The Soul Conflict

Chapter 21: The Fire Brightens

"Are we really doing this again so soon? It's literally only been two days since the battle in the desert." I said. Here we all were again, sitting in the back of a cramped Descartes. Given how little space there are in these things, only Ibis and Clovers were sitting with me while Marshall piloted it. Angela, Torren, and Peter had taken off in a seperate Descartes.

"Yes, yes we are. Situations like these call for fast action, though. Think of it as jumping the gun long before the thug even buys one." Nigel explained to me.
Him and I were dressed in newly repaired combat skins, with his being the more elaborate of course thanks to his higher rank. Ibis was wearing something...unorthodox. She was dressed in what I can only describe as a dark green heavy protective coat with rings of metal weaved into the hood.

"That's the exact opposite of what 'jumping the gun' means." I said. "And Ibis, aren't you hot in that? Bursa is in Turkey, not in northern Russia. What is that anyway?"

"Only a little. And it's a traditional Kadan war coat." Ibis said. A war coat? I wonder if colder nations all have one of those.

"Don't you think that might trigger some Vietnam-esque flashbacks in Torren? I don't even know where would you find that. Importing that all the way from Indonesia must cost a fortune." Nigel said.

"I walked right by him while wearing it and he didn't bat an eye. It must be after his time." She said and adjusted herself in the tiny seat. "And how I got it...magic."

"Say no more." Nigel said with a hand partially raised.

"I feel like this is becoming a thing where we head into a city with only a glimpse of an idea of where we are supposed to be. We have no other information other than 'A guy who might have been a Jiwa might have died here, somewhere.'" I said. Rushing in blindly must be a Sunai tradition at this point.

"That's not true. Campbern and I looked up some information before we left. Torren said that this Osmos kid's soul was engraved in a talisman. What we found is that in Bursa there is a museum advertising an artifact they dug up in the 1800's: The Sía Talisman." Nigel said.

"That certainly sounds like it's from Torren's time period..." Ibis said. "What's it look like?"

"Take a gander." Nigel said he pulled out a picture in his phone. It was a silver necklace with four circles overlapping each other, attached to a pair of feathered wings. That's pretty neat looking.

"So we are going to break into a museum and steal it? That's it?" I said. I'm really not in favor of this plan...it's stupid and reckless.

"It sure sounds simple doesn't it? But you know how these things go by now. Every mission Sunai does always spirals out of control in one way or another." Nigel said. The man makes a fair point. It is still one of the dumber points that I have agreed to.

"And another thing that I feel is worth mentioning...Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are officially at war. The Saudi Arabian government was unable to convince Indonesia that it had nothing to do with the attack. As far as Indonesia is concerned, The Unity Lance is a military division within Saudi Arabia. I have no idea what the first move will be." Nigel said.

So there it is. The official notation of war has arrived...yet I'm not a direct part of it. I think? I'm not too sure.

"What's their opinion on Sunai? Both of them?" I asked.

"Indonesia is unaware of us. Looks like our undercover costumes paid off back there. Saudi Arabia seems to be treating us a third faction against the Unity Lance, but has no interest in working together." Nigel said.

"Won't dropping off in Bursa wearing full military gear be a political catastrophe? Especially after we break into the museum?" Ibis said nervously. At least she still has a moral compass.