The Hunger Games Galaxies: District 9

Sylvarant and Tethe'alla had undergone enormous changes… it was hard to think that the worlds, which had so far been separate, would suddenly find themselves brought together, through the Journey of Regeneration. As the world struggled to understand and accept this, other truths came to light, about the truth behind Desians, the Church of Martel, and, of course, the Reapings. Before the unification, the waning world was subjected to this curse, seen as a ploy by the Greater Gods of the insignificance of life. Now, with the unification, new challenges were presented.

Thus, it was degreed that the reaping would henceforth be done yearly, with each former country submitting children and teens from its towns and cities, based on a population percentage. A total of three thousand children were then brought to a previously-determined point (in this years' case, Palmacosta), where the final Reaping was done, and the tributes selected.

Further, this year provided even more changes. The only one they knew of beforehand was a relaxing of age restrictions. That meant people who were previously safe from the Reaping were thrown back into the turmoil, as the possible tributes made their way into the central area of Palmacosta, in front of the school and chapel.

"Lloyd, please, what ever you do, promise me you won't volunteer," said Colette, suddenly.

"Colette…?' said Lloyd. "Uh… what's this all of a sudden?"

"No matter what, no matter who gets chosen… let's make a pact not to volunteer. We have so much we have to do on this world, to change it for the better…" said Colette. "We can't afford to waste our lives in this barbaric contest."

"Okay, okay, if it makes you feel better," said Lloyd, smiling at the former Chosen. "I won't volunteer, okay?"

"Let's get everyone else to agree on it, too!" she said, excitedly. "Have you seen Genis or Raine?"

"No," said Lloyd, sighing. "They disappeared when we first got here."

Iselia, per their percentage, were required to send 18 children to the reaping. The initial reaping was, to put it mildly, shady. Lloyd, Genis, Colette, Genis, and Raine all just happened to be selected to go. Colette's father and grandmother, a priestess of the Greater Gods herself, had begun to protest, but the Mayor quickly shut them down for trying to instigate a riot. So, they had left together, none feeling particularly good about it, but still aware that their chances for selection were fairly low.

"Look, one of the boats from Tethe'alla just got in," said Lloyd, pointing.

It carried the main group from Meltokio, and they counted well over three hundred tributes stepping off the boat. It wasn't hard to immediately spot Zelos and Seles Wilder, who had to be supported by her brother as they walked carefully down the plank to the dock. And not far behind them came Presea, walking alone from the rest of her group. She immediately made a beeline for the Iselian group, though Zelos initially kept his distance.

"Presea… you too?" asked Colette, frowning.

"Yes," she replied, nodding.

"How many did Ozette send?" asked Lloyd. "No offense, but it doesn't seem like there are enough people there to warrant any sort of reaping anymore…"

"Three," said Presea, nonchalantly. "I volunteered."

"What? Why?" asked Colette, aghast.

"The families of Ozette… they must focus on rebuilding… they cannot do this if they have to be worried about their children," said Presea, calmly. "I do not feel as though I will be chosen. But if I am… I won't lose."

"That's true, I'd really hate to face you in the arena," said Lloyd, smiling.

"Lloyd? Colette? Presea?" came a surprised cry from behind them.

Genis and Raine had finally arrived, and they were shocked to see Sheena with them, too.

"Hello, Genis," said Presea, nodding to him. "I see you were initially reaped as well."

"Y-yeah," said Genis, blushing. "But… you can't fight, Presea! You have to be careful!"

"I will not lose," repeated Presea. "But… Sheena…?"

"I volunteered, of course," said Sheena. "As the future leader of Mizhuho, I must be one of the ones to take charge. Even if that means possibly putting my life in danger."

"I'm surprised Mizuho didn't fly under the radar," said Lloyd. "How many did you guys have to send?"

"We may fly under the radar of Meltokio, but the Gods see all. We know better than to defy them," said Sheena. "But to answer your other question, we sent nine all-told, though we combined with a few outer-lying settlements. But we shouldn't have to worry. Things should go smoothly as long as we are careful."

"Don't worry, Sheena, you'll be fine," came a drawl from behind them. "With your body and… outlandish… personality… you'll have sponsors lined up around the corner."

"Zelos… even you can manage to ruin this nice reunion," said Sheena, smirking. "Hi."

"'Sup?" he greeted everyone, grinning lazily. "Regal sends his regards, and his regret that he can't be here directly to support us. Space was limited on the ships and they made it space available only to those who had been reaped plus one family member."

"Good, we're all here then!" Colette exclaimed, as the first priests and priestesses ascended the stage and the Peacekeepers marched in to form a barrier between the tributes and the families. "I think we should make a pact. I was just telling Lloyd… no matter what happens, or who gets reaped… we can't volunteer. We have too much work to do, too much to change. Deal…?"
"Right," everyone said, nodding.

The tension in the city center was thick. The Sylvaranti people tried to stay separate from the Tethe'allans, but it was hard to do because there were thousands upon thousands of people grouped around them. Magitech cameras floated around, as a huge screen up above flashed views from around the city of tributes, families, and the stage itself. Finally, the introductory hymns and seals appeared, and everyone sang their praises before the ceremony started.

