11. The Dark Days Begin
Press Releases
"The Capitol Jorunal
Article from January 28, 2070
(AP)-SYRACUSE, DISTRICT THIRTEEN - Riots have been increasing in the suburban areas of District Thirteen. People wearing masks have been attacking Peacekeepers with anything they could get their hands on: guns, tazers, bricks, etc. Rioters have been shouting things profane and inaudible. Multiple Peacekeepers have been dispatched to attempt to subdue the crowds. Pictures of President Ariann Fuler are plastered all over the district with profanity and crude drawings throughout them. The Capitol is attempting to find refuge for civilians stuck amist in the chaos."
"Unmarked News Website (.pos)
Article posted on Januray 30, 2070
NEWS: Riots have been increasing throughout multiple districts within the nation. Rebel groups have been shouting multiple things, including, "Down with the f****** Capitol!". In District 13, other phrases that have been shouted, according to reporters are, "We have nukes! Down with the Capitol. We have nuclear protection!" President Fuler has attemtpted to hide these allegations of Thirteen having nuclear weapons by having the state-run media spew out that the sayings are inaudible. According to our reporters, these quotes are completely accurate. Researchers are looking into the possible nuclear arsenal."
(That article was sent in to me after the fall of President Alma Coin, and it was by paper mail, so the official network was not found.)
"Capitol News Television
Evening National News - February 1st, 2070
ANNOUNCER: Here is your host, Juilia Flickerman!
JUILIA: Breaking News from the government. More and more riots have broken out all over the country. According the the Department of Defense, an official declaration of war has been issued by District Thirteen. More Peacekeepers are being dispatched in an attempt to resolve the issue before a full civil war ensues. President Fuler promises to calmer districts and the city of the Capitol that things will be perfectly fine and the Capitol is doing all they can to fix the problems. Uneasy crowds are beginning to move to violence in Districts Six, Seven, and Ten. District Twelve is offering food aid to refugees escaping the violence. The Department of Resources is going to help distribute the aid once civilians are out of the line of fire. If any riot picks up, call the Peacekeeper hotline for your area and stay inside, away from harm and danger. More coming on this fast breaking story."
"Capitol News Television
Afternoon Circle - February 3rd, 2070
ANNOUNCER: Time for the Circle! Here is Juilia Flickerman, Janola Dreevs, Octavio Straisure, and special guest, President of the Republic of Panem: Ariann Fuler!
JUILIA: Hello, Circle fans. We have a very special guest for your guys today. All the way from Capitol Boulevard, here is our beautiful President!
FULER: Thank you, Mrs. Flickerman. I have an update about the riots going on within the districts and sadly, it is not good news. All districts except four of them have officially sent a declaraction of war to the Department of Defense. The Secretary of Defense, Mr. Zeus Trianto, says that we will be prepared for military-like exercises only if they are necessary. We are going into a civil war, but I ask all people not involved to stay calm. Any refugee in this conflict is recommended to evacuate the warzone and contact the Capitol to be taken away from the conflict. Possible refuge locations are in Districts One, Two, Four, and Twelve. I promise all will be okay."
"District Seven News Today
Article from February 5, 2070
War has begun between us, the Free Americans, and the Peacekeepers, the Capitol's lackeys. The traitors in One, Two, Four, and Twelve are planned to be targeted in the chance of our success. Anyone wanting to join the Free American Army is recommended to go to the safe base in Seven to get certification from Commandant Styke to go to Thirteen for training. In the instance of it being too dangerous, you will be trained here."
-Showing multiple news articles presented from different sources would help explain both sides of the conflict.
Beginning Battle
As it was just starting, the Capitol was more focused on securing the loyal districts, leading to a few early victories for the rebellion. Thirteen was a constant battlefield for most of the war. The first major battle, called the Battle of Buffalo, a smaller city with a nuclear base inside of it, was a win for the Capitol. Soldiers stormed the rebel base inside a tall, evacuated hotel building and held the rebels hostage, threatening to detonate a bomb inside of the nuclear facility if they fought back ("They" meaning the hostages specifically. The government just prevented any other rebel from entering the base by strongly arming it). The Capitol created an internal base in Thirteen for the remainder of the war.
