Anglo-Force: Pendragon Chapter One: Dust and Duty

The grit of fine sand, borne on a wind that had spent days scouring the desert, chafed against Arthur Pendragon’s eyelids. He blinked, the taste of dust a constant companion on his tongue, and wiped a gloved hand across his brow, already slick with sweat beneath his helmet. A familiar weariness settled deep in his bones, a dull ache that had become as much a part of him as his rifle. He felt a subtle, almost imperceptible pull, a whisper of something more, a vague sense of duty that stretched beyond the immediate horizon, but he dismissed it as the lingering exhaustion of this unforgiving landscape. He was here by choice, on the front line, having deliberately eschewed any comfortable staff position within the Adjutant General's Corps, a path his family connections could easily have paved. He wanted a 'normal' military career, to earn his stripes like any other bloke.

            His focus, however, remained squarely on the patrol, the rhythmic crunch of his boots on the sun-baked sand echoing the steady beat of his own heart. Beside him walked Peter Oswald, a seasoned and pragmatic career soldier, his loyal friend and, in this desolate theatre of war, the one man Arthur trusted implicitly. Peter was a corporal, a few years Arthur’s senior, with a quick wit and a knack for making even the direst situations feel a little less grim.

            “Another cracking meal tonight, then, Art?” Peter’s voice was a low murmur, barely audible above the wind, but laced with his usual dry humour. “Think they’ll surprise us with the dehydrated beef stroganoff or stick to the classic chicken tikka?”

            “Don’t get your hopes up, mate,” Arthur replied, a faint smile touching his lips. “We’ll be lucky if it’s not the vegetarian option again. Tastes like cardboard and regret.” Their camaraderie, a visible comfort amidst the constant tension of their surroundings, was a bulwark against the chaos and uncertainty that simmered just beneath the surface of their deployment.

            They navigated a particularly desolate stretch of wadi, the uneven ground making every step a conscious effort. Arthur, ever vigilant, instinctively covered Peter when a distant, muffled pop echoed across the barren landscape. It was probably nothing, just a stray round or a local celebrating, but in this environment, complacency was a death sentence. Peter, ever watchful himself, merely nodded his appreciation, his eyes scanning the ridgeline, before they resumed their careful advance. Their bond, forged in the crucible of combat and shared peril, felt unbreakable, a silent promise to always have each other’s backs.

            The sun, a fiery orb, dipped below the horizon as they reached their designated checkpoint, casting long, distorted shadows that stretched across the sand like skeletal fingers. Arthur scanned the perimeter, his gaze sweeping over the familiar, desolate expanse. A sense of unease stirred within him, a premonition he couldn't quite shake, a prickling sensation on the back of his neck that whispered of unseen eyes. He attributed it to the lingering exhaustion, the constant vigilance wearing down his nerves.

            Peter clapped him on the shoulder, a reassuring gesture that temporarily dispelled the creeping dread. “Right, then, Art. Let’s get some cover dug and try to get some shut-eye. Long day tomorrow.” They settled in for the night, the vast, star-strewn sky a silent witness to their vigil, unaware of the impending danger that loomed just beyond the next patrol, a danger that would irrevocably alter both their lives.

            Arthur, however, couldn't shake the unsettling feeling. He lay awake for a long time, the desert chill seeping into his sleeping bag, the distant calls of nocturnal creatures doing little to soothe his nerves. There was a profound sense of wrongness, an almost ethereal weight pressing down on him, a feeling that something fundamental was about to shift. He felt a deep, almost instinctual conviction that their lives, as they knew them, were about to change forever.