forbarrayar_ooc | [ april ii ooc info/signups ]

Quick links: Barrayar / Cetaganda / Missions

SIGNUPS ARE NOW CLOSED

Signups will close at midnight PST on April 17th (aka whatever is in my inbox when I wake up on the 18th) so that I have a day to write up the results and the log.

Before the plot rundown, please check out the new loyalty perks! I have also added a collapsible navigation menu for a quick look at what perks are available.
New Perks: Training: Vehicles (Cetaganda), Training: Folklore (Barrayar), Armsman's Oath (Barrayar), Oathsworn Subject (Barrayar)

For the record, you guys can absolutely take perks before signing up for a mission (provided you have the LP). If there happens to be a perk-related mission you want in on, you can slide right on under the wire there.

So if you haven't figured it out yet, the theme of this game is "no one ever has a nice day, ever."

barrayar
The Barrayarans have had a lot of good news and bad news lately. Princess Sonia's kidnapping was a disaster, but on the other hand, they've reunited with the other half of Piotr's army and they're well on their way to preparing for a major attack on the Cetagandan base in line with Piotr's plans to retake Vorkosigan Vashnoi, with the aim to attack next month, before any Cetagandan reinforcements can arrive. While rescuing Sonia is an important priority, it is secondary to the main objective: devastate the base enough so that Zahal is forced to recall most of his soldiers occupying the city, which will then leave it vulnerable to the guerrillas. If Piotr's army can retake Vorkosigan Vashnoi and continue to defend it, they might even stand a chance at pushing Zahal's forces out of the district entirely.

Zahal does, of course, send a missive with his demands regarding the Princess, in true Cetagandan style. Knowing for sure now that the Barrayarans make visits to Riverfall village, he has it sent to the villagers with the instructions to pass it along, which they do, and his demands are simple: they'll guarantee the safety and return of the Princess on Piotr's complete surrender. Piotr responds by scrawling a particularly rude rebuttal on the original message itself and had it returned promptly -- stuffed inside the mouth of some poor beheaded ghem soldier.

Although the army is stronger than it has been in months, not all is at peace. Colonel Vorvolk, the senior officer who had led the other half of the army during their separation, has always been a trusted member of Piotr's general staff and a loyal officer. However, his views on the outsiders don't exactly align with Piotr's: he thinks Piotr has been much too quick to trust them, especially since some of them defected from the Cetagandan side, especially since some one of them is Komarran. He doesn't believe that the outsiders should be given such freedom or privilege, let alone allow them to participate in critical military operations. Most of his own soldiers feel the same, regarding the outsiders with suspicion and mistrust.

On the 18th, a courier arrives at camp announcing the impending arrival of none other but Emperor Dorca himself, along with his son Crown Prince Yuri, Xav's older half-brother. Another courier had been sent weeks ago, but he apparently never made it to Piotr, making this visit something of a surprise. This is a mixed blessing -- while the Emperor's presence (and aid) is an honor, and much-needed, nobody is particularly excited to tell him about what's happened to his youngest grandchild. Dorca and Yuri arrive at camp with a small battalion of about 200 Vorbarra soldiers, which nearly doubles their forces, and, like Colonel Vorvolk's half of the army, they set up a camp in another part of the mountains nearby Piotr's, connected by the cave network that runs through the Dendarii mountains. Unfortunately, the mood isn't exactly joyous, as Crown Prince Yuri recently lost his only remaining son (and heir) in battle, shortly before departing for Vorkosigan's District. This is not only a sad occasion, but a politically uneasy one: Yuri's wife died some years ago, and while Yuri is next in line to succeed as Emperor, the lack of an heir to his own makes for a politically shaky situation. Should he die before producing another heir, the title of Crown Prince will fall to Xav instead, and that…brings a whole host of other political issues to the table. Needless to say, while Yuri's succession isn't an immediate issue, some people are feeling a little nervous about it. When Dorca and Yuri arrive, still in mourning, they hold a public burning of death offerings for Yuri's son, so that Imperial subjects may pay their respects to the recently deceased Prince.

The addition of Vorbarra forces only adds to the air of mistrust of the outsiders, and while no one's placing them under guard or isolating them, those who have been here the longest will find this environment a little familiar. There are still plenty of soldiers in Piotr's camp whose friendly treatment hasn't changed, but it's leading to friction between them and their Barrayaran comrades, as well. Yuri is in vocal agreement with Colonel Vorvolk, only exacerbating the divide, and both Yuri and his father have reservations about one of the outsiders being from Komarr, the planet that sold Barrayar out to the Cetagandans.

