Author's Note: A slightly longer chapter here but there was a lot that had to be said. As ever, I can't quite leave my victors behind and wanted to touch on their wider roles.
…
Conflicts
"My point is simply that we cannot spend a disproportionate amount of our funds and resources on what was essentially a small town," Montgomery said. The council were in discussions as to how to move forward with the situation in District Twelve.
"We can't just leave it the way it is!" Gale Hawthorne replied.
"I'm not suggesting that we do. Of course, when the weather begins to warm, we will need to begin a clean-up and burial. My concerns are what we do afterwards."
"But people wish to return home."
"They might have to realise that for now, at least, they have a different home. Your people are safe, warm, and fed in Thirteen. They cannot live in Twelve."
"The Victors' Village is still standing. Surely those who wish to return in the nearer future could live there. It would not be a big job to make sure the power is up and running and that there are supplies for a few people. They want to start on rebuilding and there will need to be resources for when people arrive to clean up anyway."
"I think that could be feasible. Judging from the imagery, the Village looks untouched by the bombings, and if it's only a few people who are ready and willing to start the clean-up," Halley said.
There was an ulterior motive to Three's victor's input. She had heard from Plutarch that enforcing Katniss Everdeen's return to Twelve could be the outcome of whatever proceedings were ongoing and having somewhere to live could stand in her favour. Montgomery and Silver wanted the girl imprisoned so Halley was not going to make that point at the council table, it was not an argument she felt like having. But she was not going to see one of her own harmed further. The girl had been used in a way Halley doubted she fully understood and getting her somewhere she felt comfortable might be what she needed. Out of sight, out of mind. That should work for those who felt aggrieved at Coin's demise. It would be what Halley wanted and if she were honest with herself, she would much rather be in Three than attempting politics in a new democracy. But her people in Three had chosen her and she would do right by them.
….
The culprit had been detained and nobody knew what to do with him. This time, one of Six's most prolific dealers had done the job himself instead of sending a younger lackey, so for Poppy, it was one less danger on the streets. But he would languish in prison for nobody knew what laws or codes applied when a leader was assassinated and what system would be in place for him to face the consequences.
Poppy had realised that a quiet life in her house was not going to happen for her right now, but she did not imagine that one of her first acts as her home's informal, suddenly imposed leader would be a meeting with District Six's most significant morphling dealers. It seemed that after years of assisting her fellow victors, the drug's influence would never leave her alone. She had never succumbed, having never felt the appeal, but like so many people in Six, it cast a shadow over her life.
But the health of her people had been at risk for far too long so she would have to face the matter head-on. Ultimately, she did not want to die, so unlike her predecessor she was not going to try to ban morphling dealing outright, she would regulate it instead.
It was a surreal situation, sitting face to face with the people who had helped bring chaos on her district, but she had grown to know many of them, and they knew her. They knew what she was capable of and what she had already done. But this time, Poppy returned home with the backing of their new government structures and friends in important places.
Between them, they divided Six into areas where each dealer and their associates would control the supply and make their earnings. That way, they would not fight across the district and bring more destruction onto the people who had survived. The dealers would be watched closely, but Poppy would keep up her part of the bargain and not prohibit dealing. There were to be minimum standards too, dirty morphling had worsened many an already dire situation and Poppy had made an emergency call for doctors to go to Six to assist with the consequences of addiction and support those trying to reclaim their lives.
It would be all she could do for now, and along with her new colleagues, she would keep a close watch on the situation. In the new Panem, she did not feel the lengths she had gone to previously would be acceptable, and it was not how she wanted to conduct her affairs any longer. It was a new Panem and that was no place for the methods of old.
There were other issues to solve too. Hopefully, teams from Thirteen and Five would be arriving imminently to help get the power back on in the north and they really needed international support with the food supply. Six had hardly any control of its food supply with the vast majority being grown elsewhere. That was something they needed to change so Poppy had resolved to get a team looking into what land they could utilise for farming and agriculture. But in the meantime, strict rationing would have to be implemented and having realised that Linden had spent some time during the war on logistics, Poppy put him in charge of food distribution, at least until the council or new President implemented a system. Linden was somewhat of an outsider, the only allegiances he had to people in Six were to her, so it would be difficult for him to be accused of favouring one group over another and she knew he would be scrupulously fair with what they and their associates received.
She had realised that nothing would be simple, there would be problem after problem to resolve, but Poppy was heartened by the faith people immediately put into her abilities on her return. She just hoped she would not let her home down.
….
