ME: A/N: Interlude. Also, this will contain a brief description of the war from a strategic point of view.
*Presidential Mansion, War Room*
Minister of Homeland Security Antonius Snow was the eldest nephew of the President of Panem, but even he was now fearing for his life.
The facts were obvious to anyone with half a brain and viewing the three-dimensional electronic map.
Red represented the rebels (ironic given the National Banner, but it was the traditional color of communists from pre-Panem times), blue Loyalists.
Districts Three, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen were all crimson. One, Four and Five were purple due to ongoing insurgencies started by Loyalist partisans; fortunately, luxury items and seafood were non-essential (though invaluable in the eyes of the socialites that infested the Capitol) on a strategic level, while not all of the electricity of Panem was generated in Five. However, he himself knew the rebels would have a much easier time causing a blackout by narrowing down the power plants to destroy. Two and the Capitol, of course, remained blue (though for how long, he didn't know-this he wisely did not share with Uncle Coriolanus).
Antonius typed at his tablet, and suddenly the War Room was now overlooking District Two alone.
He gave a report on the choices of the local population. "It seems that quarry workers and other stonemasonry occupations comprise the bulk of the local revolt under the traitorous Victor Commander Lyme. This I suspect is due to them being the lowest and most poorly paid socioeconomic class in Two's society and culture, although I am pleased to note that a number of the miners have joined the local Loyalist Militia. Weapons factory workers and managers, on the other hand, are the opposite politically. These citizen-soldiers are the heart and soul of the Militia; besides genuine loyalty, there are the objective facts that they are better paid than those in the masonry industry and they fear being murdered as so-called class traitors by the District Thirteen military in a purge. From what we have gathered regarding the merchant class, approximately one-third have rebelled, another third has joined the Militia and the remainder apparently have either decided to wait out the storm via taking shelter in their homes or evacuating to Fort Cheyenne. In the case of merchants taking up arms, which side they choose depends on geography; rebellious quarrying villages typically see their shopkeepers pick up rifles and fight against us, while loyal weapons factory towns see shopowners remain obedient if not dedicated."
The President's pale blue eyes stared into Antonius's dark brown ones. "Any thoughts to defeat this insurrection, my boy?" Uncle Coriolanus may have been a relative, but the Homeland Security Minister didn't fool himself into letting his guard down; "Uncle Cory" was out of the question, and he did not have the privilege of the chess master of Panem.
"Mr. President, sir, I actually have a few proposals. Which would you like to hear?" He said, keeping his voice level.
"All of them, but start with your most preferable option."
That was unexpected, but he didn't survive to live past his fiftieth birthday by being an unprepared idiot. No, politics made him far from it.
"The first proposal is designated as Alpha. Authorize the release of some ground troops backed by hovercraft from the Capitol Garrison and/or our reserves and send them to District Two. With those reinforcements, Head Peacekeeper of the Armies Augustus can launch a counterattack and repeal the rebels occupying Two. This will buy us valuable time we need-."
"This is your best proposal?" Snow shook his head. "I cannot weaken the Capitol's defense by diverting troops to a foolhardy endeavor."
"Sir," Antonius replied with all necessary tact, ignoring that he had been interrupted, "if Lyme's troops take Two, the Capitol will have no defense."
The President's eyes widened briefly but discretely. "Why?"
"Industrially, we're an eye-sore, Mr. President." He had to be honest but simultaneously careful. "We have no weapons factories, no tank or hovercraft assembly plants, no farms of any kind save what citizens use to grow gardens or for their own consumption. And how many of said citizens can truly be counted as self-sufficient, especially once their unprepared neighbors take what they want by force?
"All the rebels have to do is secure the Districts then wait for us to starve to death. What Peacekeepers remain will be unable to control those rioting for bread-in fact, they will revolt and overthrow the government. They will trade you for tesserae rations."
"Plan Bravo?" It had a dual meaning: Shut up, now, before you pay the price for humiliating me.
"We launch thermobaric missiles at District Two areas held by the rebels. To minimize civilian casualties and damage to essential infrastructure as well as industry, ensure that they hit large-scale hostile formations but in a way that does not cause unnecessary collateral damage if possible."
He paused, then went on when Snow signaled him to. "Plan Charlie: Target any and all rebel leaders for assassination, from the Mockingjay and her mentor to Alma Coin."
"That's a given. Anything else, Nephew?"
Antonius had a sip of water-mineral, probably. "Just one, sir; Delta. I sincerely hope we do not use this one."
"Why?"
"Because," he said, "I suggest in Delta that we use nuclear bunker-busters on Thirteen instead of mere conventional munitions."
The Minister of Homeland Security saw his President and uncle pale.
"Nuclear missiles, Nephew?"
"Affirmative, sir. Our nuclear weapons, of course, are pure fusion due to the trigger being induced gamma emission via hafnium instead of fissile material and thus they do not produce fallout but there is the strong risk that Thirteen would unleash it's thermonuclear arsenal-I believe they still use such outdated technology judging by intelligence gained from our sources and their lack of innovation-in retaliation. It would not merely be the end of the Capitol and it's allies or the Rebellion; it would be the end of our very species itself. Humanity would no longer exist even in an impoverished state."
