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thisavrou_ooc2015-12-18 02:25 pm
forwardmomentum) wrote in thisavrou_ooc2015-12-18 02:25 pm
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ALL ABOUT THE KOMARR REPORT
SO YOU'VE RECEIVED A COPY OF THE KOMARR REPORT. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW PART OF AN EXCLUSIVE GROUP THAT INCLUDES EVERYONE ON THE SHIP EXCEPT MILES VORKOSIGAN.
The Komarr Report is a detailed strategy/military memoir written by Admiral Lord Aral Vorkosigan about the Barrayaran invasion of Komarr, the planet that controlled the only wormhole jump point to Barrayar. The book is a comprehensive explanation of Admiral Vorkosigan's grand strategy and how it was executed, demonstrating a complex and nuanced military genius behind it. Despite it having been a military invasion, the bulk of Admiral Vorkosigan's strategy heavily focused on political and economic factors. Barrayar's intent was to incorporate Komarr into its Empire rather than destroy it, so the aim of the invasion was to avoid causing damage and loss of life where possible and preserve the Komarran infrastructure and way of life. The Komarr Report demonstrates Admiral Vorkosigan's thorough understanding of the interlocking factors of diplomacy, war, culture, and economics; his strategy is outlined in a clear and logical fashion that makes it intelligible to the reader, though it retains its level of complexity. The book is obviously geared toward the military reader, but isn't totally inaccessible to the average civilian.
The invasion was an overall success -- Komarr was inducted as the first planetary addition to the Barrayaran Empire. However -- as is the case with most things -- it did not go entirely according to plan. At the apex of the invasion, the invading Barrayaran forces had about two hundred political hostages confined to a gymnasium, all of whom were killed in what is now known as the Solstice Massacre. The book glosses over the exact details and circumstances that led to the Solstice Massacre, but states that they were able to successfully incorporate Komarr despite the loss of life.
For the curious: a conversation about The Komarr Report
Some fun facts that aren't public knowledge, or are not detailed in the book:
The book has contains some very revised history concerning the Solstice Massacre. It is vague about the circumstances leading up to the massacre, but in truth Admiral Vorkosigan was not the one who ordered the murder of the hostages. He gave his word as Vorkosigan to the hostages to guarantee their safety. The kill order was ostensibly handed down from him to his political officer; however, the officer acted of his own accord in Admiral Vorkosigan's absence and effectively broke the Admiral's word and stripped him of honor. Admiral Vorkosigan was so enraged and devastated by this that he snapped his political offcier's neck with his bare hands in retribution and in order to regain his honor. Unfortunately, any hard proof that Admiral Vorkosigan was not the true perpetrator of the massacre died with his political officer. This particular truth about the Solstice Massacre is not widely known nor has it ever been publicly confirmed. Miles has heard the conflicting version of the story, but has never received any confirmation from his father about what actually happened.
As a result of the Solstice Massacre, Admiral Vorkosigan is widely known on Barrayar and throughout the Nexus as "The Butcher of Komarr", and he was demoted to Captain afterwards despite the invasion's overall success.
Aral Vorkosigan is Miles' father. (The invasion took place well before Miles' birth; they're obviously related but the book doesn't contain any references to Aral's family, except his father General Count Piotr Vorkosigan, also acknowledged as a military genius & hero during the war of his time, the twenty-year resistance against the Cetagandan invasion.)
If you're interested in more detailed information for the purposes of IC knowledge, the wiki has some more information to offer, and I've added some more details below:
And an excerpt, since at least one person asked for something they could quote (courtesy of Ammay, who is always excited about the opportunity to write about politics from Aral's perspective, because she is a giant lovable nerd):
Feel free to leave any additional questions you might have!
The Komarr Report is a detailed strategy/military memoir written by Admiral Lord Aral Vorkosigan about the Barrayaran invasion of Komarr, the planet that controlled the only wormhole jump point to Barrayar. The book is a comprehensive explanation of Admiral Vorkosigan's grand strategy and how it was executed, demonstrating a complex and nuanced military genius behind it. Despite it having been a military invasion, the bulk of Admiral Vorkosigan's strategy heavily focused on political and economic factors. Barrayar's intent was to incorporate Komarr into its Empire rather than destroy it, so the aim of the invasion was to avoid causing damage and loss of life where possible and preserve the Komarran infrastructure and way of life. The Komarr Report demonstrates Admiral Vorkosigan's thorough understanding of the interlocking factors of diplomacy, war, culture, and economics; his strategy is outlined in a clear and logical fashion that makes it intelligible to the reader, though it retains its level of complexity. The book is obviously geared toward the military reader, but isn't totally inaccessible to the average civilian.
