Chapter Four: Excursion

Humans who were born and were birthed inside a colony normally wouldn't be able to go outside, well there are nothing in here but barren wastelands of what left the Old World. Broken down buildings, destroyed machineries, unattended growing plants, and no signs of life at all. Nobody truly wants to go out here, especially when the air outside the colony is contaminated by the Flare Virus, making humans very vulnerable against it.

The Flare Virus affects the mind of humans, reducing their sanity level to the point they become nothing but monsters. While for droids, the Flare Virus corrupts their core systems, making them unable to discern anything until they become destroyers that simply destroy anything they detect life from.

Sentinels are human soldiers tasked to protect humans. There are two classes of Sentinels, the Colonial Sentry and the JADES Sentry. In the JADES Organization—Joint Alt-Drive En System—sentinels form Nexus teams made out of a Commandant and an Alter, and only sentinels from JADES are allowed to go outside a colony which is why we are given Excursion missions most of the time.

Excursion missions are simply Nexus partners doing their regular rounds of checking the surrounding wastelands and would usually last for a week or two until another team takes over.

However, this time, I heard we have cadets from JADES accompanying us today for their in-field training. They're basically potentials who still haven't found their partners yet reason why they're still being held by the Organization.

Apparently, they aren't allowed to go onto missions without a partner. It usually takes a long time for anyone to find someone who can link with them, except for some cases where there are those partners who are close with each other already beforehand, like Commandant Yeona and Alter Zielle.

"We've been waiting for a long time. Are they not here yet?" Commandant Yeona complained inside the truck, an armoured vehicle designed for team expeditions.

"We've only arrived ourselves, Yeona." Her Alter replied in the driver's seat beside her.

"I know, I know. Psh."

"Did you just roll your eyes?"

"Just your imagination~"

"Anyway, I thought we were going to meet up with another Nexus team?"

"Hmm..." My Commandant closed her eyes briefly in wonder before looking at me. "What was the report last week regarding this assignment?"

"Nexus A-47 will be dispatched earlier to map out the area for a safer excursion and Nexus S-07 will be relocated to accompany Nexus S-03."

"I see. Considering we're escorting cadets, I guess the Administration is being extra careful." Alter Zielle said.

"Wait a minute, what are those numbers?" Commandant Yeona suddenly asked.

"Idiot, those are Nexus ranks! How can you forget that?!"

"You look like you're going to hit me if I say I just didn't care at all—hey! Your hands hurt!"

"Don't be so dramatic." Alter Zielle sighed whike leaning in, pressing her Commandant's badge just a little below the collarbone. It glowed for a moment before it showed a number. "See?"

"Oho? Since when did we rise to being S-Class rank seventh?"

"Are you actually asking that question?"

"Come on, I'm genuinely asking!"

"We became seventh just a year ago."

"Ehehe, I didn't notice at all."

"Because you always skip the Annual Ranking Celebration, last year too."

"That's because I was sick!"

"From playing video games, that is."

"The cadets are here." Told my Commandant through her own mask, pointing to a group of people ranging in different ages in a near distance.

They were one by one stepping out of Zenith's frontal gates, steam of oxygen escaping from the gas inside. All seven of them were wearing gas masks that covered their mouths and noses, extending to the back of their heads as well as protective glasses over their eyes.

It was more of like a helmet to be honest, those that filter the air through the round respirators on either side of the chin, though are always needed to change every three to four hours of activation.

They were all wearing uniforms, but unlike us, they don't have their own badges yet as a sign they're still only cadets-in-waiting... waiting for their right partners. Normally, cadets aren't assigned their partners yet until they reach the age of nineteen or twenty for formality purposes, so they can only go outside like this if professionals are with them.

"Well then, you know the drill Cadets! You only observe, no fighting any Ferals out there. Although they barely appear, it's still important to discern what you must and mustn't do!"

Yelled one man wearing an administrator uniform, one that was similar to our except for the colour for his unuform is in a combination of an inside blue and a black overcoat. Administrators are officers who handle the administration of things inside the Organization, they also supervise and handle cadet trainings.

"Yes, Administrator Han." Answered the cadets simultaneously with a salute.

"Good." He nodded at them. Eventually, the cadets all one by one entered the truck. The vehicle is quite large, enough for twenty people to even fit inside.

