A New India
Chapter 142 - 142: Soldiers on the Edge

The cold breeze swept across the India-Pakistan border, making the soldiers shiver under their fatigues.

It was winter, but the air felt more colder the it should have been.

Still, no one complained.

Complaints were a luxury no one could afford now. They are soilders who have been trained to perform in situation like this but sometimes you must know the reason to fight for life and death.

But still every man, every officer along the border knew that the stakes were higher than they had ever been.

Even higher than the last war.

The mobilization had begun a few days ago, but its effects were already being felt deeply on both sides.

Convoys of military trucks, heavy artillery, and tanks had rolled in from across the country.

Soldiers were setting up camp, digging trenches, and preparing for something they all felt in their bones but couldn't quite explain. It wasn't like before.

There was an unspoken understanding that this time was different. This time, something big was coming.

Captain Arjun Malik stood just outside his tent, his breath visible in the cold night air.

His eyes scanned the makeshift camp that had sprung up near the Rajasthan border.

Men were moving in quiet coordination, setting up sandbags, checking their weapons, and exchanging muted conversations.

They were trying to act like it was just another day, but Arjun could sense the unease beneath their working.

No one understood anything

He felt the same unease.

Beside him, Lieutenant Ravi, his closest friend and comrade, stood with a cigarette dangling between his fingers.

The smoke curled lazily upward, blending into the night.

"You ever seen anything like this before?" Ravi asked, his voice low, almost lost in the wind.

Arjun shook his head, still staring out at his men. "No. Never this big, never this fast. It feels like we're waiting for something… but no one knows what."

Ravi took a drag from his cigarette, letting the silence hang between them for a moment. "Command's keeping things tight. No one's saying much, but I've heard rumors."

Arjun glanced at him. "What kind of rumors?"

Ravi shrugged, his face half-lit by the glow of the cigarette. "Something about Pakistan... maybe something regarding I don't know man. It's too confusing and draining trying to understand anything recently."

Arjun frowned. He had heard some whispers from other officers as well, but no one seemed to know for sure.

And if there was any truth to those whisper, command wasn't about to share that kind of information with men like him.

But it didn't matter, he knew enough.

Pakistan wasn't mobilizing for nothing.

And if both sides were gearing up like this, something was definitely on the horizon.

"Whatever it is, we're not here to guess," Arjun finally said, his tone sharpening. "We're here to be ready."

Ravi nodded, flicking the cigarette to the ground and stamping it out.

"Yeah, but it's hard not to wonder what's really going on. The men are talking, you know. Everyone feels it."

Arjun sighed. "I know. I feel it too."

Just then, Private Singh, one of the younger soldiers in Arjun's unit, jogged over.

His helmet was too big for his head, and his hands were jittery, betraying his nerves.

"Captain, sir," Singh began, his voice shaking slightly. "Do you... do you think it's going to happen? You know... war?"

Arjun looked at the young soldier, his face a mix of fear and curiosity.

It was the question everyone had on their minds, but most were too afraid to ask. Singh, however, was too green to know better.

"We don't know yet, Singh," Arjun said calmly, trying to keep his voice steady. "But our job isn't to worry about that. Our job is to be ready, no matter what happens."

Singh nodded, though the tension in his shoulders didn't ease. "Yes, sir. But... if it does happen, do you think we'll—"

"Singh," Ravi interrupted, his tone softer than usual. "Focus on what's in front of you. There's no point thinking too far ahead. We do what we're trained to do."

Singh swallowed hard, then nodded again before walking back to his post.

Ravi sighed. "These kids... they're not ready for this."

Arjun watched Singh walk away, his shoulders slumped for he was once one of them, Innocent soul not tainted by death

"No one ever is."

On the Pakistani side, the mood was just as tense.

Soldiers were setting up positions, their breath visible in the cold night as they moved around, preparing their defenses.

Near Lahore, Brigadier Khalid Khan paced in his tent, deep in thought.

He knew why the mobilization had been ordered.

Unlike his men, who were operating on little more than whispers and rumors.

Khalid had been briefed on the full extent of what was at stake.

It wasn't just about India's troop movements or border skirmishes.

It was about something far more dangerous, something hidden deep in Chagai Hills.

Pakistan's nuclear ambitions had long been a secret, but secrets didn't stay buried forever. India had likely learned something, and now they were responding.

He rubbed his temples, trying to push away the thoughts of what could come next.

War wasn't just an option, it was a coming reality.

Outside his tent, Major Javed, one of his most trusted officers, approached.

He looked weary, his uniform dusty from the day's movements.

"Sir, the men are in position," Javed said, saluting briefly. "But they're getting restless. There's talk in the camp about why we've been moved out here so suddenly."

Khalid nodded. "They're right to wonder. But it's not their job to know everything. It's their job to be prepared."

Javed hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do you think India knows about Chagai?"

Khalid's eyes narrowed. "I think they know enough. And if they make a move, it'll be to stop us before we finish what we've started."

Javed clenched his jaw, the implications sinking in. "Should we be expecting an attack?"

Khalid shook his head. "We don't know yet. But we need to be ready. And we need to keep the men focused. Tell them to stay sharp. No one breaks rank, no one loses their nerve."

"Yes, sir," Javed replied, saluting again before heading back out into the camp.

Khalid watched him go, then stepped outside into the cold night air.

His soldiers were gathered around small fires, their faces tense, their voices hushed.

Like Arjun's men on the Indian side, they were waiting, wondering, trying to make sense of what was happening around them.

But Khalid knew the truth, knew how fragile this situation was.

If India made a move, everything could go out of control.

And the nuclear project? It was too far along to stop now.

He walked over to one of the fires where Hassan, a seasoned soldier, sat with his squad.

"Brigadier," Hassan said, standing up and saluting as Khalid approached.

"At ease," Khalid said, waving him down. "How's the squad holding up?"

Hassan glanced at his men, then back at Khalid. "We're ready, sir. But the men... they're on edge. They don't know why we're out here like this."

Khalid sighed, looking into the flames. "They don't need to know everything, Hassan. Just tell them to stay focused. If the time comes, we'll need everyone ready to act."

Hassan nodded, though his eyes lingered on Khalid for a moment, as if searching for more.

But Khalid offered nothing more.

As Khalid walked away, Hassan sat back down, staring at the fire in silence.

Back on the Indian side, Arjun's unit had settled into the tense rhythm of waiting. Soldiers sat in small groups, cleaning their rifles, checking their gear, but the usual chatter had been replaced by a heavy silence.

Arjun and Ravi stood near the edge of the camp, watching the horizon.

"They're probably doing the same thing over there," Ravi muttered, his eyes scanning the distant lights of the Pakistani camp.

"Sitting around, wondering what the hell we're all doing here."

Arjun nodded. "Yeah. And they're just as nervous as we are."

Ravi kicked at the dirt, frustration creeping into his voice. "Feels like we're waiting for something we can't stop."

Arjun turned to him, his expression serious. "That's because we are. But whatever happens, we've trained for this. We'll handle it."

Ravi didn't say anything, but his silence said enough.

He was just as ready as Arjun, but that didn't stop the nagging feeling in his gut, the feeling that this wasn't going to end well.

As the night went on, both Indian and Pakistani forces remained on high alert, their soldiers standing at the ready, their nerves tensed by the silence and the unknown.

Along the border, the tension crackled like electricity in the air, everyone waiting for the next move, the next order, the next sign of what was to come.

But for now, all they could do was wait.

And hope that when the storm finally broke, they'd still be standing.