Did Rokko Streets contradict himself in Civil War?
In Civil War, Rokko Streets claimed Messiah was too powerful for any of the residents of City Five-Oh-One to duel. Then he seemingly contradicted himself.
Rokko Streets told Civil War (Chronicles of Rondure: Book I) protagonist Mina Hirai that no one from City Five-Oh-One was powerful enough to take on Messiah, the notorious leader of The Colony who called all the shots. However, just a few lines later, he told Mina that if she could find a way out of The Colony with the One, then Messiah would not stand a chance against the Bastille Peacemakers tasked with keeping Him inside The Colony or against any incoming soldier from Five-Oh-One.
Contradictory moment? Not so much, really. Rokko and those in the Insurrexxion realized that they could not risk the One dying on their watch. Meaning that, while an attack from City Five-Oh-One could have kicked off the civil war between Bastille and the Insurrexxion, doing so would have put the One at risk.
So before Five-Oh-One and the Insurrexxion launched their initial attack against Bastille, and by extension, Messiah, someone had to covertly enter The Colony, rescue the One, and scurry them toward safety BEFORE an attack would take place. This would help ensure the One survived and was long gone before Messiah, arguably the most powerful Water Master in the World of Rondure, knew what was happening.
Rokko Streets played the situational game regarding Messiah in Civil War
No one in City Five-Oh-One had the power to break into The Colony, let alone take on Messiah if they were caught in the act. He had too many Sons and Daughters surrounding His compound, meaning either someone sentenced to or possessed the power and means to enter The Colony had the best chance of evading Messiah and His Sons and Daughters.
Mina, as a wanted member of the Insurrexxion, had that power and the means to enter The Colony through a Peacemaker that belonged to the Insurrexxion. This guaranteed two things:
- Mina could enter the prison’s perimeter and even their walls disguised as a Peacemaker herself, before shedding the garb and blending in with the prisoners.
- City Five-Oh-One could remain concealed from Bastille.
Mina could set a chain of events in motion
While it is true that Mina did not match Messiah in power, just like the residents of City Five-Oh-One, her sheer connections gave her better odds of survival. And while Messiah could overpower just about anyone, He could not overpower two armies looking to kill him if He attempted a prison escape.
Therefore, Messiah and His army of Sons and Daughters would stand no chance if Mina succeeded in her mission of escaping with the One. At this point, residents of Five-Oh-One would reveal themselves and attack The Colony, where many imprisoned members of the Insurrexxion were held.
This would prompt Bastille to fire back, which would further prompt Messiah into finally making a bid for freedom He had long sought. But given this scenario, Bastille and Five-Oh-One would have realized they had a common enemy in Messiah, and would have targeted Him, His Sons, and His Daughters. This would have gotten rid of Messiah while Bastille would then be able to deal with Five-Oh-One and the Insurrexxion.
Zero contradictions
So while it may sound to some readers that Rokko contradicted himself when Mina asked why no one from Five-Oh-One could carry out the mission, Rokko was merely pointing out the Mina had much better odds to survive such a dangerous journey than anyone else in Bastille, including those from Five-Oh-One. But Messiah, powerful as He is, could not survive an onslaught that would surely come courtesy of Five-Oh-One, Bastille, and even the imprisoned Insurrexxion members.
Civil War is one of those books that requires close attention to detail. While it seems like a few things could be misleading, carefully looking at the elements surrounding Mina’s story will provide clarity on what some characters are talking about.
This is the case regarding Rokko’s conversation with Mina when she’s imprisoned in Paramount, Bastille, during the book’s early stages. It’s also a case where things slowly emerge as we discover more about Messiah, Bastille, and the Insurrexxion.
Civil War: Book I in a four-part series
Civil War is the first book in the four-part Chronicles of Rondure Series, a dystopian military science fantasy filled with intense battle scenes throughout. If you’re into elemental magic, old world tropes and magical systems set within an advanced society, this is a book to check out.
It’s also Book IV in the Renegades Epic, following Wind Wielder, Wind Master, and Tarja Titan, though you can interchange it with the latter, as the two books take place at roughly the same time.
