Hunger Games: Fandom Style

Prime Television

Holly fiddled with the handle of her Neutrino. She peered over Foaly's shoulder as he made a few last adjustments to the plasma screen's controls.
"Hurry, hurry," she urged under her breath.
Foaly looked affronted. "Genius can't be hurried, Holly. You should know that."
She laid her hand rather significantly on her blaster. He paled. "I'll hurry."
"Holly!" Commander Root roared from his office.
"Too late," Holly groaned.
"Captain Short, if you're not in my office by the time I count to three - "
Holly ran out the door, dodging a sympathetic Trouble on her way.
"One!"
She brushed past an elf carrying a precarious tray of sim-coffee. The drinks collapsed, sending the drink all over the floor.
"Sorry!" She ran on.
"Two!"
She slipped on the spilled coffee and skidded down the hallway.
"Three!"
She burst through the door. "Commander Root, sir!" She snapped off a salute.
Julius was having none of it. "What," he snarled, "is the meaning of this?"
"Sir?"
He swung his computer around to face her. A link to Lower Elements Broadcasting network was playing. He'd paused it in the opening seconds.
"And now, an exclusive tell all reveal from LEP famous Captain Short that may well bring down the Council's century long policy - "
He froze it again and turned to her with a murderous look. "What is the first rule of the LEP?"
"Sir - "
"WHAT IS THE FIRST RULE? YOU NEVER TELL REPORTERS ANYTHING! I DON'T CARE HOW JUSTIFIED YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE, YOU NEVER TELL THEM ANYTHING!"
"I didn't!"
"NO, YOU DON'T - " He blinked. "What?"
"Just keep playing the video, sir."
Grumbling, he did and settled in to watch. All throughout the Lower Elements, people did the same, although admittedly a few seconds ahead.
"Despite the Council's claims that the mud men's 'Hunger Games' are harmless, recently captured video showed otherwise. Even more shockingly, it's not just mud men who are dying in these horrific 'Games'."
What followed was the bloodiest, most heartbreaking thirty minutes of television in LEB's history. Artemis might not have been overly emotional himself, but he knew more than enough of the theory to pull heartstrings practically out of people's chests. He had made sure to highlight nonhuman tributes, particularly dwarves, but he also showed the mud men's children. So many children dying. So many hearts breaking.
At the end, Artemis's face popped up to make a personal appeal to the people of the Lower Elements. Given his victory over Opal Koboi, it was likely to be successful.
Commander Root grunted as soon as he saw the mud boy's face and paused the video. "Artemis?"
"Yes, sir."
He sighed. "It might work at that. The Council has to yield to public opinion. Don't get your hopes too high, though, Holly. They might still be too stubborn to do more than make a few pacifying gestures. It's a good plan, though." He whirled around. "Don't tell him I said that."
Holly looked straight ahead. "Couldn't, sir. He's been arrested by the Capital."
"He's been WHAT? Where's that bodyguard of his, on vacation?"
Holly winced. "Foaly did some hacking, sir. Butler was arrested first. He found video. It wasn't pretty."
Commander Root literally growled. "Right, then. Hand me your blaster."
"Sir?" she asked nervously.
"Your blaster, captain! Have you gone deaf? They don't issue them to commanders, and I'm going to need one." He snatched it out of her hand and stalked out the door.
"Sir! Where are you going?" Holly hurried after him.
"The Council, of course. I'm going to go make some very eloquent arguments in favor of following the plan Artemis submitted a few months ago. Round up all the officers you can get your hands on and send 'em to the magma chutes. I want them ready to head to the surface at a moment's notice."
"What if the Council doesn't agree?"
He checked the blaster. "Oh, I can be very persuasive."