Jahrae took to one of the gunships, not to launch an attack, instead to view the scene from above, to understand the logistics of what unfolded.

What she saw was amazing. There were people in the streets as far as the eye could see, all converging on the government centre where Brellian’s office was located. No matter the direction, there were people filling the streets.

The gunship returned to the ground, and Jahrae climbed out, making her way to Jesnsera, Elsrensia, Gl’nsiel, and M’traliel.

Jahrae shared her observations on how things looked from above, and then added, “There has to be 5 million people within 2 kilometres of this location, all hoping to assist in toppling the government. They grow restless, and will soon attempt to enter the building. We are not about murder, people. We are here to bring equality, democracy, and freedom back to Arrhazon, not murder each other.

We need to get in there and finish this before things get out of hand.”

Each of the gathered leaders shared updates from their region, though Jahrae’s parents had yet to arrive. As they talked, some within the government centre fired outward at the crowd, hoping to instigate panic, but the move failed – for now.

Brellian was over 60 floors above them, and the building no longer had power – all electricity was out throughout Arrhazon City.

Reports came in of government gunships approaching the city, and Jahrae ordered their fleet of captured gunships to take to the air and attempt to stop those forces from getting to the government centre. If they made it through, hundreds of thousands of people might die.

The gathered four listened intently to the reports from their ships. A battle was underway, and both sides incurred heavy losses. The government ships outnumbered the rebels, but the rebels were also fighting from a defensive position, and thus inflicted heavy losses on the attackers.

Jahrae sickened at the loss of life she knew unfolded 30 kilometres to their west, but she tempered this by reminding herself what might be lost if those forces got through. Those brave souls were protecting their friends and families here in the streets.

The reports continued for almost an hour; three of their ships remained, while there were five for the government that were now inbound towards government centre. Jahrae knew the people around her were helpless in the face of such force.

Jahrae acted quickly and decisively. “M’traliel, have all those who have shoulder fired surface to air weapons, and get them into position facing west, on the next block over – the legislative building. Get them on the roof and in position to fire. They need to be up there in five minutes!

Elsrensia, get set up to handle injuries, get assistance in finding medical staff that can help. Jesnsera, please take care of directing our ground armour, get them to redirect their weapons skyward. Gl’nsiel, please use your considerable skill to keep things under control with the crowd here.

I am going to join M’traliel on the roof of the legislative building. If we are going to order people killed, then I need to take responsibility for this and be involved.

Remember to only fire if we have no other possible and valid choice, or if there is no other way to protect people out here.

I am on my way!”

Jahrae climbed the steps to the legislature building in threes, and felt sapped of breath upon reaching the roof. She grabbed one of the shoulder-fired weapons, and took position out of sight of incoming gunships. Within a minute, the whining of their engines signalled their approach, their shapes seemingly forming out of the blue sky – these ships were well coloured and not easily spotted.

Jahrae’s radio signalled that three government ships made it through; all of their ships west were lost. Three ships attacking a crowd of such density would easily kill in the hundreds of thousands. Jahrae knew she had no choice.

Seeing the first ship, she called out for those on the far left side only to arm and ready to fire. The middle rebels would take the second ship.

Someone fired at the ship before Jahrae ordered, but their aim was off, and the missed shot served only to draw attention to the roof. The ship immediately responded, and the area from which the person fired was vaporised.

The ship fired twice more, taking out several others on the roof. Jahrae could wait no longer wait for the ship to get closer. She closed her eyes, called upon the inner strength within, silently asked llhaesa for forgiveness, opened her eyes, aimed at the side of the ship, where one engine was in full view, and fired.

Light shot skyward, an intense blue-white stream that found its mark. In the blink of an eye, the engine upon which Jahrae fired turned red, then white, and disappeared. The loss of such an integral component sent the ship out of control and into a wild spin, spiralling downward into a fiery crash on a building a kilometre away.

The second ship appeared, and Jahrae wondered if she missed seeing it because of her concentration on the first ship. The gunship fired and hit ten metres away, taking three people in an instant. M’traliel fired from the far side of the building, catching the ship square in the middle and breaking it in two. It fell to the ground, though Jahrae saw at least two of the crew survived.

