If I didn't know any better, I'd think that Paylor had this all planned from the start. At the very least, it's clear that she managed to rapidly take control of the situation rather effectively. However, I honestly don't think she conspired with Katniss to have Coin taken out or anything like that.
In any case, it's just as well that it happened, and I'm not just talking for my own sake. Beetee informed me that before the execution took place, the victors were told to hold a vote on, of all things, a Game consisting of Capitol children. The vote was evenly tied, with Katniss and Haymitch casting the deciding vote in the affirmative, which explains why Mellark was in such a foul mood at the time; before I would have probably just called the baker soft, but now… I couldn't figure out why they would vote in that manner either, especially considering how Katniss would clash with me about all my hateful rhetoric, until I realized it was to keep Coin off her back.
It still fills me with shame that I actually never saw anything wrong with Coin until towards the end. The sick bitch actually wanted to pick up where Snow left off, and the alternative she gave was a systematic massacre of Capitol citizens. It's now obvious that we were going to be trading in one tyrant for another. While Katniss may have not figured out Coin's full nature during the war, she clearly distrusted her and the president knew that; it must be why Mellark was assigned to our squad: to eliminate Katniss in a manner that renders the instigator blameless. Still, while Coin was a horrible monster, I'm beginning to suspect that I've been little better.
Coin's potential tyranny hasn't stopped many from desiring Katniss' head. We were lucky enough that Paylor got her soldiers involved to prevent anything extrajudicial happening to Katniss. However, she's still required to stand trial for her actions, and I'm slated to return to the Capitol next month as a key witness.
On the upside, Paylor is proving herself to be the opposite of her predecessors. There's probably not going to be any more Games, and one of the first things she did was crack down on retributive violence done in the Capitol. Any soldier caught looting or vandalizing gets the lash; terrorizing, lynching, or rape gets the firing squad. Of course it's too early to tell, and for all we know she may not even stick around after everything settles down. It still seems clear that she's pushing us in the right direction, despite the vitriolic protests of those who say she's not being harsh enough on people who worked for or served under the old regime.
No time was wasted in closing Camp Victory and releasing those imprisoned there. Around the same time, the "unofficial" rebel-run detention facilities also closed, leading to a large influx of Two's soldiers returning home; the fact that they were actually treated relatively well was initially met with shock by those here.
To seal the deal, a general blanket amnesty was issued for those who fought on the side of the Capitol, Peacekeeper and loyalist irregular alike; again, there were a loud set of detractors, which were ignored. Of course, the amnesty's invalid to those known to have blatantly abused their power during their service. It probably helped that, out of the prisoners, those who fell under that slot were the type to join the Corsairs anyways. Some, such as those who worked the Capitol prisons and labor camps, got the firing squad; however, most who received indefinite labor duty for the recovery effort. Same thing for the original guards at Camp Victory.
The exception to this was the warden. Besides the obvious case about the condition of Camp Victory, the fact that he conspired to eliminate high-ranking members of the Rebellion gave him no leeway. In the end, after declaring him guilty, he was given to District Two for them to determine and carry out the sentence: public hanging from the Sword of Mars and Bellona. However, instead of being dropped from a platform, he was hoisted up from the ground all the way up to the hilt. Couldn't have happened to nicer fellow; granted, at the same time, watching the scumbag thrash most of that two hundred feet of height made me wonder how many people here would like the same thing to happen to me.
The Wilsons and Anders were among those released from the camp along with the other civilians. However, with the destruction of the Victors' Village and lack of space in Marcus' tenement, it was decided that they would lodge with us; it's not like the mansion — given to me as a reward actually right after the Two was largely secured — lacks rooms. Marcus was naturally suspicious anything perceived as a pity handout but decided to move in as well after some pressuring from Mercury.
Fortunately, the new residents have been welcomed by my family — if anything, we're just happy that at least some of the other bedrooms are being filled — and the current ambivalence the former Peacekeeper has towards me doesn't extend towards them. Ma seems unable to stop doting over Sel, as well as Mercury's little twin sisters Breccia and Jasper. Also, Rory and Marcus actually seem to get along quite well, with the latter getting some resources to help the former improve his marksmanship; to my slight disappointment, my brother prefers rifles to bows. Vick and Posy are just happy to have a wider assortment of company.
