They stayed in a tight embrace for a few moments. ‘You are a noble soul, dear Samarth,’ Amrit said, enjoying the firmness of his grip. ‘And it is so gratifying to be addressed as your soulmate, something I didn’t quite deserve in the first place. You stood by me, helped me fight my part of the war—however internal it was. All I can do is stand by you and pray, which I shall. When you return, you will find me standing here, waiting for you. And together, we will celebrate the new feathers in your cap.’

They walked hand in hand to the waiting jeep. Bibi picked up the service baton from the stand and handed it to her husband. ‘May you stay blessed and return with flying colours.’ Her words echoed in Virk’s ears as the jeep sped out of the bungalow.

* * *

Not too far away, the war room of the makeshift camp of the Command Headquarters near Jalandhar was filling up with senior army officers from various battalions. They were all dressed in battle rig and looked war-ready. Their agenda was to discuss the various options, scenarios and strategies to be deployed for keeping the advancing Pakistani Army in check. Despite the danger of the war looming large, their faces bore no signs of worry. The commander arrived almost at the same time and gestured his colleagues to stay seated. He walked to the front of the table and pulled out a red-tipped narrow wooden stick from its holder. Placing its coloured pointed tip on the dots circled in red ink, he began his monologue. ‘Gentlemen, the situation looks grim. There are over 400 Patton tanks in these three positions besides other sophisticated armoury. As you are aware, these are deadly weapons that they have received from the Americans. And we have become the testing ground for both these nations. About 300 of the 400 tanks are attacking this front as we speak and are barging towards Khem Karan. It’s almost a free run for them as our armoured corps is not in a position to engage them gainfully. These tanks are spitting fire, bombing civilians, ruthlessly killing everyone in sight and leaving destruction in their wake. We need to stop them by hook or by crook. Suggestions?’