever, but even so, there's a tangible undercurrent of mixed relief and triumph. Micahworks as feverishly as ever on the Star Gate Project with the aid and oversight of the military's scientific division and the exotics working as lab assistants. The satellite launch has proven to be a highly productive venture -- it's yielding data they couldn't have gathered otherwise, which is proving to be critical, and Micah spends time having Kaidan, Symmetra and Pearl put through another series of brain scans and consulting the neurology team as they study the results.

Although Sei is never seen outside of her force bubble, and doesn't actually travel around the base all that much, her presence seems to dominate the more civilian areas of the base, overshadowing even Diya -- although Diya is considerably less visible around the base after her altercation with Tarn. Amai is, of course, somehow seen just about everywhere, a constant social and professional presence that refuses to let anyone forget she's there. But after the 5th, she seems to be troubled -- she's far less impassive than the haut, and her anxiety and discomfort are much easier to see.

After the attack, Diya seems somewhat shaken -- it's almost impossible to tell how Sei is affected, but with facilities down, audits are being done on all existing projects to determine what's important enough to remain active while they have limited power. The base isn't quite in a shambles, but there's a lot of damage -- while the Barrayarans personally only carry swords and bows, they clearly have no issue with taking the Cetagandans' plasma arcs to wreak havoc at home -- and the atmosphere is overall demoralized. Sending more troops to Vorkosigan Vashnoi was clearly the wrong move, and it's a bitter pill to swallow, but Zahal begins to recall troops from the city in small waves to help better man the base, knowing full well that this must have been what Piotr intended.

missions
A few interesting tidbits are overheard in the dark of night, and Amai finds herself in the uniquely uncomfortable position of holding Diya's dark secret in one hand, and Sei's in the other -- and Ba Talim seems to know something, though it isn't clear what. And some creative hacking turns up some unexpected dirt on Sei that makes Diya's illicit ba experiments look like mere misdemeanors.

Despite the best efforts of the soldiers and the exotics and the fact that, even undermanned, they still outnumber the guerrillas by a landslide, the base is still overrun by Barrayarans and their attack is successful. The main and backup power generators are totally disabled for the time being, and it's unclear how long it will be before full power is restored to the base.

The unabridged mission results can be found here.

Note: Gavalas, Olivia, Zahal, Diya, and Sei & Ba Talim are available for threads on request. Hit up Madi (Gavalas, Diya, Sei & Ba Talim) or Ammay (Olivia & Zahal) if you'd like threads with these characters!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

pre-attack, 5/1 - 5/15
The anger that's been surrounding Piotr seems to have honed into a razor-sharp focus instead, reined in and tightly controlled by necessity of circumstance. There's a certain relief to it, a tangible reason to keep himself in check instead of indulging in his anger the way Lakshmi had so openly goaded him into. With Dorca and Yuri both here, there's too much that demands his attention for him to waste his energy on sheer fury.

Which means he's got even less patience for stupid bullshit than usual, his demeanor sharp and focused, terrifyingly intent. He doesn't spend as much time in the stables as he might like outside of what's strictly necessary, it's time he can ill-afford – he spends it instead drilling his men himself, personally checking in with the CMO and the Quartermaster, in staff meetings honing their plan of attack. If one was ever uncertain as to why Dorca might have named Piotr a General at the young age of twenty-two, it's evident now that it's because Piotr gets shit done. He doesn't have time for games or idle entertainment right now, but if there's something pertinent to the upcoming mission, he'll almost certainly take the time to talk – and when the night arrives, he joins his own men in the lead.

post-attack, 5/15 - 5/18
There are some losses, but they've succeeded, and it's the biggest victory they've had in months, maybe longer. And they can't stop now – their coup on Vorkosigan Vashnoi has to follow right on the heels of this attack, before Cetagandan reinforcements arrive, or it'll all have been for nothing. He's back to the war tent with Dorca and Yuri just as soon, planning their next move with the capital.

But even stone-faced Piotr is far from untouched by the triumph – there's a personal relief in having Sonia back, if only for his wife's peace of mind, but though he's hardly an openly affectionate man, he cares for his sister-in-law, too. Piotr allows himself, for once, to indulge in the celebrations; in the day following their victory, he's one among his men, celebrating and saluting his fellow soldiers and subordinates. You might even see him drinking and laughing – a rare mood indeed.

Anyone who's been paying attention to Negri since he wandered into the camp in February knows that he tends to lurk around, and anyone paying attention since Ezar came back in March ought to know just who he's reporting to. He can be found not just in Piotr's camp, but all three camps – always listening, rarely speaking, although he isn't so skittish as to run away if approached. He'll listen if you talk to him, and he might even talk back.

He doesn't approach people much, though, except for Ezar – if he's seen talking to anyone, it's almost always Ezar. He seems to rarely ever interact with Piotr, staying out of the General's way for the most part.

And after the attack, when everyone is celebrating and reveling in their triumph, Negri is still seen plenty, in between the partying soldiers, always quiet, always watching. Also, he's like, eight, so he's not doing a whole lot of drinking.

