[ may i log: the good fight ]

[barrayarmods]

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!

Comments

washington | barrayar & riverfall, ota and all that

[protocol]

i - pre-mission | doctors suck lets do arts and crafts;

[ Wash looks like he's gotten into a fight, and a proper one, this time, one he didn't get out of before it turned ugly. It'd happened when he was carrying a message to Dorca's camp from Piotr, something that Wash is all too aware isn't particularly good, but there's nothing much for it. He'd still done what was asked of him, and the small handful of soldiers he knocked out along the way was, ah. Just unfortunate. He'd done his best to just disable rather than injure people, this time, and while had managed that much it meant that he didn't get out quite so unscathed. Some nasty bruise he'd picked up earlier on the left side of his jaw that was starting to heal up is apparently worse than before, now. He has a split lip, split knuckles, crusted blood trailing down from the corner of his temple from some wound mostly hidden in his hair, scraped skin on his forearm where he'd braced himself from a fall, and undoubtedly more than that not so easily visible. He's bothered to wash himself up a bit, but instead of heading to the med tent to get himself seen to, he's apparently decided he'd rather tend to his uniform.

Sewing. He's wearing some other spare clothing, and just sitting somewhere quiet near the outsider's tent, sewing. There wasn't too much damage, but Wash has been through far too many inspections ( and conducted too many, himself ) to not want to patch up the rips and tears there are. He works quietly, not quickly but it's clearly because he isn't particularly rushed more than because he doesn't know what he's doing, and at some point the spool of thread he's using gets knocked a off where he had it neatly perched on his knee. He reaches out and would catch it easily, unless, someone happens to be in the way.

He tips his head, wordlessly. Mind handing that back to him? Thanks. ]

ii - post-mission, 5/15 | celebrations suck lets be a loner;

[ Wash has been worried about Sonia since she's been captured, with the added stress of everything else going on on top of it, then with Byerly, with Natasha. Even after making it out of the base with Lucy and their two rescues in tow, he's still in high gear and completely mission-focused until the moment they step back within vicinty on the camp, and then the immediate relief and fatigue that floods over him is apparent. God, he's tired, but when is he not tired, and finally, finally. Natasha's still back there, but this is a victory he'll hold onto, for now. Sonia safe and sound, and even damned Byerly, and a good blow struck against the Cetagandan base. Losses suffered, but none of his own.

He handles all of his responsibilities first, debriefings and checking up on the other teams sent out, visits with Tucker in the med tent to let him know how everything went. The camp's buzzing with activity, the tensions at least for a moment finally gone, and he watches Sonia from afar for a time before he pulls away. Leave her to her reunions, to her rest. Leave Vorrutyer to whatever the hell he wants to do. Leave the rest to their celebrations, especially now that there's finally something to celebrate. None of those things have ever really been for Wash. Instead, he wanders somewhere just off the fringe of the camp, far enough from all the celebrations that any of that noise only comes through as a distant murmur, settling himself on the gnarled roots in the shade of some old tree. It feels like he hasn't really had any room to breathe, for a while.

He doesn't really want to be dragged back into the celebrations, but he won't say no to company. Despite pulling away on his lonesome, he seems almost amiable, really. ]

iii - post-mission, whenever | seriously lets not with the celebrating;

[ Wash's always kept largely to himself, and even after hostilities start easing down in the camp after the successful attack on the Cetagandan base, that doesn't really change. If anything he seems more keen than usual to find some space for himself, especially with all the celebrating going on, loud and rowdy with drink passing around, stories traded back and forth. Occasionally he's recognized as someone who'd helped to save the princess, and he just really wants nothing to do with any of it.

As always, especially in the evenings and on through to awful hours of the night, Wash can be found wherever there's quiet, most likely sitting by himself next to some lonely fire, and possibly still very engrossed in playing chess with himself depending on what night you might run into him on. He's always quite pointedly as far as away from possible as wherever most of the celebrating ends up being. Because he's the worst. ]

iv - wildcard;

[ Wash'll be around both in camp and in Riverfall, and as always prone to being around at stupid hours of the night. As always toss me a line at dragonpunch or valonqar#1048 @ disc if you'd like anything specific, but feel free to run into him wherever! ]

for carolina

[protocol]

[ There's something a little nostalgic about all of this. It's not nearly like old times, not when they'll be moving in different teams, not when they're on some completely foreign planet in a completely foreign world, but readying for a mission, a big one. Back in the day they always used to do something for a mission, and at the time he would never have approached Carolina quite like this, but. There's still a little familiarity. Wherever he finds Carolina the night before they set out for the attack, he's smiling, tipping his head slightly in greeting. ]

Hey, boss. Got a minute?

Big op tomorrow, and all. [ A slight shrug, maybe a little sheepish, a little more like the Wash that Carolina used to know all those years ago. Parts of it weren't entirely an act. ] Thought maybe we could just -- hang out, for a while.

[ Like we used to. Like we all used to. ]

iv

[symmetricks]

[ The villagers are growing visibly less concerned with her presence here. With Washington's help, Satya's has learned a great deal about what these people need, what necessities override even a distrust for the exotics or the Cetagandans.

