Epilogue: the Fall of a Tyrant

Kira couldn't sleep. She was still confined to her wheelchair; her doctors had told her that it might take many months for her to walk again, if it ever happened at all. There was pain in her back from time to time, but truth be told the injury was only Kira's excuse. The real reason Kira couldn't sleep tonight was because she had failed.
First of all there had been an absolute disaster at the Hazardous Projects building that the emperor would want explained. Perhaps there would be an inquisition and a few of Kira's less legal projects would come to light. Kira might not even be able to hide her own stash of stolen power cores.
Secondly, recent events had caused Kira to reflect and see herself through everyone else's eyes, and she wasn't that different from the emperor she wanted to oppose. She had been ruthless in her pursuit of power and had even tried to kill the one person who'd dared to get in her way. In that light, maybe it wasn't so bad that the emperor had a high likelihood of catching her soon.
It was for these reasons that Kira was up on the balcony of her chateau past midnight, and it was because she was on the balcony that she was able to spot a shadow creeping along in the wide garden below. It was a bit late for the gardener to be trimming the hedges, right?
Kira took her chair to the elevator and used the touchscreen inside to swipe her carriage to the first floor. After a short journey, the doors opened and she exited, turning towards the front doors. A guard stiffened at the sight of her, clearly not having expected to receive a visit from his superior at this time of night.
"Duche-" He managed to say before Kira put up her paw to silence him.
"It's alright. I just think I need a little fresh air."
"Yes, ma'm." said the guard as he opened the door for her.
Kira wheeled through, nodding gratefully to the guard as she did so. The door shut behind her and she took a deep breath of chilly night air. Then, Kira wheeled toward where she had seen the mysterious silhouette. She weaved her way through a miniature hedge-maze and found herself at it's center, with a cobblestone walkway surrounding an internally-lit fountain lazily gushing up water. Kira found herself looking into the various hedge-passages, trying to find the intruder.
"Hello?" she said. "Anyone there?"
"Anything to spare for an old traveler?" said a voice behind her.
Kira spun her head to look at the voice. In the passage she had taken to get here was now an elderly creature, a bunny by the looks of his feet, clothed in a cowl that covered his ears. Kira could see his gray fur and yellow eyes underneath by the light of the fountain. Around his neck he wore the symbol of a four-pointed star hanging by a cord.
"I don't think you're the gardener." Kira said, more than a little suspicious. "What are you doing here?"
"I do not come from the emperor, if that's what worries you." The old bunny said as he walked toward the fountain and took a seat on it's brim.
"Why would I be worried about that?" Kira said diplomatically.
"Oh, no reason at all. None whatsoever." The old bunny said back, his eyes letting Kira know that they both knew all too well.
Kira let a moment pass before saying "You still haven't told me what you're doing here."
"No." he said. "I usually prefer a short chat before I do my job."
Kira folded her arms. "And what is your job?"
The old bunny chuckled. "Right to the point, eh?" he coughed once or twice before looking Kira in the eyes. "I am here to deliver you a message. Before the month is over, you need to seize control of the White city away from the emperor."
Kira's blood went cold. She broke eye contact and wheeled away. "You've got the wrong person." she said. "Whoever you are, and whatever you want, I'm not the one to do it for you. Now get out of my garden."
The old bunny stood up and said "Are you so certain?"
Kira stopped. She wasn't sure why. She turned and looked him in the eye again, gaining volume as she spoke. "How are you so certain? You don't know me; what I've done. I do. I'm not some hero. I'm not anyone's savior. Get someone else to do your dirty work!"
"But someone does know you, Kira Sunpaw." The old bunny said. "From the time you were little you've wanted your people to be free. You've spent your whole life working your way into a position to help them. You'd do anything for them."
Kira got more angry and tears began to flow down her cheeks. "And that made me into who I am today; a tyrant and a murderer. How can you say that I'm fit for anything other than the inquisition and execution I'm gonna get?"
The old bunny maintained his gaze, but said nothing. Kira broke off her stare to wipe her tears.
"That wouldn't be fair to your people, now, would it?" The old bunny said.
Kira tried to look him in the eye again, but by the time the tears were out of her eyes, he was already gone.