SiIvy could have stayed away. They could have let the military fall, let innocent lives perish.
Yet they chose to act. They chose to protect them.
For many, it was a moment of overwhelming relief.
One of them was a woman named Tara.
When she heard that SiIvy Base had intervened, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. She was a high-ranking military captain.
Once, Talia had urged her to leave with her, but Tara had refused.
Her family had served the military for generations, and she believed loyalty mattered above all else.
But what had that loyalty earned her? Food prices had skyrocketed. Citizens were oppressed daily. Even she had suffered endlessly.
'And for what?'
Her jaw tightened, bitterness pooling in her chest. 'I gave everything… and the military gave nothing back.'
'If Father were here… if Grandfather were still alive… would they have allowed me to stay shackled to this uniform? Or would they have told me to leave, to follow the people instead of blind loyalty?'