It is good to have something to do that she need not question. This is objectively a good thing. Which is fortunate, considering how close they are coming to a decision regarding the Star Gate.

Still hooded when she comes to the village, she observes where she can. The language barrier is still problematic but there are gestures that are universal to the human experience, needs that are obvious no matter what the language. It is more menial labor than she is really used to but...

It feels right to do something. She is not so proud that she will not bend her knee to the dirt to help someone if she can, if they allow her to. Perhaps it should have always been that way. She's still not certain. ]

[protocol]

[ The simplicity of a good thing that he doesn't have to question ( for the most part, anyway ) is part of what keeps Wash coming back to Riverfall, too. There are plenty of other motivations behind it, time away from growing tensions in the camp, time to catch his breath, a space to gather information, to make contact with those behind enemy lines, but the most fundamental is just that these people are just people caught in a war. There is little help he can offer them, soldier that he is, but what he can offer, he does. There's still much rebuilding to be done, and with the village accepting new refugees from the surrounding hillfolk, Wash easily finds the means to busy himself.

For all of Symmetra's uncertainties, when he recognizes her here, hooded and trying to find some way to help, Wash imagines the appeal to helping the them like this is the same. And that's good, for her, he thinks. Putting too much stock in groups larger than themselves, be it Cetaganda or Barrayar or even her Vishkar, only ever goes in certain ways. Best to focus on what one can do directly, sometimes. That's how Wash has come to see it, over the years. ]

Over here. [ He gestures her over with a tip of his head as he pushes up another empty cart. A smile, genuine, if tired, as he moves up to start help hauling bricks onto it. Making use of the debris from the buildings damaged beyond repair to help rebuild those that might still be worth living in. ] It's always good to have more hands.

How've you been, Symmetra?

[symmetricks]

[ His is one of the faces she is growing accustomed to. Perhaps even glad to see. While she disagrees with him on a good deal, even now, he's proven remarkably easy to speak to. Right now, she could use more people like that.

Not that speaking on such matters is easy, but when she's ready? It's nice to know someone will be there.

She offers a faint nod in turn as Wash gestures to her, before moving to walk up alongside the cart he's currently loading. ]

Quite busy. As are we all.

[protocol]

[ Wash quite likes speaking with people who disagree with him, as long as they're able to keep it civil. Symmetra's been more than civil, and perfectly engaging and willing to listen -- not to mention clearly troubled. He doesn't know if there's much he can really offer her, but if she wants to talk to him, then he'll do everything he can.

For now, though. They can talk about something else, maybe. ]

Always work to be done. [ A smile, a nod, and it's genuine as he pauses from the work, wiping a hand over his brow and gesturing vaguely towards the rest of the village. ] Rebuilding is slow, but there's progress being made. There are some things past repair, but they can be dismantled to help mend what's left.

[symmetricks]

If only we were able to use the fabrication machine to assist. It could reconstruct the village in a fraction of the time.

[ But she understands now that that is not a priority of the general. Or Diya. Or any of the high-ranking Cetagandans. The important thing is winning the war, and then deciding to rebuild or not, as it pleases them.

What a waste.

Carefully, she reaches down to help stacking the bricks onto the cart. Her hands are obviously unused to physical labor of this sort, but that doesn't appear to be stopping her from trying all the same. ]

[protocol]

[ Ah, there's some frustration, there, he senses it. He watches her for a moment, watches her as she starts to help. He can tell she isn't used to the work, of course she isn't, and for a moment Wash is almost tempted to tell her that there's probably something else she could do, but no. He sees the look in her face. She's perfectly willing, intent on doing what she can. ]

Probably. [ No arguing that. Any tech they have would make things go so much quicker. ] But people always find their own ways to rebuild.

Progress here is slow, but there is progress.

ii!

[vorrutyer]

[ It's Wash's bad luck, perhaps, or merely it's the fact that this is the easiest place to get away from the carousing and celebrations, that within ten minutes someone else stumbles across him. Though stumbling is perhaps the wrong word: in spite of the fact that there's a bottle of maple mead in Byerly's hand that sounds rather light when it's sloshed, his step is steady and his voice is precise when he says: ]

Ah. Well, this is awkward.

[ It's certainly different from how he usually sounds: Byerly is almost always slurring, always has that slushy diction of someone who starts their day out with wine. Not the case now. His voice is positively clinical, every syllable crisp. ]

I'll leave you to it, then, I'm sure.

oh good i was just trying to think of an excuse for this antisocial asshole to go talk to him

[protocol]

[ Sigh. It is his bad luck.

Unfortunately for you, Byerly, Wash has acquired some sense of responsibility over you, and he's absolutely the kind of absolutely miserable killjoy who'll do his best to keep an eye on someone who appears to be wandering off with an entire bottle of alcohol to themselves. He does notice the difference in his voice, curious, not sure what to make of it. ]

Too late for that, Vorrutyer. [ You're already here and the quiet is gone. Might as well stay where he can keep an eye on you. ] That whole bottle for you?