The Evolution into a Single Branch Government
When President Fuler began her oppressive actions, she held the threat of suspension over the Senate and Capitol Supreme Court if they denied her moves so she could do the reforms. Once the war started, the President knew that the extra branches would interfere with military actions. So, she stormed the Senate building with Peacekeepers and forced them to approve a bill causing them to disband the Constitution of the Capitol and implementing a single house governmental system, ran by the President and her Advising Council. In order to provide an incentive for nearly pointing guns at their heads, she offered the senators Capitol citizenship and their regular full retirement plan so long they actually approved the bill. Any abstainers were refused all except the citizenship and those who voted "NO" were arrested. Now, the Capitol was completely at Fuler's command. The rest of the Dark Days would be fully done at Fuler's exact discretion.
The Loyal Districts
Four of the districts stayed loyal to the Capitol, at least in the beginning. They were Districts One, Two, Four, and Twelve. Twelve was an obvious one because they were babied by the Capitol prior to the war because President Fuler was born there. One and Two predominantly stayed loyal because of their proximity to the Capitol, having fears of being completely destroyed within days of rebelling. Four stayed loyal because at the time, the navy of Peacekeepers was one of the strongest military navies in the world.
Because of the war, the Capitol decided not to send resources to any of the rebelling districts, claiming it was "too dangerous to risk the lives of Capitol citizens in the conflict" by sending resources to disloyal people. On the bright side for the loyal districts, they got all of the extra resources, distributed equally to all four.
Life in One, Two, Four, and Twelve went on as usual and peaceful. They already had the least amount of protests on the Thirteen District Act and the Capitol reforms. Schools shouted praise to the Capitol for protecting them from the horrid conflict outside of their borders. Refugees that were not rebels were transported to one of these districts and were put into the swing of things.
Professional sporting events flourished in these areas during this time, since it promoted peace between those not in the war. The main American Football team of the nation was the Denver Broncos, since they were in the Capitol, but every district had a football team. So, on the CNTV sporting network, CSTV (Capitol Sports Television), had a tournament in 2070 involving one team each from the loyal districts. The teams were the Seattle Seahawks (One), San Diego Chargers (Two), Arizona Cardinals (Four), and the Tennessee Titans (Twelve). The winning team, Cardinals, faced the Broncos in the final round for a trophy. The Cardinals won, bringing a trophy home to District Four. This helped quell any existing dissent in these districts, at the time.
After problematic negotiations with the rebelling districts, One, Two, and Four fell to peer pressure, joining in on the war effort against the Capitol. By 2071, District Twelve was the last remaining district on the side of the Capitol. They were not pushed to the other side until near the end of the war.
Next Battles
Major battles nearly happened everyday, but a few had major impacts on the rest of the war. There was the Battle of Columbus in District Five during April of 2070. The rebellion won that battle, successfully gaining control of the Capitol in the district.
Another battle was the Battle of Atlanta in District Eleven during May and June of 2070. Unfortunately, with Eleven having the highest population in the entire nation, this was the bloodiest battle in Panem's history, even when compared to the recent Mockingjay Rebellion, or even the Peace War. This was a victory for the Capitol, so they subdued the area and regained control of it. Largely blockading it with Peacekeepers, the Capitol prevented Thirteen or any other rebel group from entering Eleven.
Yet another earlier battle of the Dark Days was the Battle of Indiana Proper in District Six during June of 2070. Indiana Proper in this tense is referred to the land of the former state of Indiana, so only about half of Six was completely engulfed in this fight. Yet again, it was a victory for the Capitol. Even though it only covered a small portion of District Six, this battle led to the district returning to the Capitol's power.
So, by the middle of 2070, the Capitol had four loyal districts and two subdued from the fight already. Of course, the four loyal ones would rebel in time, but at the time, the favor of the war was leaning towards the Capitol. President Fuler was pleased. But the Capitol's luck was short lived, for a small amount of time.
Note: So, I got a review with an idea that I really liked, so I would like to bring it up to hear opinions on it. For one, the reviewer that gave me the idea was Saltey. One, I would like to thank them for the idea. Now here it is: showing life in the districts from their conception and throughout the whole Dark Days and at least the beginning of the Hunger Games/the Mockingjay Rebellion through diary excerpts, whether they be short or long. (their idea was the diary excerpts from the districts, but I specified on what the time periods could be.) I would like to do that, but I have two questions. One, should I add them onto the end of this story or should I make a technical "sequel" full of these? Two, I am stuck for time until I graduate high school on June 8, so would any writers like to help collaborate in writing these? If so, please review stating your interest or PM me.
And, the Dark Days are now in full swing. Please review.