"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world shall know peace," read Peeta's father from an old book. "Four hundred years ago, music was revolutionary, and it still is. Jimi Hendrix, the man I quoted, did things with a guitar no man had before. You whistled a simple tune for the District Eleven girl but the quote holds true all the same," he explained to Katniss.
This Leeg's body was cremated and the urn placed next to her sister's in the District Thirteen crypt. Katniss recounted the fallen soldier's last words to cap the eulogy, looking directly into the eyes of the father of the young woman. "She said she was dying alongside the only sisters and brothers she had left. I am proud to have been one of them."
Several other fallen from the recent battles were interred soon after. Soldiers from other units simply filed through the crypt. "Such losses are sadly necessary to win this war," Coin told the stream of soldiers.
To speak of life instead of death, we summoned the Flowers girls. "Lieutenant Colonel Cray, now I have some news for you," Coin said as Ellen walked in cradling Mockingjay. "You are the father. Yeah, we put the standard DNA samples to use."
"It was bound to happen eventually with all those girls I had in my bed," Cray admitted.
"You have no interest in a child and Anna and I seem to be doing fine taking care of her…," Ellen stated.
"I could tell Anna was one for a two-mother family," Cray interrupted. Anna herself was actually the one who laughed the loudest at this.
"Yet now I demand a serious amount of money, not just a handful of bronze pieces," Ellen declared.
Cray muttered something unintelligible, and one of the District Thirteen officials reminded him that "You're getting off easy on this and related issues".
Rock Clayton and Raspberry Mackey were the only two of the recent evacuees suitable for military service. They relished taking their service oaths and Katniss relished administering them in the presence of Boggs, one of Coin's top military advisors.
Most of the District Twelve enlistees were serving superbly. They brought the converted Peacekeeper unit back up to full strength after its losses, and there were District Twelve field troops scattered throughout other units. Many of those not deployed rendered invaluable service back at the District Thirteen base. Madge and Anna were even shaping up to be good hovercraft crew. The Mellark bakers provided very useful aid to our food logistics, and that reminded me of Plutarch's speech on the importance of those supply lines. Peeta aided in that work sometimes.
However, bread boy had hardly foregone his propaganda tasks. One of my next rants turned more levelheaded for the actual broadcast as he helped me polish it. It addressed Capitol residents directly. "The money feels good, and your life you like it well. Snow and his ilk have blinded you with luxury. If you don't open your eyes, surely your time will come, but we will welcome in peace those who mend their ways. After all, our escort, stylists and prep teams are consummate Capitolites, and look what they've accomplished." I neglected to mention that Cinna was a rebel plant. To the Capitol, it looked like he simply got caught up in being too good at his job.
We escorted the bags of coins from District Ten to a District Thirteen vault, incidentally the same place where our wedding rings had been forged. The District Thirteen authorities found Capitol currency quite useful for financing clandestine rebel activities, and this was hardly the only time when it had been confiscated as a prize of war.
Glimmer's father hadn't worked at the District One mint, but thanks to his hometown milieu, he understood the process better than we did. Mostly fresh-struck, they had been delivered to District Ten for the October 1st payday, so they were being opened on time, although in an unexpected location.
When the coin sacks were opened, I noticed they were of the usual metals and sizes, and most bore the seal of the local district on the back. I understood that was common practice – standardized coins with localized designs. It was a petty way in which the districts were separated, and the far more substantial divisions meant we rarely ever saw anything else. I had usually been too preoccupied with scraping together a few dirty corroded bronzes to notice what was on them, but I occasionally saw some shiny Capitol pieces via Haymitch.
Annie Hickok's victor winnings were included. It was both rebel and loyalist policy to continue the payments to those on its side. That was one thing I agreed with Coin on, not punishing the arena victims further. Many victors had donated some of their winnings to help finance the rebellion, but that was becoming less necessary with this haul and our other victories. Katniss, Cato, Glimmer and I were considered victors, and what I held now I would have been lucky to make in a year. We were given disbursements to carry to the other victors, and the rest was locked in a safe. After we made the deliveries, we headed right back to our compartments.