The invasion was an overall success -- Komarr was inducted as the first planetary addition to the Barrayaran Empire. However -- as is the case with most things -- it did not go entirely according to plan. At the apex of the invasion, the invading Barrayaran forces had about two hundred political hostages confined to a gymnasium, all of whom were killed in what is now known as the Solstice Massacre. The book glosses over the exact details and circumstances that led to the Solstice Massacre, but states that they were able to successfully incorporate Komarr despite the loss of life.
For the curious: a conversation about The Komarr Report
Some fun facts that aren't public knowledge, or are not detailed in the book:
The book has contains some very revised history concerning the Solstice Massacre. It is vague about the circumstances leading up to the massacre, but in truth Admiral Vorkosigan was not the one who ordered the murder of the hostages. He gave his word as Vorkosigan to the hostages to guarantee their safety. The kill order was ostensibly handed down from him to his political officer; however, the officer acted of his own accord in Admiral Vorkosigan's absence and effectively broke the Admiral's word and stripped him of honor. Admiral Vorkosigan was so enraged and devastated by this that he snapped his political offcier's neck with his bare hands in retribution and in order to regain his honor. Unfortunately, any hard proof that Admiral Vorkosigan was not the true perpetrator of the massacre died with his political officer. This particular truth about the Solstice Massacre is not widely known nor has it ever been publicly confirmed. Miles has heard the conflicting version of the story, but has never received any confirmation from his father about what actually happened.
As a result of the Solstice Massacre, Admiral Vorkosigan is widely known on Barrayar and throughout the Nexus as "The Butcher of Komarr", and he was demoted to Captain afterwards despite the invasion's overall success.
Aral Vorkosigan is Miles' father. (The invasion took place well before Miles' birth; they're obviously related but the book doesn't contain any references to Aral's family, except his father General Count Piotr Vorkosigan, also acknowledged as a military genius & hero during the war of his time, the twenty-year resistance against the Cetagandan invasion.)
If you're interested in more detailed information for the purposes of IC knowledge, the wiki has some more information to offer, and I've added some more details below:
- A few decades earlier, the Komarran government accepted a bribe from the Cetagandan Empire and allowed them passage through the Komarr-controlled jump point to Barrayar so that they could invade Barrayar and annex it for their own Empire. Despite a grueling twenty years of siege, the invasion was unsuccessful due to a fierce guerilla warfare campaign from the Barrayarans, and they eventually gave up on the invasion and retreated. The Komarr invasion was not merely an act of revenge, but a way to ensure Barrayar would never suffer the same vulnerability again.
- Admiral Vorkosigan's strategy for Komarr was feasible due to the fact that it was a small population concentrated in climate-controlled city domes, unideal for guerilla defense tactics. Komarr was a commercial center more than anything else; while Barrayar had no real political allies at the time, they let it be known that they would dramatically be dropping their trade tariffs through Komarr, and any would-be allies of Komarr quickly changed their loyalties. Komarr hired mercenaries to fight off the invading forces, but few stuck around once they saw they were against the might of the entire Barrayaran Empire.
And an excerpt, since at least one person asked for something they could quote (courtesy of Ammay, who is always excited about the opportunity to write about politics from Aral's perspective, because she is a giant lovable nerd):
The idea was to take Komarr with as little loss of life as possible – leaving a bloody legacy behind to cause trouble for subsequent generations was to be avoided at all costs. Integration, not subjugation, still remains the long-term goal for Komarr, or should for all those invested in the future of the Barrayaran Empire.
Therefore when planning for the invasion the retention of the existing government and social infrastructure was key – the Counselors were to remain unharmed, promised that Barrayar would neither attempt to undermine or interfere with their power or money beyond answering to the Emperor. The Viceroy of the planet would be styled the Imperial Counselor to appeal to their traditions, and simply placed at the top of their government rather than dismantling it wholesale. The Komarrans have always valued money, and so they were to be allowed to keep it – our tax rate would keep level with their own.
Feel free to leave any additional questions you might have!