Jahrae’s attention turned toward the third ship, which changed tactics and blew past their location, heading for the park and streets adjacent to the government centre. As Jahrae realised the shift in tactics, her stomach sank. Acting on impulse, she turned halfway around while raising her weapon and firing without taking aim; she caught the ship from behind and sent it into the far edge of the roof of the legislative building.

The force of the crash knocked Jahrae to her feet, though one crewmember survived and emerged fighting. M’traliel took aim at the soldier and ordered him to drop his weapon. The man refused, but did not fire.

M’traliel called out once again, and as she did so, Jahrae crawled away from her position, and circled behind roof equipment. She closed the distance from behind the soldier, though she was not visible to M’traliel and the others due to the equipment.

M’traliel called out a third time, and the soldier again defiantly refused. As he yelled out his response, Jahrae leaped, and as she dropped upon the soldier, knocked his weapon away, then slashed at his face with the full force of her right elbow, knocking him out.

Someone found cord and tied the soldier’s hands, and the remaining rebels made their way back to the ground, the threat from above ended.

Jahrae and M’traliel found the crowd restless, pushing forward and into the government building. Screams called out from inside as the entrenched government forces fired.

Finding Jesn and Gl’nsiel, M’traliel, Jahrae, Gl’nsiel, and Jesnsera ran for the government building. It was time to stop this nonsense. The rebels pushed their way past the first floor defences, and Jahrae saw the mangled bodies of the guards who moments before fired on the inrushing crowd. The three pushed their way into the stairwell, beginning the long climb upward.

When those in the upward swelling crowd saw who tried to pass through their numbers, they squeezed tight to the wall, trying to make room so their leaders could pass through. By the 35^th floor, they passed the first wave of rebels, with no one but guards ahead. Amazingly, they had passed the halfway point with no further encounters, which meant there were limited forces at their disposal, conserving what remained for the uppermost floors.

The three stopped briefly to catch their breath, but they could hear steps coming up rapidly behind them, and so they went on the move again. Another ten floors passed by without incident, but on the 50^th floor, a shot hit Jesnsera on the arm, just a grazing shot, but resulting in a painful wound that would require medical intervention to close.

Jahrae ripped off a piece of her shirt and tied it around Jesnsera’s arm, and then asked one of the now catching up rebels to take her down to Elsrensia.

Jahrae grabbed the weapon she kept to her side, and returned to where their forward progress stopped. M’traliel claimed to see two guards, each behind desks in a room now opened, its glass wall towards the open stairwell shattered.

Precious minutes were lost waiting for opportunity; one finally presented when one peeked out, and the patiently waiting Gl’nsiel immediately struck. The second jumped up to fire, and Jahrae took him down. The climb upward was on.

No further fire came from the floors below Brellian’s level; reaching what they knew was the final floor, Jahrae and M’traliel waited, trying to hear or see movement. Jahrae crawled from the stairwell on into the support-staff office space, and light flashed over her, their weapons unable to angle sufficiently to hit Jahrae.

M’traliel immediately fired and took out two guards, and Jahrae crawled onward. Slowly she flushed out others, three of whom surrendered, four unfortunate souls who did not.

Noise from behind increased, and a ruckus began as waves of people flooded the floor; the main wave of rebels was here. Several fell immediately in their careless advance, both Jahrae and M’traliel spotted the sources, and their now superb aim ended those threats.

Another hour unfolded before the outer offices were clear. There were thirty-six guards dead, only three in custody. M’traliel attempted to placate the crowd, still intent on seeing Brellian spill blood.

Jahrae looked at the crowd, looked at the dead, listened to M’traliel plead with an apparent lack of success, and she ran.

Jahrae ran for the entry that led to Brellian’s office, pulled the door open, and charged in. Shots immediately fired, but she was ready, her well tuned instincts on overdrive. Two fell before M’traliel and Gl’nsiel rushed in behind her, taking out two more.

There was no sign of Brellian as the last of his goons tried to save him from the wrath of those he worked to exploit and oppress. Those left supporting him were fanatics who valued death more than life in a changed world.

One by one the guards fell, until there remained but one room to check; Brellian’s actual private office. Jahrae opened the door, and came face to face with the man who ordered the murder of llhaesa two years before.

“Jahrae Khentavra, I presume. So we finally meet.” Brellian casually observed, as if on a lazy stroll through a park.