But the war goes on, and there's much to do to prepare. With the Vorbarra battalion, their odds have gotten even better, but they're still vastly outnumbered by the Cetagandans. If they're going to successfully retake Vorkosigan Vashnoi, they need to make contact with the underground resistance, and they'll need to gather some supplies, too. Whatever the reservations of the others, Piotr still trusts the outsiders enough to let them help -- and he knows they need it.

cetaganda
Zahal is furious over Piotr's crude rebuttal of his demands -- he wasn't expecting the General to give in right away, but this is more insult than anything. He knows just how vulnerable the Cetagandan base is right now -- the epidemic has mostly run its course, but they still suffered several hundred more deaths from those still in recovering, bringing their total forces down to about 6,000 soldiers. Zahal has requested reinforcements from central Cetagandan command, but his request has been postponed -- they have no extra troops they can spare, and it'll be another month before more reinforcements arrive to the planet. Zahal is struggling to balance out his forces, split between the base and Vorkosigan Vashnoi -- right now internal base security is badly undermanned in favor of increasing the occupying force in the capital. Piotr Vorkosigan is too smart a man not to take advantage of an opportunity like this -- Zahal just doesn't know exactly what he's planning to do. The Cetagandan base is in a vulnerable state.

However, there is one edge they have: Cetagandan intelligence knows that Emperor Dorca and Crown Prince Yuri are in Vorkosigan's District. The courier who never made it to Piotr's camp was intercepted by Cetagandan intelligence before he even made it to Vorkosigan's District, and the information was sent accordingly to Zahal's outpost. Piotr might have rejected his first demand -- but would the Emperor, the Princess's grandfather, respond the same?

Meanwhile, Micah is still hard at work in the labs -- the Star Gate Project continues to progress, but the data they've been able to gather is incomplete and insufficient. They have convinced the Cetagandan science officers to send a scientific party, Micah included, off-planet to take a closer look at the collapsed wormhole and launch a satellite to record more data. They've made a fair bit of progress in discovering the new type of field generated by the collapsed wormhole, but they still know too little about just how and why the exotics have been brought here to complete their designs.

The gene therapy trials continue, with mixed results, though Lapis has shown the most progress so far. Though Diya and Haut Sei are working closely together, it's clear to anyone who spends enough time around them that there is some tension between them. Ba Talim is almost always present when they are together, although it can at times be found on its own around the base.

Since the weather this month has finally given them some real relief -- and the epidemic raging the base has been quelled -- the Cetagandans decide to host a flower-viewing party in the gardens adjacent to the Grow Labs. Typical of Cetagandan functions, it is elegant, overwrought and full of a lot of needlessly artfully crafted food. The party is celebrating in particular some of the genetic-botanical achievements of some of the ghem lady artists on the base, as well as some recently genetically engineered koi, to update the atmosphere of the garden to proper spring.

missions
MISSIONS: BARRAYAR
0) Negri's Ears +2 LP
This isn't a mission signup, but a request! Negri, the quiet child lurking around the camp, acts as a spy for Ezar and has been eavesdropping on just about any conversation he can. Comment to the signup below with things Negri might have learned about your character by listening in on them (this could have occurred offscreen!), or even links to threads he might have eavesdropped on. We're looking for dirt or anything else Ezar might have collected via Negri, so please give us a few tidbits (or a lot of tidbits) and you'll get 2 LP!

1) Village Repairs +1 LP
SKILLS: PHYSICAL, CONSTRUCTION
In the wake of the battle in Riverfall, the village is in disrepair. The bodies have since been cleared, but plasma fire by the Cetagandan soldiers has damaged and even destroyed some of their homes. There are less than 50 villagers still alive in Riverfall, down nearly half their population as of a few months ago. Any helping hands toward fixing roofs, cleaning up debris, and helping families move their things to safer housing are greatly appreciated by the villagers. Signups are unlimited.