Much to Commander Hadrian, Enobaria and the council's relief, Colonel Lon's supporters had not provoked further conflict. They had still picked up supporters but true to Hadrian's prediction, the number of new recruits was dwindling the further out into the district Lon's men travelled.
There had been two days of relative peace to report on, but Commander Hadrian knew that Colonel Lon would soon happen upon the poorest quarry workers who worked Two's oldest quarries and they would hold no sympathy for those who supported their oppressors.
They were now in a position to speak freely about their experiences under Snow and Ravinstill and they were unafraid to lay their wounds bare. Low pay, long hours, poor housing, and physical injury had left them angry, and they were the first of the district to turn to the rebels.
Colonel Lon portrayed a false picture of District Two's quarrymen. Whilst there may have been strength and pride in some of the workers who saw the fruits of their labour repair the Justice Building or be sent to high profile locations in the Capitol, it was not the same everywhere. There were still workers picking at the scraps, working with whatever was left at the oldest, most over-used quarries for very little reward. They did not feel strength and pride, they knew the Capitol was not on their side and to see someone sweep through their villages telling them that the Capitol's rule was in their best interests was offensive.
So, when the two groups met, the inevitable happened. There was a skirmish in one of the villages, injuries occurred, and further arrests were made. But still, Colonel Lon's troops moved on. However, they were drawn to a standstill at the next village they arrived at where the former quarry workers came out, in peace, and blocked their route through. They held placards and banners bearing the words 'Not On Our side' and telling Lon's troops to turn back. Some carried pictures demonstrating the conditions at their former workplace, others held banners detailing the numbers of injuries at each site, and there were people who stood with their injuries on display. This was their Two, the Two hidden from view, the Two that Colonel Lon and his supporters either had no idea existed or wanted to hide away and forget all about. This was the District Two with more in common with One's and Twelve's miners, the factory workers and the agricultural labourers. They saw no pride in serving the Capitol.
Ultimately, it was an embarrassment for Colonel Lon and his followers. They did not want to be seen to provoke violence and risk further arrests after Colonel Lon had agreed not to directly instigate conflict, so they were unable to pass through the village. They had to turn back and navigate around it to their next destination.
….
"Achieving a sense of justice will be vital, both for us to start afresh but also to shut the door on the past and get closure. But with three weeks to go, I'm not sure it's our place to make it one of our priorities. There will be much larger policy decisions to make, and we should stay out of the way of those who will be running the trials," Isabella Perez said.
"But there is so much to do. Should we not try to give the incoming President something to work from?" Montgomery replied.
Four's representative cut in, "That would be imposing our will. The candidates in the election should put forward their view of justice and let the public decide."
"But there are those of us from Thirteen already familiar with the plans for the trials at the very least."
"Montgomery, those who are working on the trials should remain entirely separate from the council and I think, from the new President too. We cannot have the government running trials. I thought Silver had mentioned fair, independently run trials?"
"Look, Four, surely they will be foregone conclusions. Politicians, cabinet members, Gamemakers, we all know what they did. That will be the easy part, we have much broader considerations."
"It will be a matter of the judges from each district weighing up the evidence and listening to the witnesses. We cannot start our new system with show trials," Isabella finished, trying to stop the argument she could tell was brewing.
Officials from Thirteen arrived in the Capitol with a plan for trials already in place and the new council had easily agreed to there being trials of key figures from the old regime, but only when everything was prepared and witnesses and evidence readily available. They were to stay outside the running of the trials, although that decision had not been popular with all members.
Montgomery wanted quick, public justice. Vengeance even. General Silver did not want anything that may appear to be a show trial associated with the new system and the presidency. He was arguing against his peer for independent, judge and prosecutor led trials, with a separate team of civil servants doing much of the paperwork. This was currently the winning argument, and as independent trials kept the matter away from the council, this was not likely to change.
Montgomery started again, "I still think there's just an awful lot to consider and we should make an early start. So many people associated with the old regime are still around. Many have been arrested yes, but the whereabouts of so many others remain uncertain."
"I understand that. But we should let those tasked with finding the accused do their jobs whilst we do ours," Isabella replied.
"There is also the role of many individuals who existed in grey areas to think about too. Capitol citizens not politically involved but who occupied positions which upheld the regime, victors, the old Mayors, the civil servants and functionaries who we have not been able to clear for government work yet."