Byerly always brings the party to you

[vorrutyer]

[ Byerly looks at it, lips pursed, an eyebrow cocked. He looks up at Wash, then, and responds - ]

Well, since I have been repeatedly told how you simply cannot bring yourself to drink, I suppose it is.

[ And he lifts the bottle in salute to Wash, takes another swig, and wipes his mouth off with the back of his sleeve. ]

Unless you finally want to join. You can say it's to save me from myself.

but he didn't want the party byerly!!!

[protocol]

[ If the opportunity comes up he'll likely try and swipe and hide the bottle. Right now, though, he doesn't feel quite responsible enough for Byerly to put too much effort into it, though he's still going to keep an eye on him. ]

Don't think there's much left to save you from. [ Not by the sound of it, when Byerly lifts that bottle. ] Keep it.

Shouldn't you be back where there's more celebrating?

[vorrutyer]

Don't underestimate me.

[ He pats his pocket, where a flask weighs him down. No, he'd come prepared for this forest retreat.

He leans up against a tree indolently. He doesn't look at Wash; he stares instead off into the gloom of the woods. ]

But no, I don't have much reason to be back there. Believe it or not, even I can tire of parties.

[protocol]

[ Wash is mostly doing the same, seated where he is looking off into the woods, watching Byerly closely now out of the corner of his eye. The difference to his voice really is curious, given how much drink he has on him. ]

Really, now? Then I guess we have that much in common. [ Because Wash is, quite obviously, not even slightly a party person. ] What were you going to do instead, just wander off into the woods on your own and drink yourself into a stupor?

ii

[dendarii]

[ Miles has been celebrating, social butterfly that he is. But even he tires of it eventually, and it's after that first night of revelry - when he's completely drunk and staggering back towards the outsider's tent - that he encounters Wash. A bright smile overwhelms his features as he spots the man. ]

Wash! Where have you been? I need - need to thank you.

[ He moves to grab the man's arm, leaning against him. ]

[protocol]

[ Oh no, it's drunk Miles again. Wash seems perfectly glad to see him, though, smiling warmly, even pulling Miles against him slightly as he leans against him. Best you not fall over, now. ]

I've been here.

You done with celebrating already?

[dendarii]

No you haven't. You disappeared. And I didn't get to thank you.

[ He leans bodily against Wash, being thoroughly sloshed by now. ]

[protocol]

[ Miles does in fact look ridiculously drunk, and Wash isn't at all surprised, looking more amused by it than anything. He lets Miles lean against him, hauling him closer, pulling him down a little pointedly to settle him next him where he's seated near the tree. You drunk people are much safer when you're not on your feet. ]

Trust me, I've just been right here. Just wanted some quiet, that's all.

And now I've been thanked, too. [ There you go, Miles, mission accomplished. ]

[dendarii]

[ It helps that Miles doesn't have far to fall if he does fall, but - yes, better to be flopped against Wash. He rests his head against Wash's chest, an adoring expression on his face. ]

No, no. Haven't done it properly yet.

[protocol]

[ Well that feels a little dangerous. He seems mostly amused, though. ]

Well, you've found me now.

Did you think I wouldn't manage it?

for duv

[protocol]

[ The camp's still celebrating even a day or two after the attack, and that's all understandable but Wash still really wants very little to do with it. He'll still mostly seek out his quiet corners, though after he's had a bit of time to himself he's a bit more amiable, now, a bit more willing to engage when some soldier comes by with a laugh and a drink, even if he never takes the drink. Most of the tension between the outsiders and the rest of the army seems to have eased, but Wash is far too cautious of a man to ever let that relax him.

In the bustle of celebrations, in the rush of the attack, he's not seen Duv since the mission -- so when he does see him somewhere in camp, he pulls him aside, asks if he'd like to just get away from the noise for a while, because god. Barrayarans have a way about their victories. ]

-- I guess it's always going to be like this? [ As they start moving out of the camp, just somewhere, anywhere quiet. God. ] I suppose it's been a while since they've had something to celebrate.

[komarran]

[ The celebration is good for morale. He knows it in the back of his mind and yet, that doesn't make him anymore eager to share in the festivities. A war shouldn't be full of dread and bleakness, but that doesn't mean Duv's in the mood to drink himself silly and dance with anyone who was too drunk already to realize who he was.

So when Wash pulls him aside to go elsewhere, he's eager to follow the man. A chance to collect his thoughts and see what the other man knew that he needed to and vice versa. ]

When they have the chance, [ he says with a small sigh. ] Any victory they can take is worth the celebration.

[protocol]

Yeah, well. Keeps up morale.

Not that we didn't celebrate back home, either, but I still preferred -- not to. [ Miserable killjoy that he is. ] I take it you're the same.

[komarran]

For the most part. I'd rather stay away from Barrayarans who may get too drunk to realize who's side I'm on.

[ He enjoys breathing, thank you. ]

[protocol]

[ An amused huff. ]

That's a pretty good reason.

Things aren't quite as tense as they used to be, though -- I'm sure you've felt it. Think it'll last?