Jahrae stared, her eyes betraying the anger she felt within. Two years of living without her beloved, all the dead in the streets, all of the women oppressed, even former Chief of Government Zreltian. Jahrae willed the anger away, and instead willed into her mind llhaesa, llhaesa and her incredible vision of what Arrhazon should be.

“Yes, I suspect you knew I would come for you Brellian. You have much to answer for.”

“Yes, yes you might say that. No matter, that bitch wife of yours is not here to savour what she sought, so her life ended in failure.

The words tried to find purchase within Jahrae, tried to stir the now chased away anger, but the attempt failed. “This is her finest hour, Brellian. Llhaesa lives on in me, and in all who knew her, knew her dream and her vision. She need not be with us to savour this triumph.

“What will you do with me?” Brellian asked, motioning toward the crowd that gathered behind Jahrae, M’traliel, and Gl’nsiel.

Gl’nsiel spoke next. As a duly authorised representative of the legitimate government of Arrhazon, you are under arrest Brellian, and you will stand trial for the myriad of crimes committed during your tenure. I must advise you from here on in, your words might be used against you.”

Brellian laughed at Gl’nsiel. “Words used against me? You will fabricate the words you need, of this I am certain.”

“We will not play politics your way, Brellian.” Gl’nsiel retorted. “Arrhazon is now restored to democracy.”

Some of the crowd tried to push through, but M’traliel kept them at bay. The crowd again chanted for beheading Brellian, and in response, Jahrae stepped forward towards Brellian and turned around.

Jahrae called out to the crowd, “If anyone attempts to kill him, you must also kill me in the process. You heard Gl’nsiel; our world is a democracy once again, and with democracy come equality for all Arrhazonans. Rule of law is our way, and we will not behave in such an ill begotten manner.

My wife’s story inspired many of you; well, llhaesa would be appalled at such conduct and such a wish. Llhaesa would stand here with me – she is in fact with me in spirit – and she would ask you to let the workings of society function properly. We are here to change things for the better, and we will honour that purpose, or you will need to kill me in your zest to mimic the man you wish to murder.”

Movement in the distance, on the far side of the expansive and mostly glass walled office caught M’traliel and Gl’nsiel’s attention, but Jahrae failed to see it. At the same time, someone pushed through the crowd and approached from behind them, moving toward the open space where Brellian, Jahrae, M’traliel, and Gl’nsiel stood.

M’traliel realised there were three guards toward the back. As this realisation registered in her mind, one rose, taking aim on Jahrae. A blur streaked out of the crowd and leaped as the guard fired, and Jahrae’s mouth slowly dropped open as she saw Sk’vra pass through the air in front of her, taking a direct hit of intense and vaporising light from the firing guard. M’traliel and Gl’nsiel dropped the three guards, killing the shooter while wounding the other two.

Jahrae looked down in stunned silence, her mind sorting through what unfolded. She could swear… that Sk’vra Kjurha saved her life, and in so doing, gave his own. There was nothing left of Sk’vra to confirm what her mind witnessed.

Some in the crowd swept through the office, but they found no one else. Gl’nsiel ordered the crowd to head down to the street and disperse, declaring the revolution successful and over. “Go to your homes, see to those in need. We will work to restore services as quickly as possible.

Moreover, I promise all of you, just as I thank all of you. Brellian will face justice for the crimes committed against the Arrhazonan people.”

Jahrae sank down to the floor and leaned her back square against the side of Brellian’s desk, overwhelming exhaustion sweeping over her. Brellian was in custody and out of power. So many died in the process, and llhaesa’s college tormentor saved Jahrae’s life.

Jahrae could not help but think of llhaesa, of how llhaesa would view this series of events. Jahrae thought she knew, and her mind slipped away from her immediate environment, away from Brellian’s office, away from the few remaining people in the room as Gl’nsiel led Brellian away, and slipped into a world where she could live in the fantasy of the well guessed and fashioned vision with llhaesa.

There would come a day when Jahrae shared the story of this last day with llhaesa, and while the reality of that moment would prove nothing like the fantasy of this immediate aftermath, Jahrae well preferred that reality to the necessary fabrication underway, necessary because it kept her sane in a world where she remained alone.