1. Agent York
2. Duv Galeni
3. Lavernius Tucker
4. Agent Washington
5. Miles Vorkosigan
6. Agent Maine
7. Agent Carolina
8. Ratchet
9. Nash Latkje
10. Benjamin Sisko

2) Eavesdropping +2 LP
SKILLS: STEALTH
A Cetagandan special now gone cross-faction! With the murmurs of unrest among the soldiers and some political tensions rising, now probably isn't a bad time to covertly assess the situation or just…sneak around out of sheer curiosity. There is room for up to four outsiders on this mission.

1. Agent Washington
2. Miles Vorkosigan
3. Lakshmi Bai
4. Nash Latkje

3) Raid: Cetagandan Uniforms +2 LP
SKILLS: STEALTH
Disguising a contingent of the guerrillas as Cetagandan soldiers will make it much easier to not only infiltrate the base, but hold the gates for exit longer, as well as keep security alerts to a minimum. In order to pull this off successfully, you'll need to steal uniforms and face paint for about 50 soldiers. There is room for up to four outsiders on this mission.

1. Lavernius Tucker
2. Agent Carolina
3. Agent York
4. Miles Vorkosigan

4) The Resistance (PVP) +2 LP
SKILLS: STEALTH, NEGOTIATION
As plans shift and strategies advance, the need to coordinate with the civilian resistance and keep them updated is crucial -- they won't be able to pull off a retake of the city without help from the inside. Piotr is sending parties into Vorkosigan Vashnoi to touch base with underground resistance contacts and pass along plans, but you'll have to prove you're really with the guerrilla army. And if any Barrayaran soldiers see you talking to exotics you happen to run into...well, it won't help the lack of trust back in camp. There is room for up to four outsiders on this mission.

1. Agent York
2. Duv Galeni
3. Nash Latkje
4. Agent Maine

MISSIONS: CETAGANDA
1) Flower-Viewing Party +1 LP
SKILLS: N/A
The Cetagandans are hosting another party -- it'd be polite to attend, wouldn't it? There are even a few ghem ladies who will be willing to help you with an appropriate outfit in the Cetagandan style, and considering the intricacies and nuances of Cetagandan society and fashion, you'll probably want their help. There will be light refreshments, a small poetry reading, and so much art. Signups are unlimited.

1. Tarn
2. Pearl
3. Symmetra
4. Lapis Lazuli
5. Vex'ahlia
6. Natasha Romanoff
7. Kaidan Alenko
8. Deanna Troi
9. Jasper
10. Whirl

2) Eavesdropping +2 LP
SKILLS: STEALTH
A time-honored classic. You exotics know the drill by now, no introduction needed. With Haut Sei, the Handmaiden of the Star Crèche, taking hold of the Star Gate Project, and growing dissent from Zahal, there's plenty to want to investigate. There is room for up to four exotics on this mission.

1. Lapis Lazuli
2. Deanna Troi
3.
4.

3) Satellite Launch +2 LP
SKILLS: ASTROPHYSICS, AEROSPACE ENGINEERING, TECH, PROBLEM-SOLVING
REQUIREMENTS: 5+ LP
It's field trip time! More data is needed on the collapsed wormhole's activity and the new type of field it's generated, so Micah has been granted the use of a satellite to collect more data, and a small spacecraft to take to the wormhole -- supervised, of course. But they're letting up to four exotics come along.

1. Pearl
2. Symmetra
3. Natasha Romanoff
4. Kaidan Alenko

4) Fast-Penta: Sonia +1 LP
SKILLS: PERSUASION, NEGOTIATION
Sonia's fast-penta interrogation was always a matter of time, not if. Two exotics are being permitted to sit in on, and potentially help with, the interrogation.
NOTE: This is a totally optional mission (the interrogation will proceed regardless) and signups for this don't count toward your total signups (similar to unlimited signup missions).

1. Tarn
2. Byerly Vorrutyer

5) Investigation: Weapons Smuggling (PVP) +2 LP
SKILLS: PERSUASION, NEGOTIATION
The Cetagandans couldn't stop the weapons smuggling operation, but they're well aware of it, and Zahal wants to know just what Piotr is up to. He's sending investigative parties into the city to try and track down any civilians involved and shake them down for information. If you can bring back any intelligence at all on what Piotr's army is planning, you'll likely be rewarded in some way. Up to four exotics may participate on this mission.

1. Vex'ahlia
2. Byerly Vorrutyer
3. Whirl
4. Natasha Romanoff

[ april ii ooc info/signups ]

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