"Good afternoon," said a high priestess. "We will shortly begin the Reaping. There are several surprises we have in store for you today, approved and/or requested by the Gods themselves, but those will be revealed later. For now… I introduce todays Master of Ceremonies: High Priestess Phaidra."

Colette gasped. They'd seen the old woman up on stage, but they had no idea she'd be reading the actual names. The elderly woman hobbled to the microphone and podium as there was respectful applause for her. Those from Iselia cheered an whistled in support. It certainly wasn't a happy situation, but they wanted her to know that she at least had their emotional support.

"If I do call your name," she said. "Please take that moment to approach the stage. The Peacekeepers around the edge will be sure to protect you."

It had been a while, but there had been riots in the past. The worst one was in Meltokio over seventy years previous, when two lower class kids had been picked, despite an overwhelming majority of upper class children being in the pool. The ensuing riots left over eighty people dead, including one of the chosen tributes and another eighteen unreaped. Sylvarant had a similar situation some years later, though with only twenty-seven dead. Since then, there'd been very strict control by the Peacekeepers, who were often armed with weapons very few people could clearly identify.

"We will start with the young ladies. I wish you the best of luck," said Phaidra. "… and… the tribute for District 9 this year… Presea Combatir."

Shock and screams ran through the Heroes of Regeneration, as everyone turned to Presea. She allowed one moment of brief surprise to cross her face, before her taciturn look returned. She began to walk forward, as Genis felt his eyes watering up. Lloyd and Zelos gritted their teeth and rage, and Sheena and Colette both opened their mouths as if they were going to say something… but they stopped. There was no denying that they wanted to volunteer, but their pact kept them silent… and plus… it was Presea…

"… Do we have any volunteers?" asked Phaidra, looking around the audience.

Silence greeted her.

"Someone… anyone…" muttered Genis.

"We made that pact… so… we can't… even if we want to…" Colette began, tears in her eyes.

"She's strong," said Lloyd. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I have absolute faith that she'd have the best chance in these games."

"Me too," said Raine. "After everything she's been through, plus her small frame… she'll be fine."

"But it's so cruel…" muttered Colette, still having huge tears slide down her face.

"… very well," aid Phaidra, finally. "In that case, failing any volunteers… let us continue with our male tribute. And his name is… … oh my… … G-Genis Sage."

"I volunteer!" cried Lloyd.

"Lloyd!" screamed Zelos and Sheena. "Didn't we just-!"

"He's my best friend!" cried Lloyd. "I can't just let him-!"

"I reject the volunteer," said Genis, proudly stepping forward. "I, a half-elf, will compete."

That did it. Anyone who would have likely volunteered for him probably stopped at that point, and it was almost sickening to realize that there was an air of relief sweeping through the entire audience. A half-elf. No loss, really, even if they didn't lose. Some even clapped and whistled… though the thought behind it was not pure.

"Genis, you don't know what you're doing!" cried Lloyd.

"I'm protecting Presea!" Genis yelled back. "I will be fine!"
"Lloyd, let it go," hissed Zelos, suddenly. "The cameras. Let him be strong; don't forget the sponsors."

He was right. If Genis didn't look like he could do it himself, he wouldn't be able to get the sponsors he needed to get an advantage. Surely the Gods wouldn't look down on him for being half-elven. Perhaps he'd even get a leg-up on the competition.

"And… do we have any volunteers…?" asked Phaidra, obviously fighting back her own emotions at sending one of her granddaughter's childhood friends to the arena. "Very well… in that case… volunteers are closed. At this time… a special announcement from the Gods…"

She hobbled back a few feet to stand next to Genis and Presea, who were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, staring at the ground. The original high priestess who had started the ceremony returned and stood once more at the podium.

"It has been decided that, among other changes, this year's Hunger Games will not include sponsorships of any sort," she said. "Please make note."

Gasps and panic flooded through the arena, as did guilt. Lloyd actually felt his legs shaking. Now Genis and Presea, though powerful in their own rights, would be put in the arena with no help what-so-ever. Colette's stricken look told them that she was rethinking her rash no-volunteering policy. And Raine, who held it together long enough for the cameras to pan away and back to the stage, finally let herself collapse into tears, supported by Sheena as she wept for her brother, who was heading into the arena with no help at all.

Author's Notes:

Short explanation time on how this whole ordeal is going to work!

The games themselves are still in progress, so for now I'm only doing the intro stuff. All events that take place in the Districts will be in their appropriately-titled stories in the proper crossover section. Once that's all taken care of and it collapses into one story, I'll put the title at the end of each District Introduction Section (or just click on my author name to find it yourself).

The entire story is being decided solely on a complicated series of dice rolls, to prevent bias on my part and to make it so even I have no idea how this is going to end or who is going to win.

Let me be clear: this is not going to be an "everyone bands together and fights the evil powers and they all survive" story. As of writing this paragraph, twelve tributes are dead. So if you see your favorite character selected… well, don't get mad if they don't make it through.

That's all for now. May the odds be ever in your (favorite characters') favor.

ALSO: Starting from here-on, I've put the schedule of updates on my profile, so you can know when the next installments of my stories are coming out. It's not going to be perfect due to my job, so I might miss a few deadlines here and there, but, overall, it's a good indicator of when you can expect things to be out.