In general, Marcus may no longer hate me, but he still displays some wariness — of course it's not shown during dinner — as if he's convinced that I could stumble and revert back to my old ways. If anything, the same could be said for the residents of Two in general; while my actions at the camp seem to have earned some goodwill, what I did several months ago still looms. Honestly, at this point, I don't blame them. And what matters is that the former Peacekeeper now is willingly working with me, even though he no longer has any obligation to stay; granted, he states that me letting them stay in my home provides enough of an obligation. In the end, his familiarity with the specifics of the Nut has been invaluable, especially with the latest information brought up.
By now, the exterior rubble has been successfully cleared out, and probes have determine that the majority of the complex has retained its structural integrity; it really only areas near the exits that have been affected, as well as infrastructural systems that are easily repairable. The projection is that within a year, the place will be able to be cleaned up, reinforced, and restored to previous capacity. There's just one minor issue: there may still be survivors down there.
It turns out that deep within the complex, there's a facility made to serve as a bunker in times of emergency. Unlike the rest of the Nut, Masada, as it's coined, actually has internal air circulators made to operate for almost a year and food stores that last the same amount of time if the population is low enough. It's unknown how many people made it in there, but things could range from a couple dozen to almost a thousand people.
However, there's another thing important about Masada: it's where the backup office and residence — the main one's in the now-wrecked structure that served as the Justice Building — of the Head Peacekeeper's located. Antonia Cohen's not just known to be the last Head Peacekeeper of District Two but also the second-to-last Generalisimus of the Peacekeeper Corps; upon the capitulation of Two, the last person to be appointed that position was the late — I'm still not going to shed any tears — Romulus Thread. As Marcus concedes to me, Cohen's also known to be about as fanatically loyal as they can get. So there's a good chance that any survivor there may in lockstep with her, which would make contact and ultimately recovery a bit problematic. Granted, on the flip side, work will probably not be able to be started on the Nut due to the risk that there could always be units sent from there to attack any "intruder".
Ultimately it's decided that we should try to recover the survivors, despite what risk it would consists of; Paylor agrees with me as to the necessity. If live recovery turns out to be unattainable, then at least there should be closure. After looking at all possible challenges, including what we'll possibly encounter once we reach Masada itself, a large squad is determined to be the best fit for the main part, despite the potentially large and just-as-potentially hostile surviving population; the environment is really not that conductive for a large unit to fit, and there's going to be a large supporting unit outside. I know that, even with a successful operation, it won't come even close to making up for what I done, but it's better than doing nothing. That's why, to Marcus' considerable surprise, I've also decided to personally head the mission on the ground; if for nothing else, I need to see firsthand the full results of my actions.
I really don't know why he's on board, but Plutarch Heavensbee — after a certain point, I've learned to look past his Capitol pedigree and role as a Gamemaker to recognize him for what he really is as a person: a pompous and overbearing jackass with delusions of grandeur — has decided to shine the spotlight on this whole operation, as if there isn't already enough pressure. I guess with Kantiss' trial not starting for about a month, he wants something to catch the public attention and found it here. After some tense… negotiation, I managed to limit the main media presence to Cressidia and Pollux; considering what I know they've gone through, they above all the other media buzzards deserve to get that primetime slot. Also the other condition is that nothing will air until the mission is over; while we don't know if they get any reception down there, the last thing we need is for those holed up there to anticipate our arrival.
One thing Heavensbee has managed to get his way is the name of our operation: Fretensis. After getting some info, I find out why he chose that name: Legio X Fretensis was the military unit tasked with bringing down the mountain fortress of Masada, which they succeeded at doing, over two thousand years ago. The part that's likely not going to be mentioned on air is how Masada belonged to a group of people rebelling against an autocratic and continent-spanning empire; that same empire being the one which provided the basis for this very nation, especially including much of the culture in the Capitol and Two.
Isn't it wonderful how irony works?
