It was with some trepidation that I set out to meet Amanda.

I was dreading finding out what the fate of my people might be. There was no way that the Company had simply left them alone. The best outcome was that Amanda had taken over and kept most of them safe.

The Chevillon Emperor had seen the Moxes' touch. They couldn't let me roll around in Tyger Claw colors, after all, so they had repainted the SUV black with small green and purple stripes as trim. Understated with just a touch of style.

Next project; load up this vehicle with weapons. Especially if I'm going to be running out into the Badlands on a regular basis. I was thinking missiles or at least rockets. I'd have to look into it soon.

The drive out to Rocky Ridge was uneventful, perhaps the Wraiths had gone quiet to build up their forces. Or the Aldecaldos had gone on the warpath. Both were troubling thoughts.

Once I got there I got yet another surprise.

No one had cleaned up the area, the remains of John's rampage still lay where they had been destroyed. Even more interesting, was more wrecks and newer signs of conflict scattered around the ghost town. Folks had been fighting over this area for some reason. Lots of them.

Since I was early, I stopped and poked around for a few minutes. I found little to indicate what everyone was after. However, some scars of battle were very recent maybe just a few days old. Others were likely from right after my last visit. Sure, it looked like a lot of little skirmishes, but it might mean something bigger.

Like the fact that I saw Nomad colors and signs, mixed in the abandoned heaps, that weren't just the Aldecaldos. That wasn't a small thing. If the clans were uniting, it could change the wastes.

That was just supposition. I shouldn't let my brain run too far ahead on this. There are dozens of reasons why this was going on. Including interclan fighting.

Once, I got back into my SUV, I finally placed what had been brewing in the back of my head. Something that I hadn't noticed until that moment. There was no Psifield, I should be under its influence here, yet I felt nothing.

Pushing north, I soon saw the cluster of buildings that had attracted my attention to this spot in the first place. My heart dropped when I saw the remains of my Khalai buildings.

The pylons had fallen, the crystals dark, dull and cracked. Any crysbronze was grey and crumbling. Amongst the ruins were small pile of grey dust, it wasn't hard to figure out they were the remains of Probes. Dozens of little robo buddies, rendered into fine ashen flakes.

My mind dredged up images of how they behaved and worked. For things born of metal and crystal, they had been so alive. Now they were gone.

Making this a fucking tragedy I was not prepared to deal with.

No matter how I felt, tears could not come. All sadness was burned away by a cold fire inside me. Though I had noticed it before, I hadn't been paying it much mind, having had other things to do than dig around in my own heart. Now not only could I not ignore it, the frosted flames started growing.

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I found larger piles of dust, Sentries perhaps. All I could see was devastation. My heart burned colder.

But I heard the faint trickling sound of water, far to the east. So I followed my ears and could see fields of crops. I began to notice more mana and moisture in the air. A gravel road ran up to the fields, so I placed my feet on it and walked towards the signs of life.

On closer inspection the fields were well maintained. The northern field was growing some type of orange corn, the southern held some small type of small beans that were crimson in hue. I didn't remember either one being options in the store.

The soil had been properly maintained and was damp. The smell alone told me this was water from a Moon Well.

So they took away what gave me the greatest advantage, but left the New Lordaeron structures. I nodded to myself.

I supposed I should be happy that anything was left at all. I just couldn't feel that way right now.

When I got to the farms, I found an intersection and two more farm houses than I expected. Did they choose this layout to make it easier to defend themselves? How many folks worked here. Four farms could support a lot of people.

And for all I knew, there were more beyond these.

"My Lord is that you?" A small soft voice called.

I turned towards the northwestern house and saw a Lordaeron woman sticking her head out of the door. She had just barely opened it and seemed ready to dart back inside at the slightest hint of trouble. I figured that the summoned folks would have some sense of me. It was useful now, I wouldn't have to jump through hoops to prove who I was.

"Yes. It's me."

"You have become one of those Night Elves, My Lord!" She seemed delighted and distrubed. "Forgive me, My Lord. We had all but lost hope that you would return." She came out of her doorway armed with a shotgun and wearing what looked like police style armor.

I nodded, "I understand. Don't worry about it. Is Amanda about? I was supposed to meet her here today." I could hear other doors opening.

Soon a crowd of Farmers and their families were giving me their greetings. It was good to see them. Something had survived the machinations of the Company, for now.

After a while spent sharing friendly banter, Reina invited me in for some food. We talked about what had happened.

All of my outposts, in the Badlands, were in similar condition. The Khalai tech just ceased functioning and then quickly began to degrade, without the protection of the Cannons and the Pylons, various groups started raiding the crops.

As I hoped, Amanda and the Nomads stepped up and helped defend both New Lordaeron and the outposts in the wastes. Though it soon became apparent that they wouldn't be enough.

The lure of lightly defended settlements flush with delicious food and pure water drove folks mad. Wraiths and Gangers, of course led the charge to grab what they could. Soon enough ordinary folks caught wind of the bounty and wanted their piece of the pie.

Soon Amanda had sent word not just to all the families of the Aldecaldos but to the other Nations as well. Less than a week later members of the Jodes and Folks arrived, even some of the Snake Nation showed up to help out.

Hundreds, then thousands of Nomads poured into the Badlands. Killing any of the Raffen they could find for a hundred miles in every direction. Then they pushed the Gangs and even the Corps back to Night City. They controlled the food and water now.

There was talk of forming a new Nation. Though it would be difficult to set aside old difference, the presence of fresh food and delicious water smoothed a lot of things over.

Things had just started to settle back down. Farmers were able to save enough seed stock to start regrowing, now that they were being left alone. Though the mana from the Wells had mutated some of the crops, it was never in a harmful way.

Everyone knew the peace wouldn't last, but they were all glad that they had it.

It was a lot to consider.