Code name: Ishq

The jeep bounced violently over another pothole, and Dr. Yamini Singh winced as the tiny black kitten in her lap mewed pitifully. She adjusted her hold on the injured creature, trying to shield it from the worst of the jarring ride while her four friends shot her varying degrees of exasperated looks.

"Yamini," Dr. Aditya Kapoor said for the fifteenth time in the past hour, his usually perfectly styled hair now disheveled from the mountain wind, "you cannot bring a stray kitten to a military base."

"She's not a stray," Yamini protested, gently stroking the kitten's matted fur. "She's a refugee. There's a difference."

Dr. Neha Patel, seated beside her, rubbed her temples. "A refugee?"

"Yes. She was clearly displaced by recent construction work near the checkpoint. Look at her paw." Yamini carefully lifted the kitten's injured front leg. "This is consistent with debris-related trauma. She needs medical attention."

"She needs veterinary attention," Dr. Rishi Malhotra corrected from the front seat, though his tone was gentler than the others. "Which we cannot provide."

"I can provide basic wound care," Yamini said stubbornly. "It's not species-specific."

Dr. Priya Sharma, squeezed between Yamini and Neha, sighed deeply. "You're going to get us all in trouble on our first day."

"When have I ever gotten you in trouble?" Yamini asked with mock innocence.

All four of her friends stared at her in stunned silence.

"Okay, fine," she amended quickly, "when have I ever gotten you in trouble that wasn't entirely justified?"

"Last Tuesday," Aditya said immediately. "The vending machine incident."

"That vending machine had it coming. It stole my money three times."

"You kicked it so hard you broke the glass," Neha pointed out.

"Property damage in service of justice," Yamini declared, then immediately softened her voice as the kitten whimpered. "Shh, it's okay, little one. We're almost there."

The jeep rounded another curve, and suddenly the Arunachal Pradesh military base spread out before them, nestled in a valley between towering peaks. The sight was breathtaking in its stark functionality military precision carved into the mountainous landscape with buildings that seemed to grow organically from the terrain itself.

"Wow," Priya breathed. "It's actually beautiful."

"In a 'designed to withstand enemy bombardment' sort of way," Aditya added, straightening his collar nervously.

Yamini felt her stomach clench with familiar anxiety. The closer they got to the gates, the more real this became. She was here under false pretenses, accepted through political manipulation rather than merit. The knowledge sat in her chest like a stone, made heavier by the tiny creature depending on her for care.

The guard at the gate checked their credentials with military efficiency, then waved them through. As their jeep rolled to a stop near what appeared to be the main administrative building, Yamini spotted familiar figures emerging from a nearby structure.

Her heart stuttered.

"Oh, bhagwan," she whispered, clutching the kitten closer.

"What?" Neha followed her gaze and froze. "Oh. Oh no."

Captain Arjun Sharma emerged first, his sniper's keen eyes immediately scanning the new arrivals. Behind him came Captain Rohan Nair, adjusting something on his communication device, followed by Captain Vikram Singh, whose easy stride faltered when he spotted Neha in the jeep.