~oOo~
"Doc," — barring those who know him, everybody calls Stone that instead of his rank — "there's… ah… something I need to tell you."
He ceases going over his gear to look at me with no small amount of curiosity. "Sir?" Despite being part of an outside force, the Corpsman's coming with us on this mission not just to provide medical assistance but to serve as my second-in-command. He not only proved his leadership back in Camp Victory but is one of the few people I can count on to view soldiers from both Two and Thirteen — the unit's an even mix — neutrally, as well as any possible survivors we may meet.
There's really no easy way for me to say what I'm planning on saying, but if the Corpsman's going to be having my back, I need to be level with him. So I take him to the side and out of earshot from everybody else before blurting out, "I was the one who came up with the idea for the bombs dropped in the Capitol."
A few minutes pass in which he goes absolutely still before finally pursing his lips and sighing: "Honestly, sir, I ain't surprised."
"Oh…"
A sad smile forms as he regards me. "Uncle Benny told you how I reacted, didn't he. And you were expecting me to get mad or something."
I nod my head. "I don't know what he told you, but he wasn't the one who came up with whole concept; he just adapted my ideas."
"Sir—"
"You can just call me 'Gale'."
This time, his smile widens into something warmer. "I'll keep that in mind, and you can call me Luce. However, so long as we're both wearing uniforms, you're still 'sir'," he says while going back to his inventory check-up. "Anyways, the difference between you and Uncle Benny is that you ain't the one I've looked up to, and still do, as a father figure for over a decade. Yeah, I know this answer sounds a bit like a copout, but it's just how it is."
"No," I acknowledge, "it makes sense."
"But you're also probably wondering why I ain't so surprised, right?" When I nod again, all he does is point his head in the direction of our destination. "There's your answer."
Honestly, I should have seen that coming sooner but still manage to repeat, "Oh…"
"We all saw how gleeful you were as tens of thousands of people were buried alive. Compared to that… well, admitting to designing bombs that you didn't even personally drop sounds a bit trivial, don't you think?"
"Well…"
"Yes, there's something about those bombs that's evil, and even though I come from a place where weapons' design is a point of local pride, I can't condone anything that specifically targets medics or at least targets people just because they're compassionate." I actually see, if but for just a second, something harsh and cold in his eyes which reminds me of what he did to those Corsairs. "My point is that, by the time I came here, I already made peace with the fact that I'd potentially be working with someone with the blood of thousands on his hands."
That's a blunt way of putting it, but before I can say anything, Luce adds, "At the same time, I've seen your concern over Marcus and the prisoners at Camp Victory. And you do seem willing to repent for your actions, so…" A vague shrug is given with a smile, yet I think I got the general gist of things. "Anyways, have you told anyone else yet?"
I shake my head. I know I'll probably have to say something sooner or later, but… I don't feel ready yet. "Besides those already in the know, you're the first one."
A small sigh is uttered from the Corpsman. "Well, it ain't my forgiveness that matters, but if it makes you feel any better, I think you're a good guy. Fact."
"… Thanks." I mean it.
Luce gives me one last smile before he puts on his mask. Unlike our gasmasks, it's a rigid and close-fitting piece that only covers the bottom half of his face, yet it somehow locks into place with the glasses he's already wearing to create a tightly-sealed full-face cover in the process. There also the image painted over it that consists of a full set of fangs bared in an animalistic and skeletal grin.
As he trades his cap for a helmet, the Corpsman must notice me staring because he proceeds to cock his head to the side while asking, "Something the matter, sir?"
I point to the toothy source of my consternation. "Do you guys have to make every single damn thing nightmare-inducing?" Even their medical craft had similar stuff painted on the front.
"What, this? The kids back home like it." From his tone, Luce actually sounds confused as to why anybody would consider such a visage to be on the unnerving side.
Makes me wonder a bit what young children in his little community consider to be fun… On second thought, I probably don't want to know.
So the only response I deign that with is a shake of the head as I affix my own mask and helmet in place before grabbing my gun. After making sure everything and everybody else is in place, I take my position and motion for the rest of the squad to follow as we begin our trek into the Nut.
