test drive meme

[barrayarmods]

Playlists by tsarcasm:
Barrayar ⚔ Cetaganda ⚔ The Invasion

Have you read the FAQ?

The Village ⚔ The Barrayaran Camp ⚔ The Cetagandan Base ⚔ The Fight

You've been on Barrayar for a while now, and you're finally starting to adjust. Or maybe you're not. Maybe this is all still too much for you – the attacks, the constant raids, living in the middle of a war zone by no choice of your own. But if you want to live long enough to make it back home one day, you might as well do what you can to help the war effort. Besides, where else are you going to go?

The fierce Barrayaran winter rages even to the southern end of the continent, and it's been none too kind to Vorkosigan's District. Temperatures at sea level are well below freezing, and up in the mountains, it's even colder. Several inches of snow already blanket most of the mountains all the way down to the Cetagandan base, and the storm that's just started up is only bringing more down. Visibility is low in the flurries, wind swirling snow everywhere, and God help you if you get lost on your own out in the storm. Nights are cold, these days.

A recent attack on the Cetagandan base has left half their facilities damaged and in disarray. Raid parties snuck in by night, planting bombs in previously scouted locations for maximum effect. Damage to the base's water treatment plant and organic grow labs have considerably impacted the Cetagandans' food and water supply, and in the chaos caused by the explosions, the Barrayaran guerrillas raided their medbay and made off with a considerable bounty of medical supplies. One man's bane is another man's boon, and while the Cetagandans have reserve supplies to sustain them for now, some of the damage is extensive and the repairs will take time. But in the meantime, the Barrayarans have scored a precious victory as well as equally precious resources.



the village
The Riverfall villagers are used to the harsh winters of the Dendarii mountains, and though they don't have much themselves, they are happy to offer what they can in terms of cold-weather clothing and extra blankets to those allied with the guerrillas. Despite the cold, the hill children are going wild in the snow, and they may try to lure you into their play by sneakily pelting you with snowballs.

Cetagandan allies, however, may not be met so warmly, and at the first sight of ghem soldiers, any children out playing in the snow will be immediately ushered into their homes. Unaccompanied outsiders from the Cetagandan base might have an easier time talking to the hillfolk, but any attempt at digging information about the guerrillas out of them will get you stonewalled fast. A sneaky hill child or two may steal away from their home to approach one of the "bad guy" outsiders to sate their curiosity.



the barrayaran camp
Morale is higher than it has been in a while after their recent victory, and the guerrillas are in high spirits. And do they ever love their spirits – as night falls, most of the Barrayarans gathered around the campfires are enjoying the deceptively named, dangerously alcoholic moonshine they call maple mead. It might start out sweet, but it burns all the way down, and a few glasses of that stuff will tank even the heaviest Barrayaran soldier.

But the storm rages on despite their celebration, and preparations must be made. Clearing as much snow off the tents as possible will help ensure that no tents collapse overnight, the horses need to be tended to, and the officers are always running training drills. Food is in real supply now, but the guerrillas need help foraging and hunting nonetheless. And when night falls, you'll have to find a way to keep yourself warm – it's a good thing there are a cozy ten of you to a tent.



the cetagandan base
The Cetagandans outnumber their guerrilla enemies almost seventy-to-one, so their base has not been completely devastated, but it hardly looks to be the work of a few raiding parties. Nothing is beyond repair, but the water treatment plant has been taken offline, which means that all water is now locally sourced and must be treated by hand with purification tablets. No one in the base will starve, but fresh food is mostly unavailable until they get the grow labs back online, which means that meals are mostly comprised of ration bars and MREs. Morale isn't exactly at an all-time low, but none of the ghem officers seem to be in a good mood.

They won't hesitate to put you to work, either. They need all the engineers and laborers they can get for the grow labs and the treatment plant, and the medbay's inventory needs to be thoroughly audited before they can send a request for more supplies. But if you need a break, it's not too hard to slip away for a little quiet downtime. Some of the lower-ranked ghem ladies might let you participate in some more artistic activities, or maybe some of the enlisted soldiers who are a little more used to you by now might invite you into one of their Cetagandan games of strategy. Or, since the treatment plant only affected potable water, you could appreciate your comfortable surroundings and take a nice hot soak in the bathroom while everyone else is working.


the fight
PVP
You're in the midst of a skirmish with the other side -- maybe you signed up for the battle, maybe you just got caught up in the fight -- but at least it's easy to tell who's on what side. Only one side is wielding swords, and the other guns.

But then you come across someone who doesn't look like they're either -- not one of the rugged Barrayarans or the face-painted Cetagandans, but an outsider, an exotic like you. They must be. So do you fight?

RECON
Maybe you're not on the front lines, but there's plenty more to winning the war than just fighting. You're partnered with another outsider on recon; the ground is cold, and you try not to let your shoes crunch too loudly on snow as you scout, scanning for patrols or supply lines.

