The morning after Kukaeshra’s release of Forever, Wherever through her illegal and well hidden broadcast network, word of the posthumous release spread from person to person as if it were some hyper-contagion.

Some heard the first broadcast, listening live. Some heard recordings of the first broadcast. Some people heard the gist of J’saera’s explanation first; some people heard the song first. The common element was that once one heard either part, they immediately sought out and listened to the other.

Kukaeshra’s operatives had set up an endless series of mirror sites for downloading both elements. The government was completely powerless to stop the proliferating downloads, what with no way to trace their broadcast locations, internet sites, or any of those involved. A day after the initial airplay, 2.3 billion free downloads had been registered, representing almost a quarter of the entire planetary population.

Not only were most people listening or now trying to listen, but also people were talking, people were incensed; the song triggered an overwhelming sense of grief in many others. Conversations not already talking about llhaesa’s death and her new release inevitably redirected to be on the topic.

Moreover, as happened several years before, the southeast Quadrant of Arrhazon began to uncap its bottled rage, and the superficially becalmed sector began to agitate. More than 3 million people called this subsection of the capitol home. According to the last unofficial census, women represented fully 57% of that number – SEQ was a magnet and haven for aspiring and idealistic young activists.

Surreptitious organisations such as the one run by Jesnsera no longer hid away. The entire population in SEQ was with them. Coincidentally, elections for counsel seats for the district coincided with the rising unrest; people would be voting less than a week after the llhaesa release. With this vote, equalist candidates stood to gain complete control over the legislative district.

The sheer scale of the impact was impressive, but no one knew exactly what to expect from Brellian. Well, many did have a solid feeling for what he would do, and their hunch would prove right, just as Brellian would discover after the fact his action was a grave and possibly fatal error.

All of Arrhazon seethed and mourned the loss of their world’s treasure – llhaesa’s popularity, as last represented by her first release, was of 15 million copies or downloads. Many more knew of llhaesa and her music, but an optimistic guess would be that around 200 million had heard of her. Now – now the number was pushing totality. Inside of a week, those who had access to the Athenaeum and who were previously unaware of the deceased musician now sought out her history, her music, her speeches on equality and on the government.

With such total recognition of llhaesa came what Brellian had most feared and attempted to avoid was playing out: llhaesa was now a martyr, one who achieved a posthumous status never before seen on Arrhazon.

In the historical record of Arrhazonan civilisation, only two others had ever come close to such a level of public awareness and popularity. 724 years before, the final world war ended with planetary unification led by Hshuehra, a legend to most Arrhazonan schoolchildren. 371 years before the current events, renowned scientist Dr. I’drexja developed and led the then nascent Arrhazonan space programme. To most children then and now, this was the realm of fantasy meets fact.

Neither of these historical figures could claim the posthumous popularity of one llhaesa ahrella t’yaeli, a humble musician, less than half the age of the other most revered Arrhazon historical figures – and a woman, flying in the face of millennia of strict patriarchy.

Brellian and his hideous government was in trouble; so too could Brellian feel the threat to the marrow of his bones. Given his history to date and the risk at hand, his choice was not that difficult to make. Brellian would show no mercy to those challenging his authority. He ordered mobilisation of troops, and once mobilised, placed their squadrons on high alert for imminent action.

Brellian now clearly exhibited a recognisable pattern of mistaken judgement. As he moved to attack SEQ again, there was one tiny problem Brellian did not anticipate or quite grasp as possibility.

Many of the troops had already downloaded the J’saera intro and llhaesa song.