"The militia always helped TerraVictoria," a man said.

"That's right. We stayed out of their hair, and they protected us against thieves and raiders," a woman added.

Bo exhaled in disbelief. "They didn't protect you against anything. They made you pay for the pleasure of not being ransacked by their own men."

"Look, girly," the man from before said. "I'm sure in whatever hick dust corner you scraped yourself up from, you all hate the militia. But here in the city, we'd rather have them on our side."

"They were never on your side," Adam said. "As soon as they thought TerraVictoria could no longer be of use to them, you'd be treated the same as all those 'hick dust corners'."

"And that's your opinion. But we don't have to share it," the man said. "We didn't ask you to go out and murder two militia leaders. And we're not going to let you come in here and implicate us in anything we don't want a part of. So kindly pack up your gear and leave our city."

Bo ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "But don't you see? If you refuse to help the militia now, you could break their ranks enough to end them once and for all. These two dying has opened the crack in their armor that we can leverage open. We won't get another chance like this in a while!"

The man snarled. "I said that we didn't want you here. Leave before we throw you out."

Bo looked out at the sea of faces, but none of them looked sympathetic. No one looked like they wanted to disagree with the man, or to stand up for Bo and Adam. The either looked anxious or angry, and neither of those emotions were ones that would help their cause.

Disgusted, Bo spun on her heel and angrily yanked her hopper in place while she climbed on the seat. Adam followed her lead, though less visibly angry, and they cranked their engines into life. The people parted for them, leaving a path to the outskirts of the city open. Bo didn't even look at the people as she zoomed by them, carting Clayton's dead body behind her. She didn't stop until they reached the airship, at which point she came to a jerky stop and yanked the keys out of the ignition.

"Can you believe it?" she demanded, smacking a fist against the fuel tank of her hopper. "They're so stupid! They think they can trust the militia? They're so corrupt that they'd rather risk being backstabbed than losing the comforts they get as militia dogs?"

"There's nothing we can do about it now," Adam said, climbing off his hopper and coming around to lay his hands on Bo's shoulders and calm her down. "We're injured and tired, and the people are still in shock over seeing the end to an entity they'd gotten used to serving."

"We're going to lose our opportunity to take down the militia," Bo said, rubbing her eyes with her hands. Adam sighed and pulled her in for a hug.

"If we lose it, then we lose it. If there's one thing I've learned as the leader of the Forlorn, it's that there's always a next time."

Bo wrapped her arms around Adam's waist, burying her face deeper in his chest as she slouched and tried not to despair over the less-than-friendly reception they'd gotten. But her quiet moment was disrupted a second later when Helga's voice cut in.

"There you are!" she shouted.

Bo pulled away from Adam to see Helga walking around the airship from the other side. Her face was flushed and it almost seemed as if she might have the very beginnings of a smile on her face. But Bo had no idea what could have gotten the queen of sour expressions to be in such a good mood.

"What's wrong?" Adam said.

Helga shook her head. "Nothing. Just... there's someone who wanted to speak with you. Or, I guess, more than someone. It's hard—" She shook her head again. "Just come and see."

She led Bo and Adam around the airship, and as they rounded the corner they were met with the sight of a group of people, perhaps fifty in number. Some were dressed in the typical clothes of those who lived in the dust fields, but others were dressed in the rich colors and draped fashion of the nomads. It was with these people that Esme stood, weeping and smiling at the same time, clutching the hands of an old woman.

Bo glanced at Helga. "Esme's family?"

"No. They're not from the same tribe, but they're her people all the same. She's been speaking to them in their language since they showed up, and it seems like perhaps they can track down her own tribe."

Bo smiled. "I'm happy for her," she said. "And who are the others?"

"Four groups from nearby camps," Helga responded.

Adam stepped forward, looking over the group of people. "I'm Adam, leader of the Forlorn. What brings you to find me?"

