Chapter 27

I'll be honest, folks. We're outgunned, outnumbered, and overwhelmed on all sides. But make no mistake, we haven't lost yet, not by a long shot. The CoCP thinks if it takes our home, we'll fall back in line. We won't give in, folks. We'll strike at their supplies, their leadership, their security. We'll make their feet bleed for every inch they take. We'll fight any way we can. Our home depends on us.

-First Mayor Dahlia Michaels, April 17th, 2174 CE

THE FIRE ROARED inside the squad leaders' tent, hissing and spitting crackling embers. Mad found herself staring into the reddish-orange flames, wishing she was somewhere warm and peaceful. She imagined she was on a beach, the waves tenderly washing over the shore beside the flames. The fire was smaller, set in a crater in the sand, flanked by small, smooth rocks.