[ july ooc info/signups ]

[barrayarmods]

Quick links: Barrayar / Star Gate Ship / Missions

SIGNUPS ARE NOW CLOSED

HERE IT IS, FOLKS. THE VERY LAST ROUND OF THE GAME.

Signups will close at midnight PST on July 7th (I will accept anything that's in my inbox when I wake up on the 8th) so that I have a day to write up the results and the log. Signups have been extended through July 10th!

barrayar
The Barrayarans hit the Cetagandans hard, but they suffered their own fair share of losses as well. More than a few of Dorca and Yuri's troops were sacrificed in order to breach the shipyard security, and the shipyard was easily the area with the largest casualty count. Others died during the infiltration and the skirmishes that broke out inside the base, but not nearly as many as in the shipyard. It's time for the Barrayarans to retreat and regroup as best they can, and make sure they stay hidden.

Of course, they also can't afford to waste the opportunity they have while the Cetagandans' heads are still spinning. According to intelligence, Haut Sei, the Handmaiden of the Star Crèche, was murdered shortly before the hijacking, and between those two things and Zahal's career starting to look like it's about to spin out, the Cetagandans are in a state of chaos. Their losses aren't as significant as the last time the Barrayarans attacked, but the diversions -- even if not immediately effective during the hijacking -- have left havoc in their wake, with damage to the Grow Labs, the research labs, and the gene labs. Right now their base is totally disorganized, and the Handmaiden's death is causing something of a panic -- not the least because Zahal is, in many ways, liable for the incident. Not to mention the destruction of all research associated with the Star Gate and every ounce of research and physical samples from the exotics…nobody on the Cetagandan base is having a good day.

The Barrayarans need time to recoup, but they have to take advantage of this opportunity too. They're in no position to move camps right now, but the Cetagandans know too much about their current location to remain safe for long -- so for now, Piotr's angling to trick the Cetagandans into thinking they've moved, or are about to. Decoy patrols, leaked false intelligence, a few cooking fires in unoccupied places in the mountains -- it might do the trick, at least until they're ready to move for real.

star gate ship
Although it was a close call, and not everyone made it -- some died in the battle, some got left behind -- the Star Gate ship and everyone aboard it were able to get away and clear the planet before anyone could stop them, heading straight for the collapsed wormhole, some distance away from the planet itself. Many of the people who made it aboard did so only barely, and some of them are badly injured from the fight. Thankfully, Micah had the foresight to carefully stash away as many medical supplies as they could before the hijacking, and some of the outsiders exotics extrauniversals are caring for the injured as best they can.

Between the EMP charges and the Barrayarans' crude but effective bombs, the Cetagandans were left with only five operable ships. Thanks to the general state of chaos in the base, the Cetagandans aren't organized enough to mount an immediate pursuit, and Micah is able to direct the ship to be piloted around behind an asteroid cluster some distance away from the collapsed wormhole, but close enough. Which is good, because as soon as they have a chance to assess the ship and Star Gate's systems…they realize that they have a few problems.

The Star Gate ship was never meant to handle the power needed to run both the ship's engines and systems and the Star Gate at the same time, which means some compromise between the systems is necessary in order to get the Star Gate operational. But while they can easily shut down the engines and navigational systems, they can't turn off the ship's life support systems. And beyond that…the brain scanner attached to the Star Gate, the piece necessary for determining where to send a given extrauniversal, is acting up. There'll need to be some on-the-fly technical repairs done in order to get the Star Gate properly running. Thankfully, Micah brought along a single datacube, the only remaining copy of their research -- plus their eidetic memory.

But the Star Gate's systems and injured passengers aren't the only problems they have to worry about. It's only a matter of time before the Cetagandans come after them, and the extrauniversals will have to find some way to either defend themselves or avoid the Cetagandans long enough to send everyone home. The only question is whether they can do it before the Cetagandans land a serious hit on the ship and breaks something they can't fix.

missions
0) Death/Missed Connection
This isn't a mission, but if you're planning on having your character die this round (whether aboard the ship or down planetside), or miss their chance to use the Star Gate while aboard the ship (there will be a plot opportunity for this), please let me know in the signup comment below. You only need to reply if you plan on having one of the above happening; whoever doesn't reply, I'm going to assume they don't die and make it back through the Star Gate safely. I can also RNG whether or not your character misses the Star Gate if you prefer.

1) Misdirection (Barrayar) +2 LP
SKILLS: STEALTH
BONUS: Scout's Honor
It's time to confuse the Cetagandans even more before they get back on their feet. Go out on decoy patrols in uninhabited parts of the mountains and deliberately attract enemy attention -- and maybe feed them a little false intel before you escape, leaving them to report back. Signups are unlimited.

1. Vex'ahlia

2) First Aid (Star Gate) +2 LP
SKILLS: MEDICINE
BONUS: Med Tech
There were plenty of injuries during the fight, ranging from mild to severe. Micah stocked the ship with some supplies, but it's up to the extrauniversals to tend to their own for now. There is room for up to four extrauniversals on this mission.

1. Julian Bashir
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3) Technical Difficulties (Star Gate) +2 LP
SKILLS: TECH, ENGINEERING
BONUS: Lab Tech/Lab Assistant
There are last-minute issues with the Star Gate, and Micah doesn't have enough hands to fix them all themself. Micah needs help reconciling the power usage between the ship's systems and the Star Gate…not to mention the brain scanner is on the fritz. There is room for up to four extrauniversals on this mission.

1. Kaidan Alenko
2. Agent Washington
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4) Defense Maneuvers (Star Gate) +2 LP
SKILLS: TECH, PILOTING
BONUS: Training: Vehicles
The Cetagandans have finally sent ships after the Star Gate ship -- their orders are to take the ship intact if at all possible, but they're authorized to use much more destructive force if it comes to that. The pilots need to take evasive maneuvers, while other passengers get the ship's shields up and running without totally disrupting the Star Gate. There is room for up to four extrauniversals on this mission.

1. Deanna Troi
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5) Target Locked (Star Gate) +2 LP
SKILLS: TECH, ENGINEERING
The Star Gate ship has shields, but it doesn't have weapons -- at least none of its own, anyway. Firing a nuclear weapon at the Cetagandans' ships in space would be…less than ideal, but Micah has a few spare EMP charges on hand. They posit that they should be able to re-arm the missile with an amplified EMP blast instead of a nuclear one -- it wouldn't blow the Cetagandan ships out of the sky, but it might buy them the extra time they need. There is room for up to four extrauniversals on this mission.

1. Miles Vorkosigan
2. Byerly Vorrutyer
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