The shuttle Lydirium would be Katniss's home for the next day, before arriving at the Capital Ship. It was not that her home ship The Leopold was very far from the Capital Ship; it was just that the shuttle moved very deliberately and had to make many minute course corrections to properly intercept the Capital Ship. Katniss could barely hear anything over the Stage I thrusters. She gazed out the small porthole window and watched The Leopold. It was a strange looking ship, like a gargantuan metal wasp's body. The largest part of their ship was by far the proton array and water condenser, it more than doubled the ship's total size. Because of this, The Leoplod's crew lived in far more cramped conditions than the other ships. Katniss's head hurt from the backwardness of it all. There her family was, living in slum like conditions on that tiny little ship when out here there was infinite space. Everyting she'd ever known and loved was there on that metallic wasp.
The intercom in her room buzzed, "Katniss, please come to the main atrium. The floor lights will guide you." That would be Dr. Trinket. The last thing Katniss wanted to do was see her, or that boy she would have to kill. It buzzed again, "Please don't make me have the peacekeepers escort you." Katniss sighed. She looked around her room, in was mostly empty. Besides her bunk, there was only a desk. The only thing on the desk was a tiny magnetic metal ornament. It resembled a sea urchin with many spikes. Katniss grabbed it and hid it up her sleeve. She knew she wouldn't use it to kill Effie, but the idea made her smile. With a woosh, the automatic doors let her out of her room and the floor lighting guided her down the hall to the main atrium.
"Welcome Katniss," smiled the green haired doctor. Effie was at the head of a long table and Peta sat adjacent to her. Katniss sat at the opposite end, but unfortunately the table wasn't as long as it first appeared. Two peacekeepers came in dragging a hunched over figure by the shoulders. They threw him into the chair next to Katniss. He reeked of stale beer and piss, so, really just piss.
"What do you do with a drunken sailor?!" came his best attempt at song.
"Ha ha! My, very funny, Haymitch." Came Effie. Katniss supposed that to her it was impolite to acknowledge drunkenness. Katniss noticed that Peta was glaring at her with raised eyebrows in a "this is our mentor?" sort of look. Katniss did nothing.
"Now, Peta and Katniss, meet Haymitch Earth-born. He will be your mentor, responsible for teaching you everything you need to survive in the games."
Katniss just stared at Effie. In an attempt to make her uncomfortable she checked her out. Her eyes lingered extra long on Effie's tight fitting silver pants.
"Katniss!" Effie blurted out.
"What?"
"Any questions?"
Katniss thought for a second. "Is the carpet green like the drapes?"
Haymitch burst out laughing. "Alright! This kid's a gamer."
Effie scowled at them. "Alright, I'll let you three talk preliminary strategy. Then you can eat." She nearly ran into the automatic doors.
The three of them sat there and looked around at each other for a bit.
"So, what's our strategy?" Asked Peta.
"Well I don't know about you, but my strategy is to drink myself into oblivion until this painful existence reaches its terminus and returns to the dust from whence it came." Haymitch 'cheersed' an imaginary partner and then drank.
"No I meant for the games." Said Peta, unamused. He was blonde and muscular, and maybe not too bright, thought Katniss. He seemed to underestimate Haymitch's veiled shrewdness.
"No shit?" retorted Haymitch. "Why don't you make like Ms. Thunder-tits here get with the program."
Katniss discreetly let the sharp ornament fall from her sleeve into her hand, "And what exactly, is that supposed to mean, you drunk old pervert?"
"Yeah! Don't talk to her like that!" Peta Exclaimed.
Katniss turned to him, "I'll fight my own battles, thanks."
"Christ, I'm on your side… Thunderti-" Katniss interrupted him by jumping across the table and raising the ornament to smash into his head. Haymitch's laughter stopped her. She looked at him. He had fallen over in his chair, and was now clutching his stomach and rolling.
Katniss and Peta looked at each other, and they couldn't help but smile.
Haymitch began clapping from the floor. "Well, maybe this will be interesting after all."
After reorganizing themselves they watched holograms of the other reapings. The two Roman looking barbarians aboard The Nituntur worried them all the most. There was a particularly tall looking brute aboard The Merrigold that would be difficult as well. The only other tribute that jumped out at Katniss was a girl from The Euclid. She had a sharp nose and very sly looking face. She was pretty, but athletic looking. Katniss marveled at her physique, it was rare to see a body like that. She had seen pictures from Earth, but "fitness" took on a new definition in space. Everyone had much more muscle tone on Earth, the low gravity environment here made it hard to get a workout. Her thoughts were interrupted by Peta.
"Where are the tributes from The Perseus?" he asked.
"Those idiots?" Answered Haymitch. "Somebody probably left the airlock open and they accidentally spaced themselves."
Effie had come back in. "We'll find out soon enough," She said. "Nobody has received any transmissions from them. We're the closest shuttle to them so we're making a pit stop to get them in line. I will be going on board, but you three stay here."
"Sounds good to me." Said Katniss. "I've had about enough of this anyway, I'm going to sleep off the rest of my cryo-pains." And with that she went back to her room to sleep. She dreamt of Prim and her mom. They were all lying in a field, like she had seen in pictures. There was life all around them: bugs, plants, birds, and trees. Gale was there. And he was smiling. The dream faded into black as she fell deeper into sleep.
Suddenly an alarm woke her. She was lying in her bunk, bathed in red light. She ran over to the desk and checked the holoscreen. SHUTTLE LYDIRIUM: ALL HANDS BATTLE STATIONS, it read. Katniss put on her blue jumper and cloth shoes and ran out the door.
The corridor was empty of peacekeepers. Still bathed in red light. She turned the corner and collided with Peta. "Sorry" he said, rubbing his head.
"What's going on?" She asked hurriedly. No answer. She could tell by the look on his face that he was as lost as she was. The last thing she remembered was talking about The Perseus and then heading to bed. "The Perseus!" She exclaimed. "Maybe they're rebelling! Come on!" Katniss grabbed him by the hand and rushed toward the airlock. "Maybe we can get aboard" She yelled excitedly.
They ran down the hall and into the stairwell. After running down three flights they went back into the corridor and turned right. "Come on! It's just down this ha-"
"Where do you think you're going?" Haymitch grabbed them both.
"Thank The Void! There you are." Effie shouted.
Katniss began to struggle. Haymitch let out a chorus of "woahs." Katniss screamed "You have to let us-" She stopped when she looked further down the corridor to the airlock. Dozens of peacekeepers were there. Blasts of light came from their rifles. Someone in a red jumpsuit similar to the blue one Katniss was wearing was barreling down the hall towards them. Each strike of light left a hole in the red jumper but didn't stop the creature's momentum. It had yellow skin and blood red eyes. It grabbed a peacekeeper on the other side of the airlock and began tearing at his face. An animal shriek the likes of which Katniss had never heard came from the man. She looked on in horror as the peacekeepers closed the airlock leaving the man and creature on board the other ship. As the airlock sealed Katniss watched the man being devoured from behind the glass. The blast doors then closed, blocking the scene from view.