ORDERS for Squad 1A

MISSION: Capture and Arrest

LOCATION: ALFF Camp 5

COMMANDER'S NOTES: Picture and name of the criminal will be distributed by your Squad Sergeant. If criminal resists capture, use of force is granted

Several weeks after Lilika and Shelly's triumphant return Kayta was sitting in the dining hall, eating breakfast. Ben, whom she now called a friend, sat beside her. He had come back late from a sabotage mission the night before and had skipped dinner. Now he was too busy eating to talk to Kayta, but she didn't mind in the least as she felt like thinking for the moment.

After their conversation a few weeks ago, Ben and Kayta had ran into each other and talked sometimes with Lilika, sometimes without. They had formed a friendship. They talked a lot, but still didn't tell each other everything. Kayta caught Ben several times with a note. He said it was just some orders, but whenever he read this note (or notes) he face paled. She didn't believe him, but she didn't press it. Maybe they were letters from home or something private like that.

Ben had kept her updated on Lilika's training, as had Lilika, and had also taken to sitting with her at meals, where they normally discussed the League, the ALFF, various acquaintances and friends and whatever else came to mind. When their discussions turned to lively arguments, as they often did, they enjoyed it immensely and oft times Lilika and Shelly or one of Kayta' roommates or one of Ben's squad mates would pop over and join the discussion. These could end up anywhere from shouting matches to long, involved philosophical discussions to which everyone contributed but no one seemed to fully understand.

Lilika, as had been promised, was extremely busy those weeks as 5B was only doing a fourth of the missions now and 5A was given the rest. She and Shelly were often seen racing into the mess hall, scarfing down breakfast in three seconds flat and hurriedly apologizing and explaining to their friends before running off again. Lilika would usually manage to spend a few minutes with Kayta every day; though Kayta heard from Ben she would sometimes be tardy because of it. This, strangely, made Kayta feel very happy.

Also during these weeks, Kayta grew closer to her roommates. With Lilika not constantly available, Kayta now realized that what Shelly and Ben had told her was right: you could have more than one friend. This was an amazing revelation for her. Pride and Kayta struck it off well and when Kayta wasn't helping in the kitchens or talking with Ben and/or Lilika she was sitting with Pride by the riverbank and watching Jenelle play. Fry and Minnow would often come along and soon Fry let some of her surliness fall away. Lark stayed silent, but Kayta swore she saw her smile once. When her roommates (all except Lark) joined one of the arguments with Ben Kayta discovered Fry was as stubborn as a pig and a great arguer and Minnow was brilliant with numbers and memorization. It was a very happy several weeks and Kayta finally felt like she had found the paradise she had seen on her first day of freedom.

Too bad it couldn't last.

As Ben finished off the last of his porridge and turned to Kayta, saying, "Well, last night—" he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the mess hall doors being banged open. Everyone whirled around to see a group of experiments who all had "1A" embroidered on their shoulders. Even Kayta was knowledgeable enough to realize that this was the top force of the ALFF, the best of the squads of the best of the Camps. Everyone recognized who they were, but no one could figure out why there were here.

Dog-boy, the Sergeant of 5B, stood. He was the closest thing to authority in the mess hall. "Yes?" he barked. "What's your business here?"

"We have orders for the arrest of a criminal staying in this Camp," said a man with some reptile's scales framing his sharp features.

"A criminal! What's he done?"

"We have reason to believe that he has been passing secrets to the League about ALFF whereabouts and plans."

"Well, who is he then? He must not be very good at passing secrets; there've been no problems with the missions."

The man made a sour face at the last remark. "We…we are not at liberty to discuss the consequences of his actions and betrayal." He consulted a paper. "The Jr. Sergeant of Squad 5B. Name's Benjamin Rayton."

There was a squeal as Ben pushed back his chair and rose. The dog-boy collapsed into his own seat, a confused and perplexed expression on his face. He complained feebly. "Ben? No way. He's been on my Squad for years, best Jr. Sergeant there is."

"If you believe that you're either stupid, sir, or he's the best actor there is as well."

Kayta stared in shock. Ben a spy? Impossible! Not only was he the best Jr. Sergeant there was, he was probably one of the loyalist members of the ALFF, equal only to Lilika and a few others. You couldn't fake that love, or, rather, obsession they both had. They believed in the ALFF's cause fully and would probably die for it if they had to. No one could act that.

She forced herself to speak. Her voice was shrill and wobbly. "W-what exactly has he done? What's your proof?"

The man looked down his nose at what he no doubt thought of as a worthless child. "I don't believe that's any of your business, miss. And even if it was, I do not have liberty to discuss it."

"You mean you don't know what evidence your Commander has," she accused without thinking. "He could have nothing but hearsay for all you know!"

He gave her a scornful look and then directed his men to capture Ben. Kayta noticed with anger that he only referred to Ben as 'the criminal'. She watched helplessly as they surrounded him and marched away. Through to mass of people she was just able to catch Ben's shocked and confused face. Around her people asked each other questions. Do you think he did it? No. Yes. Well they did say he did it. Ben? Can hardly believe it. Astounding.

Kayta felt like she was in shock and most likely she was. A few tables away dog-boy, Ben's superior and one of his best friends, felt the same way. While everyone else wondered why they hadn't seen it in Ben, those two and some of the Kayta-Ben discussion group wondered why someone saw it fit to accuse Ben of doing something he didn't do. None of them could find any answers. Not yet anyway.

An arm slung around Kayta's shoulders. She looked up to see Shelly and Lilika, who looked close to tears. Pride was holding Jenelle, who hadn't understood a word; Fry and Minnow looked confused; Lark was, as ever, silent. Kayta pushed herself up and the group of friends left the mess hall. Lilika and Shelly left them at their room and the six girls entered. With a sigh, Kayta said, "I'm gonna go to sleep. I need to think." She curled up on her bed, and began to plan exactly what she was going to do to the person who had wrongfully hurt her friend.