A woman with sleek black hair that grazed her chin stalked up to Adam. She was fierce, with guns strapped to her back and legs, and, inexplicably, a sword as well. A scar carved its way across her cheek. From the way she stood, and the hardness that seemed to turn her into stone, Bo knew that she had been part of the war against the aliens. She had fought against them on the battlefields, and seen comrades fall to their weapons. She might even have witness Adam as the Beast of Lyx, tearing out throats and plowing down humans. Fear cut through Bo's stomach, and she took a step forward, her hand dropping to the pistol at her side.

From the group, a man stepped forward, his black hair tied up on the top of his head. He was tall and muscled, and reached for the rifle on his back.

"It's okay," the woman said, looking at the man. She held up her hand and the man stood down, but didn't take his eyes off Bo. She didn't take her hands off her gun, though. This woman had every reason to hate aliens, and if she was anything like the people in the city, Bo wasn't sure she wanted her anywhere near Adam.

The woman held out her hand toward Bo, not in threat or anger, but in greeting. "I am not here to hurt you or your man," she said, her voice tinged with an accent. "I come in peace, and to thank you for what you've done."

Bo's eyebrows flew up. "Thank us?" It seemed a word she'd never heard said out loud before.

The woman grinned. "Yes. We heard the news of the militia base emptying. They've been raiding our camp for the past three weeks, and we were running out of supplies to defend ourselves. With them gone, we're able to go buy food and water. You've saved countless lives."

"I'm glad you were given relief," Adam said. "The Forlorn is here to help, and if you need additional assistance, just contact us."

The woman nodded. "Thank you, but we were wondering if perhaps you needed more bodies for your ranks. My camp, and three of our close neighbors, decided that with the fall of the base we should stop hiding under our rocks." Her eyes seemed to glow with determination. "Too long we've kept hidden, too afraid to do anything. But you've reminded us that we are warriors. We are ready to stand up and fight for the safety of our people."

Adam glanced at the people behind her, staring back with admiration in their eyes. These were people willing and wanting to trust an alien. People who had once fought him and hated him. Now they looked to him as a leader, and wanted to join his band.

"We can always use more people," Adam said, offering his hand to the woman. She took it and smiled.

"My name is Lan. That is my husband, Li." She nodded to the man who had been ready to shoot Bo's head off. Bo nodded her greeting to him, and he bowed slightly in her direction.

Lan gestured toward the people from the camp. "Let me introduce you to the other leaders, and we can talk about signing up with the Forlorn. We can supply our own weapons, but we've been short on food for months."

Adam and Lan talked as they moved forward to meet with the other leaders. Bo lagged behind, weary of plans and politics. Instead, she walked over to where Esme stood with the nomads, speaking in their fluid language to the old woman.

"You've found a way to your family?" Bo asked, coming up behind Esme. She smiled at the old woman.

"Oh, Bo!" Esme said, all smiles. "They heard from some deserting militia soldiers that one of our kind had been with the people that took down Clayton and Aston. So they met up with Lan and her people and came to find me. They said they can send out messengers to find my tribe."

"Then you're going home!" Bo said, pulling her in for a hug and smiling as she felt tears prick her eyes. Someone was finally getting a happy ending.

Esme pulled back gently. "No. Not going home," she said. "I want to meet with them again, but I won't be going back to wander with them. I want to stay and help the Forlorn. And..." She trailed off here, but Bo saw her eyes flicker to the airship for a split second.

Bo smiled softly. "I'm sure he'll be glad that you aren't leaving." She placed her hand on Esme's shoulder. "But if you wish to return to your family, don't feel like you have to stay for any of us. We want you to be happy."

Esme nodded. "I am happy here. I will be happy protecting others and making sure no more girls end up like I did."

"Then we're glad to have you," Bo said.

She let Esme talk with the nomad tribespeople then, and walked back to the airship. She was exhausted, but happy. So happy. It seemed like, even if TerraVictoria would rather keep the militia, that there were more people than she thought who wanted to join their fight. They weren't so alone in the world after all.