Once we were alone, I wrapped my arms around Katniss' waist, which I hadn't done in far too long. I looked around to see Katniss smile, and I dipped my hands lower. "Oh, this is right where my hands belong, feeling up the most beautiful woman in my world."
"I know how much you love me, I can feel it…" Very funny, Catnip, I thought as I felt something large press up against the small of her back. "…but I'm no Glimmer," she admitted.
I spun her around, running my hands underneath her waistband as I turned her. "Eh, she's the prettiest in Cato's mind, like you are in mine. You're at least as gorgeous as her in your own way. If not more so. Don't you ever forget it. I won't." The praise her radiant body richly deserved got her right back in the mood, and my fevered kiss neutralized what little remained of any hesitation. My hands went further south, bringing her pants down with them. I felt her arousal through her underwear. I took my time pulling those down as she walked backwards to lean against the dresser. I stayed kneeling, and did not take my time to start ferociously tonguing her. She quickly became so delirious she could barely even croak my name, but I heard the 'Gale' chant as loud as thunder.
I leaned back and kicked my legs out, lying on the floor, arching myself just high enough and for just long enough to strip below the waist myself. Our shirts were still on, but had become more than open enough to see what was worth seeing. She sat on my chest, rubbing her juices on my abs and feeling my cock against her back. She didn't want me to enter her just yet, but I was more than happy to suck on her firm little caramel breasts. When she did climb on me, the cold stone on my back was no matter as the hot flesh on my front was more than enough to make me explode almost instantaneously. "I needed you bad, Catnip, and I made sure to take care of you first, and that's what took care of me." She slid back to tongue my member right back into service so I could take her on the floor, and I serviced her again, that's for sure.
Next morning, the schedules sent us and the rest of the elite squads back to the command room. "To surround and lay siege is a story of war as old as humanity," Plutarch intoned.
In securing two of Panem's breadbasket districts, we had blockaded the other two. "The blockade of District Four is especially thorough; the 4th Peacekeepers will have to capitulate soon enough. At only regiment strength, they definitely wouldn't be able to break out. That seems like a small force for such a large district, but it had been relatively peaceful even considering the Odairs. Besides, the people of Panem had forced the Capitol to focus its attention elsewhere."
"However, District Nine is getting some resupply through District Eight. This will not do. Weaver, you'll be having an odd homecoming, but that's where we'll be headed next."
"The western districts are cracking. They'll shatter soon enough. Then we liberate District Two and the Capitol. Our strategy seems to working beautifully, its implementation a masterwork by you and our other boots on the ground and in the air," Plutarch went on.
After a few days back on leave, we were back on the trains. Alexander helped us navigate his home. Lyme introduced us to her counterpart. She was a few years older than us, but still very young for the role. However, she spoke with an authoritative tone indicating she deserved it. This was the first time we met with the local rebel commander upon arriving in the district.
District Eight was an industrial wasteland, and it looked like it had been that way even before the Capitol warmakers burned out buildings. At least some of the other districts were out in the open in nature, however hard the people there were worked. Sneaking into the woods, I knew how important that was, and the people here didn't even have that escape valve.
I was surprised to see some key facilities such as the train station so damaged. It seemed rebel saboteurs had been particularly active. The Capitol wouldn't sabotage its own infrastructure unless they deemed the district a lost cause. Either way, it was shaping up to be a rebel victory, however bloody.
Then a fleet of Capitol hovercraft showed up to make it simply bloody. They made short work of our scout craft and started bombarding the ground – many of the few buildings that remained standing until now finally fell.
"Dammit we need more air support!" Lyme barked into a radio. Our strong infantry presence wasn't doing any good. I couldn't hear the answer, but Lyme's order indicated it wasn't good. "Retreat! Let's see how high speed these trains are!" Alexander was shot shielding the retreat of his squadmates, us and the rebel commander.
"May there be no more victor widows," Lyme said to Cecelia.
"Fine by me," Cato said. Finnick and I joined him in the black humor.
"May there be no more victors, and no more dead tributes either," I added.
Many of us had some odd homecomings these past few weeks, and now it was time to take it to the enemy's captured stronghold and then their home.