Or maybe you're with the Cetagandans, hiking it thorugh the mountains with one of your fellow exotics in an attempt to locate the enemy camp. Except it's damned cold, and there's hidden ice everywhere, and everything is starting to really look the same.

--

Feel free to write prompts for your character on either side -- you don't have to choose just one for the TDM! Just label it clearly so folks know. GO WILD, MY FRIENDS

Comments

[komarran]

"Solstice," he supplies easily enough. That much information is hardly surprising with how concentrated their population is in the domes. The capital and well-populated with a wide range of individuals. He's thankful his home dome says very little about himself beyond Komarran. He adds in a dry tone, "Hardly as glamorous as the brochures make it sound."

There's a second of contemplation as his eyes flicker from his work to her before he asks, "Which part of the Empire do you hail from, Lady d'Zefyst?"

[eugengineer]

"I'll keep that in mind if I ever visit." There's just a faint note of amusement, though whether it's in response to Duv's touch of humor or just the idea that she might ever set foot on Komarr is unclear. She tilts her head just slightly at his return question.

"Eta Ceta IV." The center of it all -- the Star Crèche, the Empress, the haut, all of it. After a moment she adds, "The Navarr constellation."

Not hers anymore, no, but that doesn't mean she's parted with it so easily.

[komarran]

Duv's acutely aware what reputation his planet holds as a tourist destination. If it weren't for the wormholes, no one would pay them any attention nor would anyone have bothered with the damn planet. It's home though and he feels a pang of longing at the thought of the Soletta Array above the 'jewel' of the domes. He had been about to set foot back on there for his new assignment before ending up here in the past, doing inventory for the Cetagandans.

Maybe he'll wake up from this if he gives it more time.

"Ah," he says with understanding, recognizing the name instantly. "Barrayar might be the farthest from home in the Nexus for you then."

Technological, urban Eta Ceta IV compared to here. Their efforts on Barrayar were considered important by their Empire, but Duv can't imagine all are happy to be stuck in the backwaters.

[eugengineer]

"Mm." It's almost better, being here where she can hold a real position, where she can be as close to her old work as possible. Better than the invisible haut wife back in the Empire, severed from her old ties. "One does make do. It's been five years. I'm beginning to adjust. There is worse company to be had, even on Eta Ceta."

[komarran]

Duv manages to keep his expression neutral at the jab towards Eta Ceta. He can only imagine. The Cetagandan lifestyle had never been to his tastes and dealing with them diplomatically on Earth had been an adventure in subtlety and nuance.

"I hadn't realized you'd been planetside for so long," he remarks, glancing over at her. "Is this procedure typical for an annexation?"

[eugengineer]

Diya smiles slightly. "We are adaptable," she says, neatly sidestepping the question. "Once it was evident that this area had become a crucial point of the war campaign, it was decided that this base needed oversight concerning its potential contributions to the Star Crèche. I possess the necessary expertise."

[komarran]

He recognizes the sidestep and reluctantly lets that topic fall to the wayside. Pursuing topics relentless would have him treading dangerous waters. He's playing a game that could easily get him fast penta'd interrogated knowing what he does of the period. And he thought being a historian would be a less life-threatening than his childhood.

"You must be providing a great asset to your Empire," he says calmly. What they thought they'd be gaining for their Star Crèche on Barrayar is still beyond his understanding, at least from a personal point of view. "I'm afraid my understanding of the Cetagandan Empire and its scope is limited."

[eugengineer]

Ha. Hardly what she'd call an asset anymore, expelled from the haut as she is, but she voices none of this to Duv. She merely smiles in that distant way the haut seem to have.

"It seems to beyond understanding for some," she says, which is Cetagandan diplomatic speak for we know it's opaque and we like it that way. "I'm sure some of the ghem would be willing to educate you in the ways of their culture if you ask."

[komarran]

So he's unlikely to get much from her at least not now. He had thought she'd be more open about her culture, but he is very much on the outside still. A fact he's doubtful will truly change no matter how much he does. That was something the Barrayarans had on the Cetagandans, he could brute force his way into their society whether they liked it or not but that method wouldn't work here.

"It would be to all of our benefits if I were better educated, Lady d'Zefyst," he says carefully. "I'll speak to one of them when I finish my work."

[eugengineer]

"I'm sure if you asked, any number of our ghem would be thrilled to enlighten you in the art of fragrance," Diya suggests lightly, which, all things considered, is a pretty nice olive branch to an offworlder. Not that it's a closely guarded secret, but the Cetagandans have been known to enjoy the I know something you don't know level to communications protocol.

"What did you do before you were brought here, Ser Galeni?"

[komarran]

"The art of fragrance?" he repeats with a slight quirk of his lips. He's had that briefing from the Barrayaran side of things, an unavoidable part of their dealings between embassies. To hear it straight from the ghem lords themselves would be a perspective he'd very much appreciate having.

"I was a professor at Solstice University for Komarran government." Not an outright lie even if the teaching part felt like a lifetime ago now.