The eyes of Beetee, Halley and Enobaria suddenly homed in on General Montgomery and Halley quickly cut in," Don't think I missed you mentioning victors, but I'll get back to that in a minute. The first category you mentioned can apply to most of the Capitol, but we are clear that there will not be repercussions against the Capitol as a whole. The Mayors can be considered on a case by case basis, and the functionaries, we are still in the process of determining their status. But do explain what you meant by the victors."
"Well, years spent upholding the regime, being the public faces of the Hunger Games and those who volunteered are surely in a curious position."
"Katniss volunteered, as did Peeta in the Quell. Surely you are not going to put them on trial for volunteering?" Gale said.
"Of course not. They volunteered out of selflessness. It was an act of bravery and sacrifice."
Enobaria sneered, "Well tell me, Montgomery, which volunteers will you put on trial?"
Halley was surprised that General Montgomery was still alive and well by this point. She knew Enobaria was armed and the looks she was throwing could kill as well as any knife in her hands. Halley herself had also remained discreetly armed, she had instructed Beetee to do the same and she knew Poppy had the same idea when she was in the Capitol. They knew not everyone could be trusted and never underplayed the possibility of danger.
"Put Annie Cresta on trial, slander the other victors and see how popular that makes you in Four," their representative said.
"Of course Annie Cresta will not be questioned or put on trial. She is pregnant and vulnerable; her mental state has suffered as a result of the very Games we are discussing."
"But surely you'd be putting the Annie Cresta who volunteered on trial? Eighteen-year-old, well-trained, favourite to win, leader of the career pack Annie Cresta," Halley started, and Montgomery blanched.
"Shows how little you understand. You had the privilege of being removed from the Games, you watched from a distance. Something else I bet you won't know; it doesn't matter if you volunteered or not. We ended up in that arena and we did what we had to do, trained or not, we survived. It doesn't mean you killed the most or behaved the worst. The victor with the most kills, Slate, well he was awful but the others? Brutus had the second-highest number of kills, and he was a good man, a friend, he did not care what district you were from or how you got out, only that it was you who got out alive and that was good enough for him. Third highest kill list? Me. Most kills out of any female tribute, never mind victor, but you weren't going to treat me like a criminal even though I blew up half the field in less than forty-eight hours. But you'd go for Enobaria, who despite her training, killed four. So, explain, which victors are you going to criminalise and what for?"
The room fell silent, eyes darting between Montgomery, Halley, and the floor. Many had felt like this confrontation had been brewing for some time. Montgomery disliked the presence of the victors and wanted any face associated with the old regime gone. But most of the others were pragmatic and they were able to see the contributions many of the victors had made. Besides, those present had been entrusted by their districts, and what right did they have to challenge that?
It was Isabella who broke the awkward silence, "Halley, I am truly sorry for what happened to you all, I think we are starting to realise what surviving the Games actually meant, and I note that none of you has ever spoken of 'victory' or 'winning' and that is very telling. Montgomery, you can hardly expect us to believe, after what we know now, that they wanted to be the faces of the Games. Who wants to accompany children to their deaths and live under constant threat? But, let me offer you another perspective. That for many, the Games didn't matter all that much, it was something that happened to other people and not you. Of course, it affected those poor children who were sent to their deaths, ruined the lives of their families, and shaped those of the victors. But unless you were especially poor, you did not have much to worry about if you thought about it. I was not poor, we weren't amongst the district's richest either, but there were hundreds of girls in a worse situation than me and they had nearly all the entries in the reaping ball.
People want to see those who affected their lives punished. Industry leaders who set the rules and conditions, politicians, and public figures sure, but those who worked them into ill-health and family members into an early grave will be the priority. Nobody wants hordes of low-level functionaries in the dock and besides, deciding that will be the job of those organising and delivering the trials, which, I shall reiterate, will not be us."
With that, General Montgomery left the room, suitably chastised and the council agreed that shaping a new justice system would be firmly left to the incoming President. They had many matters to hand that needed to be solved in the immediate future and quarrelling about the fates of specific groups very few people had an interest in was not how they were going to spend their time.
For Halley and Isabella, both prominent voices on the council, they had realised that a quiet life back home was not beckoning. They both voiced ideas, had sensible solutions to problems and were able to keep the peace during the council's meetings.
For Isabella, the realisation was easier to face as she had found herself not as opposed to politics as she had thought. She was skilled in negotiation, knew when to compromise and when she could push for that little bit more. But for Halley, after years of both danger and excitement, she had set her hopes on becoming a teacher, hopefully in District Three's expanding university. So, she left the conflicts of the council meeting, to deal with a personal conflict of her own. How to balance what she wanted and where she was needed most.