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Although the path to the stairs is just a few meters, it seems like the longest passage of my life. I dreamed of this since I was a child. I always wanted to be one of them.
    When I reach the bottom of the stairs, my knees tremble so much that I can hardly keep my legs still. I raise my head and look into the light blue eyes of the Legion commander in front of me.
    “On behalf of the Legion, I appoint you, D518, from this day forward shall be A518 and wear the white suit of a Legion commander.”
    I feel my lips trembling and barely hear the applause which broke out around me. A350 confronts me and places a carefully folded white suit in my hands. Our fingers touch for a brief moment. Her eyes are just as wet as mine. I look into her eyes and see boundless joy and pride. “Welcome,” she whispers almost tenderly. Why is it so different? What did I do to now become a Legion commander? I no longer took my work in the food allotment division seriously.
    I know that I should be disturbed with this development, but for now, I will celebrate. It’s almost as if I had never spent time with the rebels.

05. NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
    W hen the white doors slowly open, I slowly enter the passage with the other twenty Legion commanders. My heart pounds with joy. At the end of the hallway is another door, a door that can only be opened by a Legion commander’s thumbprint. Would the door now open for me? I have no time to try as another had already put his finger on the sensor. Only now I realize how young he is. Most members of the A-Class are significantly older than me, most of them are from the second, third, or fourth generation, but this one seems to be my age.
    “Access Granted,” proclaims a computer voice as the doors slide apart. Behind is a small room, barely bigger than my former cell in the sickbay. But, the walls are made of glass. Successively we enter until the doors close again. It is an elevator. It reminds me of when I was abducted by the rebels. We used an elevator and then I woke up in the caves. After this ride, my life will change again.
    Bright light penetrates into the chamber from above. It is so bright that I have to squint my eyes. When I open them again, we are practically floating in the air. As far as I can see in every direction is the red expanse of desert. I can see the safety zone and the many vehicles of the Legion, as well as water and fuel tanks. But I cannot break my gaze away from the red mountains. I press my palm against the cold glass. There is the mountain from which Finn showed me the Legion one night. The stars were in the sky above us while we crept up the hill on all fours and looked down into the valley. Of course we quarreled, even then. We were always fighting. But something he said, something I can remember as though I heard it yesterday reverberates in my head, I can almost hear him say it. They were the words that made me want to be a rebel.
    “ Not everyone has a choice in how they live. We want to make sure everyone is able to make that choice.”
    At the time I believed him. But when I think of it today and how they killed the other prisoners, I only feel anger. Did those people choose to die? Lies.
    I detach my gaze and look around at the Legion commanders. Only now do I realize they are all watching me. Not obviously, but out of the corner of their eyes. I can tell they disapprove. While they appeared solemn at the announcement, they now seem petrified. Their mouths are narrow lines and their eyes are as cold as ice. It almost seems as if they do not want me here with them. I was just an annoying intruder who had no place in their world, but then they appointed me as a commander. Why would they have done that?
    Slowly the elevator slides in and snaps at a floor. Hastily the commanders flock out, while ramming me with their shoulders or pushing me in the stomach with their elbows. While accidental, not one word of apology comes from anyone’s lips. Apologies and excuses have