"Then Plan Charlie is to be used," the President ordered. "Cut off the head, Nephew, and the heart may continue to pump blood but it will be useless. Coordinate with the Head Peacekeeper Staff in Cheyenne while I order my assassins to target the enemy's leadership. You have your orders, Nephew."
At this point, Antonius was grateful that the SSS's (and Panem's by default) intelligence organization, the National Security Bureau (NSB), hadn't received orders to put a round through his head or an even worse fate.
*Back to the front*
BOOM!
The .50 caliber HEIAP bullet sailed through the air before hitting the tank commander right between the eyes.
Even if it had been a chest shot, the Thirteener would not survive. HEIAP rounds, while the size of a standard 12.7x99mm, had the effective firepower of a 20mm autocannon shell.
"TO TRAITORS NEVER YIELD! TO TRAITORS NEVER YIELD!" The Loyalists chanted.
The battle began. Enobaria saw their four tanks fire all at once, destroying a quad of inferior rebel ones. However, one of the Thirteener gunners fired at the same time. This disabled one (instead of outright destroying it, probably either due to inferior firepower and/or superior Loyalist armor) tank, rendering it's turret unable to traverse and condemning the three crew members inside to death, for another rebel tank fired and destroyed it. Fortunately, another Peacekeeper fired an anti-tank missile and destroyed the fifth tank, avenging the deceased trio of Peacekeeper tankers.
"MASONS!"
Shit. "Masons," nicknamed after the District Seven Victor, were particularly fanatical rebels from Seven. Typically recruited lumberjacks, of course, they were infamous even amongst the Rebellion for their zealous nature and were prone to using axes even when equipped with firearms. Intelligence indicated they were fond of "berserker" attacks.
But the rebels, unfortunately, did not have a monopoly on insane soldiers. Why?
An SSS Peacekeeper with the two black stripes of a Corporal, instead of cowering in the trenches like a number of his comrades (undoubtedly because they would be shot for desertion), drew his sword and charged the five Masons in view. "BANZAI! BANZAI!"
"Yamasaki, get your ass back here!" Yelled another SSS member, most likely his Sergeant.
Enobaria decided to support the lunatic, for unlike his compatriots he was exhibiting bravery (ableit suicidally). She fired a burst; her rifle only had five shots left, but thankfully all but one hit, sending one of the five Masons to the ground.
The first of the remaining four berserkers threw an axe at him, but not only was he not wounded but the Corporal was able to grab the tomahawk by the handle. He dodged her second axe (this one too heavy to throw from a safe distance, forcing her to get up close) and spilt her guts with his sword.
As the female rebel fell down dying, her three comrades charged in. The Corporal, however, anticipated this and sliced one man's throat with a swing of his Gladius. His fourth kill came when he impaled another man, the blade undoubtedly penetrating the heart. The Corporal then sliced off the hand of his final opponent.
As she fell to her knees screaming in agony, he displayed a mercy Enobaria was genuinely surprised to see come from an SSS member; he loped her head off, ending her misery.
Corporal Yamasaki went to the man whose throat was sliced and cut off his head; Enobaria could only watch feeling both fascinated and horrifed.
"LONG LIVE OUR GREAT AND MAGNANIMOUS LEADER, PRESIDENT CORIOLANUS SNOW!" He yelled, holding up the head. "ALL HAIL THE CAPITOL, DEATH TO THE MOCK-."
Before he could finish, a 30mm cannon opened fire and one of the stray rounds struck him. The thing must've been a HEIAP one (and thus the equivalent of a 50mm shell), for the remains were unrecognizable.
The Lieutenant took cover, knowing her assault rifle would be a mosquito to the rebel APC. Would she, the last of the Domituses, die this way? If she survived, her first daughter would be named Clove.
Suddenly there was an explosion, and she could hear screaming. Looking up, Enobaria saw not only had the APC been destroyed but nearby rebel infantry were either dead or dying agonizingly painful deaths on fire. Even though the circumstances were different, the quarrier's daughter was reminded of Clove's cruel murder by Thresh of Eleven.
No, it's your fault! You couldn't convince her to become a Peacekeeper instead, she never got Reaped once!
If only Clove and Cato had won the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games instead of the warmongering rabble-rousers from Twelve, Katniss and Peeta; both their parents would still be alive and in fact would never have to work another day in their lives. Enobaria would have celebrated her little sister's sixteenth birthday instead of placing a flower and a casing at her tombstone.
The Peacekeeper officer stopped reflecting on the past and looked to her left and found her savior. It was Cadet Nero Augustus; the young Boy in White Cadet possessed a Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon (SMAW), and Enobaria did not need to be a genius to know who had launched the thermobaric rocket.
"Thank you, Cadet!" She yelled.
Nero merely nodded, while Claudia and Lawrence patted him on the back.
The battle may have just begun, but First Lieutenant Enobaria Domitius would help end it soon enough alongside her fellow Boys and Girls in White; this was what they were born for.
ME: Hope y'all enjoyed this. SPOILER: Don't think the battle's over just yet. A/N: The "To traitors never yield!" battle cry was inspired by T.J.98's work; check it out, readers, it's good reading material.