After a month with the Cetagandans, Sonia is so happy to be back at camp – however foul, unwashed and uncomfortable it is in comparison – that she could cry. In fact, she does, and at great length – Sonia is an easy crier, and relief is a more overpowering emotion than she could have guessed. That Byerly is back with her only adds to it – she doesn't have to fear for his life, for execution on her account. And beyond all that, she's happy to be back with her friends, her people, her family.

She's overwhelmed, in that first day or so back, with other people's relief – she knows well by now just what she means to morale, and for once, instead of resenting it, she feels another special wash of relief seeing what her return has done for the army. And her father might gone, but her grandfather is here, and – well, Uncle Yuri is here, too. She's so wrapped up in all the welcome-homes that she doesn't get much time to herself until the dust has settled a little, and then she spends it lounging in her tent – less comfortable than her cell on the Cetagandan base, maybe, but it's hers.

But she's hardly feeling antisocial. She's wholeheartedly happy to see all the friends she's missed – and worried about the ones who seem to have gone, because Beth and Daryl aren't in camp anymore, and no one really knows what happened to them. Anyone who seeks out her company right now will gladly have it, even if she does seem a little tired. Anyone would be tired after the last few days, but Sonia's practically glowing, no longer feeling trapped and weighed down on by the presence of her then-captors.

closed to olivia
It's late when they finally make it back to camp – Sonia doesn't know the time, but it's late, maybe close to dawn, but she doesn't care, and she doesn't think Olivia will, either. Her time in the Cetagandan base was the first time in all her time spent in the war when she'd been witout her sister, when she'd been truly alone. Trapped there, she'd missed her sister more than anyone else, missed her so much it had hurt.

"Livvy!" Sonia's voice is hoarse and a little choked as she bursts into Olivia and Piotr's tent, far ahead of Piotr, and she doesn't know if Olivia is asleep but she doesn't care, and she doesn't think Olivia will either. "Livvy, it's me!"

Edited 2017-05-04 20:44 (UTC)

He's just barely gotten back from his own portion of the mission - almost certainly bruised and bloodied, or at least unhappy after an encounter with Tarn - but the sight of Sonia safe in camp is enough to send his heart soaring. Sonia is back. Sonia is safe, and away from Cetaganda. He could have endured much worse and still come out overjoyed with this as his reward.

He makes his way through the throng of people, rescuers and soldiers alike. "Sonia!" he calls, waving a hand towards her so that she might get a glimpse of him before he has to jostle his way through all these stupid tall people. If not for them, he might have considered throwing himself bodily into his great aunt's arms. "Sonia! Are you alright?" Is she injured? Did the Cetagandans lay a finger on her? Not that there's anything he can do about either of those things now. His gaze immediately flickers up to the spot where Tarn had hit her with a stunner to see if the bruise is still there.

Sonia doesn't have to see him, she hears him, and another cold wave of relief hits her so hard she feels like she might be sick. But instead she just moves toward his voice, none too courteously pushing people out of her way -- they're all soldiers, they'll be fine, and at any rate they'd better make way if the Princess wants to go somewhere.

"Miles!" Her voice is breathless, fraught with relief, and as soon as she gets to him she throws both her arms around him in a tight hug, bodily lifting him off the ground at least a few inches in her excitement. There's no mark left from where Tarn had hit her, thankfully; at least the Cetagandans had tended to her properly. "Oh, Miles, thank God! I'm alright, Wash and Lucy got me out -- are you alright?" She pulls bac, finally, studying his face with bright concern in an expression that looks astonishingly aunt-like on her despite her youth. Clearly she'll grow into the role just fine.

Miles laughs at that, giddy with relief and that hug. God, he won't even complain about being lifted off the ground. He's just so incredibly relieved to see her, and glad to be here with her again. The nightmares he'd had about her. The guilt ...

But it all falls away from the sheer comfort of feeling her arms around him. He swipes at his face with one hand as she sets him down at last, blinking back a sudden onset of tears. Given the past few weeks and his own involvement in the op, he's bruised, but there's no major and visible injuries on him. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Much better for having you here."

Sonia finds herself blinking back tears, too, although not quite as successfully as Miles. She's almost reluctant to let him go, but she just lets out a shaky but exhilarated laugh, dabbing at her eyes with her shirtsleeve. She's still wearing the Cetagandan fatigues she's been stuck in for weeks -- God, she can't wait to wear her own clothes again, however unwashed. Sonia presses a hand to his cheek briefly and lets out a sharp breath of relief, her face brightening.

"Good. Good. I was so worried about you. Tarn -- " She closes her fingers around empty air, looking frustrated for a second. "Oh, Miles, Tarn made such awful threats, I'm just -- I'm just glad to see you're alright."

Ha. Well. He did encounter Tarn in the base, but no sense in mentioning that just yet. Much better to focus on more cheerful topics. He leans into her hand, beaming up at her with utter joy.

"Worried about me? I was fine," he says with a warm smile. "Though I still wish you'd run when I gave you a chance." The comment is gentle, though, and not blaming her. Especially as he follows up with, "You did save my life."

NPCS: BARRAYAR

Piotr Vorkosigan

Negri

Sonia Vorbarra 5/15 - 5/18

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