couldn't hold the population. It wasn't such a bad idea, some of them argued, and Spuro added 'poor conditions' to his list of Anti-Band thoughts.

While he was watching his class train, he wondered if any of them were good enough to take part in the battle. He tried to shake the thought from his head, dreading the idea of his boys being sent off to war. His mother had told him the terrible feeling of nerves as she and his father were waiting to attack the native humans. He didn't want to put that on their shoulders.

Besides, who would he send? Pride wouldn't listen to instructions that the captains - or even Pirate - gave him. Musktrat and Dillon would run off. Copper and Tay would give it a good shot but they simply weren't up to the level yet, and Zac was only just starting to catch up to them. He decided to spend his breaks at the Centre, watching fights from afar, trying not to get caught up into them, but searching for the best fighters present. A few times he managed to collar Pride when the youngster tried to sneak into a stakes fight, but he sent him packing - which was a victory in itself.

With just a week to go before he had to name the fifty members of the attack squad, he wondered if he was being too picky. He had only managed to list six herdies to be trained under James, he needed twenty-four more in seven days. Considering his view on the Band's systems it was ironic that it seemed that there simply weren't enough fights going on to choose from.

He decided to ask James for some advice. The draft cross captain suggested finding winners of the trials from the last few years. Officers in their prime, ready to take over from them if anything happened. He acted on the idea, and ended up taking the total to twenty-three before filling the rest of the spaces with members of their group. He had asked Nickle to do the same with his selections. It would be important to have horses on the inside for this one.

Once the battle training had begun Spuro decided that it was time to alert the other members of the team. Between training he spoke to them in groups of three in his quarters, explaining to them that with luck the scouters would have disrupted the Band's plans and they would not have to fight. Of course, that was the idea, but there was little chance that they would pull it off. He told them not to rise against the Band in any form - if the order was given to attack, then they would have to play along. It was far too early yet.

Meanwhile, he noticed a change in Zac. The tobiano's chubby structure was gradually disappearing and was being replaced with a strong, muscular one. His steps were lighter and his defence was harder to penetrate - the youngster had clearly taken his advice on board.

Copper was also showing signs of improvement. There wasn't much else that the private could do other than hone his skills. Spuro knew he had a herdy he could trust when he looked at the young chestnut. Tay was also a decent lad, but he was easily pushed around by others.

Spuro hated to admit it, but he was thinking about them in that way incase he lost members in the attack; killed or executed for that matter. The more horses on their side, the better, but he had to pick carefully. He had been lucky to have James fighting his corner at one point; the senior captain knew that he should have reported his tretchary, but still he took his side. He needed more herdies like that - ones that would defend another of their kind with their life.

He decided to go for it. He couldn't miss this oppotunity. Most horses opposed the system when they first arrived, young and nieve, so he had to talk to him before the youngster decided to pledge loyalty to their leader; that was when you couldn't be sure of trusting them. And if he disagreed with their struggle, or threatened to let it slip, he would have no choice but to kill him.

But he hoped it wouldn't come to that. During training he called Copper aside and took him to his quarters. The young stallion was clearly nervous, but he obeyed his tutor. Once they were surely alone, Spuro asked him, "Do you think what the Band does is right?"

"What?" the youngster asked, confused.

"You heard me. Do you think it is right to take young, undefended wild horses off the earth, lock them away in an training camp and make them fight until the best of them is found? What was your first view of the Band?"

"I thought that everyone was a monster," he replied, hanging his head low. He stood up straight. "But I've changed! I'm loyal and willing-"

Spuro smiled and said, "Don't worry, you've told me what I need to know. You're not the only one who thinks that way. You are one of the bravest, good-hearted herdies I've ever met, Copper, and I believe that I can trust you. Because what I am about to tell you could have me killed if you repeated it. Do you swear on your life that you will not speak a word of this to anyone?"

The youngster nodded and gulped. Spuro began to unfold the story he had locked away over the last three years.

"When I first became an officer, I received an insight on the way the herdies here are treated. I had been lucky - James was a good captain to work under. But outside of our class, it was hell. Cramped conditions, strict time limits to eating,drinking and resting, full combat in training, the list goes on. I even got shown the workforce - or slaves, rather. Failed fighters, minor traitors and weak horses are the ones that keep our territoy clean and healthy. The typical length of a worker's duty is one month, since by that time they have either starved, dehydrated or become incredibly sick.

"I had made friends already - the main ones were Leon, a former classmate of mine, James and Nickle. My name quickly spread throughout the Band after I defeated Ghost, a prime opponent in the trials for my circuit. An old officer, Bent, approached me quietly and told me about a group he wished to form. I agreed, since I had long known of the purpose of the Band - to kill stallions in herds and steal their mares for ourselves. Together, we carefully selected herdies to join our group and formed what is known as the Resistance. We are based on the belief that the Band is an unnatural - almost manly - phenomeon, and we seek to undo it. We believe that it is wrong to enslave, slaughter and imprison our own kind, and it must stop. I think that you follow the same beliefs as us and you could be a valuable addition to our undercover forces."

Copper didn't reply, shocked to the bone that such an upstanding captain could have been a traitor all this time. "How do you keep it all a secret?" he asked quietly.

"I told you - we pick our members carefully. There have been close scrapes in the past, and loyal members have died rather than give away our existance. It's a risk, but we do it not for combat honours or rank - we do it because it's right. Are you with us?" Spuro asked.

The plan was decided, and the horses were preparing for the trip to the far west of the planes. The attack units were practicing their fighting skills with the defence units while the scouters built up their strength for the coming terrain. James and Nickle went through their techniques together while Spuro waited alone at the sidelines. His mind wandered off and he started thinking about what Pirate was doing. Then it hit him - he was speaking with the Visionary Captain. Shortie?

He panicked a little, remembering their discussion. But there was no way that the old mustang would remember their conversation, no way at all. Yet he still found himself making his way across the Centre and back up onto the planes and heading for the circle of trees. When he got there he heard voices through the leaves. He stayed low and downwind to prevent being caught.

"Will there be a danger?" he heard Pirate ask.

There was a pause, then Shortie's hoarse voice whispered, "There is always a danger."

"But will we lose any forces?"

Again, a pause. "No," he replied, sounding slightly reluctant, like there was something he wasn't telling his leader. But Pirate was too happy to notice his tone.

"Excellent! How many mares do you see?"

"Many, but not enough. This one herd will not be enough to quench the thirst of the Band, nor will the second, or the third."

Spuro crept away at this point and headed back to the rest of the group. Hopefully nobody had realised he was gone. He knew that Shortie had been choosing his words wisely - more than usual at least. Three herds were not enough, he had said, so Pirate was going to attack at least four by the end of the circuit - maybe some more for good luck. He just hoped that his two undercover scouts had managed to do their work, and that the Resistance wasn't about to be sought out by the Band's loyalest herdies.

At the break of dawn the stallions cantered to the west in formation - Pirate at the front, Shot and Spuro behind him followed by the scouts, attackers and defenders in their lines, and James and Nickle bringing the group up from the rear. By the heat of the day they had made good progress, so the army stopped to rest until the evening, when they began to run through their training. Once all sunlight was gone they carried on their journey, not leaving a trace behind them. While they moved on they picked up the scouts at their posts in pairs, changing direction every time to head for the next checkpoint.

It continued like this for almost a week, until they reached the cover of a piece of woodland. So far, there had been no sign of Spuro's secret