At dawn, Syrinix Fairquillion began the shortest reign as Mayor of Hallifax in
the history of the city.

She rose early. This of all days was a day for punctuality, after all. Taking
extra care with her morning ablutions, she ensured her bright red feathers were
suitably groomed and her similarly-colored plumes swept back in a dignified,
businesslike fashion. She topped the frothy concoction of feathers with a
hairpin of solidified air.

The Mayor's trip to her office was uneventful. She avoided the tiresome bustle
of the Matrix precinct by taking a back stair and reached the Spire of the
Lawgivers without incident. Nobody saw her pass. Her eagerness to reach her new
office and begin work was her undoing.

The Mayor was discovered dead in her office when her new secretary entered to
bring her an austere lunch. At noon, Syrinix Fairquillion ended the shortest
reign as Mayor of Hallifax in the history of the city.

At approximately three o'clock in the afternoon, Minister of Peace Ja'yex
Arthar'rt entered the office of Special Investigator Thaylea Oolin. She was the
best in the business. It said so on her door, or at least it had before it had
worn off from too much time and too little care.

The two exchanged few words. Rather, the Minister said much. The Investigator
said little. This is what the Investigator said, in order:

"What a surprise, Minister. What brings you to my humble--"

"...The Mayor."

"Exploded?"

"No witnesses."

"Yes, of course I'll have a look--"

"Of course Minister. Good day."

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Thaylea Oolin began the shortest murder
investigation in the history of the city.

She proceeded first to the Ministry of Intelligence to survey the vast banks of
screens which monitored every sector of the crystal city. Naturally, the Mayor's
offices were unwatched, and there were sufficient gaps in coverage to allow
almost anyone with knowledge of the layout of the Spire of the Lawgivers to get
in and out without being seen, but the Mayor's approach to the Spire was
captured in minute detail.

Thaylea's eyes narrowed as she watched the Mayor make her way to her death, but
said nothing.

Her next stop was the Library, where she checked out a large number of books on
one particular subject. The Library's subsystems recorded her focus on this
subject and archived the fact in its data storage systems, but didn't think
twice about it; it wasn't particularly out of the ordinary for a minor
functionary of the Ministry of Peace to study aeromancy in her spare time.

Thaylea's third and final stop was the office of the Archmage, who frowned.
Accusations of murder were new to him and he had to be sure he had heard her
properly. While he could, and did, argue with the Investigator's conclusions, he
couldn't argue with her Ministry of Peace-issued badge, of which she was very
proud.

At six o'clock in the afternoon, Thaylea Oolin ended the shortest murder
investigation in the history of the city.

At approximately seven o'clock in the afternoon, Minister of Peace Ja'yex
Arthar'rt entered the office of High Supreme Justice Liliana Sunfar, who did not
need a sign to say that she was the best in the business. The fact that she
could sentence to summary execution anyone who so much as breathed in a
proscribed fashion in her courtroom spoke volumes all by itself.

The two exchanged few words. Rather, the Minister said much. The Justice said
little. This is what the Justice said, in order:

"You were not scheduled for an appointment with this court, Minister."

"Open investigation? Why was I not consulted--"

"Only six hours! Really!"

"Exploded?"

"Solidified air. I hardly see what that has to do with--"

"Requires a constant power flow to maintain internal structure? This is all
very--"

"Well, I am sure you know what you are doing. Bring her in before I have you
before the court yourself for interrupting a High Supreme Justice."

At nine o'clock at night, Supreme Justice Liliana Sunfar began the shortest
murder trial in the history of the city.

The Archmage was brought before the court, quite outraged due to the restraints
and aeromantic blocks placed upon him, but wisely decided to stop talking at a
single frosty glare from the Justice.

The evidence was presented. A small cube of solidified air was brought before
the court, then its power supply cut off. The cube detonated to scattered gasps
and equally scattered applause, from several onlookers who thought this was
meant to be entertainment during a slow point in the trial. They were quickly
subjected to entertainment by terminal velocity, after which the prosecution
presented further evidence by showing the court survelliance data that showed a
momentary break in the power flow to the Mayor's office, caused by a spike in
power usage in the Archmage's office just downstairs. The Archmage protested.
The Justice would have none of it.

At ten o'clock at night, Supreme Justice Liliana Sunfar ended the shortest
murder trial in the history of the city.

At approximately midnight, Minister of Peace Ja'yex Arthar'rt entered the office
of Subminister of Peace Edaka Arthar'rt, who most assuredly did not achieve his
post through nepotism of any sort, despite what the interns liked to scribble on
paper signs which were then pinned to his door when he entered the office the
next morning.

The two exchanged few words. Rather, the Minister said much. The Subminister
said little. This is what the Subminister said, in order:

"Oh, congratulations, father."

"Pinned the Archmage? Very good--"

"Yes, of course I scrambled surveillance of this room. I'm not stupid."

"I look forward to it."

At approximately one o'clock in the morning, Minister of Peace Ja'yex Arthar'rt
threw an incredibly illegal device off the side of Hallifax. Until it hit the
ground, this device, in the proper hands which most assuredly were not found in
midair, was capable of rearranging power flows within the internal grid of
Hallifax to create momentary gaps in coverage or spikes in power usage. After it
hit the ground, this device was capable of degrading slowly into its component
minerals and leaching into the ground, which it proceeded to do.

At dawn, Deputy Chairman Songha Ironwing began and ended an entirely routine
execution, no shorter or longer than any other execution in the history of the
city.

At precisely the same moment, Archmage Badr Cloudwalker ended a reign as
Archmage which was similarly average in the history of the city.

Also at precisely the same moment, Ja'yex Arthar'rt began the longest reign as
Mayor of Hallifax in the history of the city. He reigned long and happily, and
was assassinated at a ripe old age when his solidified-air throne exploded in a
freak interruption of power for which no discernible cause could ever be
established. Despite it all, he did not live long enough to grasp the irony.