forbarrayar_ooc | test drive meme

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sorry, Charlie. He's still laughing at her a bit. Because he knows that face very well - has, in fact, worn it himself. He reaches over with the bottle he's holding and offers to refill her glass.

"An excellent plan," he says with a grin. "But only because it leaves more for me."

"Take it easy with that." A warning really isn't needed, since he seems to know more about handling it than she does. But still, the friendly banter is enough to put a slight smile on her face as she lets him fill her glass so she can take another drink. It still makes her shudder as it goes down, but at least her face doesn't contort into a grimace as it hits her stomach.

"At least if we drink enough, we won't have to worry about staying warm tonight."

Oh, no. He knows this mead very well indeed. It's a nostalgic expression that he's wearing as he takes another long sip.

"For once," he says. "It's not going to get any warmer, I'm sorry to say. We'll likely see snow deep into what the locals call 'spring.'"

Her nose wrinkles up in distaste, and she's left scowling as she takes another long drink. This time, the burn is welcome. "I can't get decent hunting done with weather like this."

She's used to winters up in Wisconsin, so it's not like she's completely new to it, but she's gotten used to warmer weather and being able to run around in a tank top. That's definitely not an option here.

Oh well. Might as well make the most out of things. Her eyes look him up and down before asking, "Do you know the area well?"

He speaks like one of the natives, anyway, and has had no trouble with the weird dialects everyone seems to use here. He nods a bit in response to her question. "Quite well," he says. "I spent a good portion of my childhood here." A sip. "You need a native guide for hunting?"

That earns as close to a genuine smile as Charlie's given anyone the entire time she's been here. She stares over at him for a little while, trying to figure out what kind of price he's going to ask in return.

"I wouldn't say no if you're offering." She tries to play it cool and not act like she's excited about the prospect of having a guide.

Aww, Charlie. Miles just grins more widely in return. Maybe he shouldn't be so surprised - native guides must be hard to come by, given the general distrust of outsiders on Barrayar. "I am indeed," he says. "It will give me an opportunity to help bring back food. Which I'm usually not great at." A sore point for him, given the way some of the other soldiers have glared at him every time he takes a ration or a bit of game. He has to justify his drain on the supplies, being a mutant and all.

"Are you not able to hunt?" The wheels in her head are working, and she motions for him to follow her with a motion of her head. She leads the way over to where she's hidden the crossbow she's made, and pulls it out for him to see.

"If you help me figure out the land, I'll teach you how to use it. If you need the lesson." The last time she assumed someone needed to learn how to hunt and offered, she wound up punched in the face. She takes a cautious step back in case that's the case here too.

He follows her, only teetering on his feet a little bit. A low whistle at that - it's a nice looking crossbow. But there's no punch incoming. Hell, he's so short that he probably wouldn't be able to reach her face anyway.

"I would be deeply grateful for lessons if you are willing," he replies. "A fair trade, perhaps?"

Not someone to take something without offering a trade in return, his suggestion pleases her. "We can head out in the early mornings," she decides, crouching to tuck her weapon back in its hiding place. She generally carries it slung over her shoulder and around her back but she doesn't figure that combining that with drinking is the best choice.

"You teach me the land, and I'll teach you how to kill things" It's a fair trade in her opinion.

Probably best not to accidentally shoot anyone. "Then we have a deal," he says, offering his hand. "On one condition."

She looks at his hand, but doesn't reach out to take it yet. "What condition?" Her face shifts to something that looks dangerously close to apprehensive. If she doesn't like the condition, she'll bolt.

He keeps it stretched out, his smile still bright. "Tell me your name."

At that, she visibly relaxes and even manages a slight smile of her own. She brings her hand out to take hold of his and give it a firm shake. Names aren't a deal breaker here. No one knows who her family is here. "Charlie Matheson. What about you?"

"Miles Ilyan," he says, the lie passing his lips flawlessly. He, on the other hand, has way too much family here.

His first name makes her take pause, smile slipping into a slight frown. Miles is the only person she desperately misses from home and to meet someone with the same name as him is both comforting and distressing all at once. Trying not to let it show, she gives a light nod of her head.

"We'll head out tomorrow then, Miles. Don't drink so much that you're hungover, okay?"

That's ... an odd reaction, he thinks, but he's certain he's never seen her before. Unless she's somehow from his future? What a thought.

"I shall endeavor not to," he says, raising an eyebrow. "But no promises."

"In that case, I'm not making any promises that I won't drag you out of bed in the morning." Her grin is bright as she teases him, but her words hold an edge of truth to them. She's got no problem finding him bright and early in order to get him moving with her own brand of motivation.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," he says with a grin. "Do your worst."

"Do you normally invite people to do their worst to you?" She smirks as she asks him it, wondering if he knows how much trouble he can end up in doing that.

"Constantly," he says with a grin. "I've found it's easier that way. Once someone has done their worst, it's all uphill from there."

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