The man then walked towards us, shaking the Commandant's hand. "Nexus Alestrandra-Elirah and Nexus Yeona-Zielle, I leave my cadets in your hands. But knowing both of your records, I can be reassured."

"For S-Class Nexus like us to accompany these rankless cadets," Commandant Yeona, crossed her arms, tilting her head as she looked over the Administrator with a rare look of seriousness. "—care to explain what's so special about these children?"

"...I was so certain the S-Class Administration has already told you, but it seems the higher ups are quite leisure as always. They must trust you a lot." Administrator Han smiled behind his mask. "Still, we cannot let these cadets fall into any harm, reason why S-Class Nexus such as yourselves are tasked to handle their excursion training and for an A-Class team to secure your path."

"I recognize one of those cadets, the daughter of Governor Austrian of Revelia City. I assume all these cadets came from influencial families." Commandant Yeona frowned. "Since when did our proud organization become so biased?"

"I think you are mistaken, Commandant Yeona. As you may already know, sentinels and cadets in the JADES Organization have already abandoned their family status as a necessity to become a soldier prepared to protect humanity. While it is true that one of these seven cadets came from a respectable family, employing S-Class Nexus teams for this Excursion doesn't mean all of them are the same."

"Then why must S-Class interfere? I can understand if it's an A-Class but..."

"Because these cadets have shown great potential to become S-Class someday once they find a perfect partner. You know how rare it is to come across S-Class pairs, the Organization simply expects a lot from them. The S-Class Administration then suggested for Nexus of the same class to handle this Excursion and thus, the current situation."

"If so, then we will certainly teach them whatever we can." Concluded my Commandant. "I suggest we go ahead now, Administrator Han. Thank you for accompanying the cadets at this point, we shall handle the rest."

"Thank you for accepting this request, both of you. The rest of the S-Class Nexus pairs aren't so... friendly, so to speak, that I fear they will only leave these cadets on their own."

"Well," Alter Zielle sighed, as though remembering a distant memory. "Those people are extremists, I think you made a good decision requesting this task to us instead."

"We all think so too. With that, I will leave things here up to you pairs from now on." The Administrator saluted by bringing his straight palm up across his right chest before turning away.

"Trying to dig in for more information, huh?" Alter Zielle said after a while.

Commandant Yeone only shrugged. "I tried."

"We can think of this more later. For now, let's move on."

I followed the Commandandant who entered the truck, sitting on the last seat by the door and naturally, I say behind despite having an extra one beside her. I can still see her through my position though, so it's alright. The earlier noisy cadet eventually quieted down when the Commandandant entered, the armoured vehicle we were in then started moving.

The vehicle is big, with transparent glass window and even a small platform and a screen over the wall in the front. The vehicle has five tanks of oxygen attached above that is being circulated inside, so everyone can freely take off their masks.

Due to having only seven cadets with us, the area is very spacious, with most of them sitting beside one another. The seats were all positioned by having two seats on either right and left side as a pair, eight seats counting from the front to back on both sides. The back part of the left side is a bathroom while the right side is the supply room where most of the foods and weapons are.

"Aren't you a little too young to be an Alter?" Whispered by someone who suddenly sat beside me, glancing at my badge.

I'm not really good at talking to people, especially with strangers that I only scooted closer to the window while making sure my hood is still covering my face, my other hand gripping the black scarf around my neck.

"Are you ignoring me?" She silently hissed. "Don't you recognize who I am?"

"Do you have nobody to sit with?" I asked instead, silently telling her to talk to others instead.

"Are you insulting me?" She raised her brow, crossing her arms.

"...how is that an insult?"

"Why is your hood up inside here? That's impolite."

"...how?"

"It's just the way it is."

"Hmm." I just said, looking back outside the glass window.

"You really are ignoring me, huh?"

"Hmm."

"You're very rude."

"I'm sorry."

"And now you're apologizing." She snorted. "Hey, what's your name? I'll give you an honour to be my friend."

I immediately looked at her, and although she can't really see me with my big hood, I wish she knows how surprised I am. "Really?"

"Why do you sound surprise?"

"Just... asking."

"I'm Safaron." She grinned. "And now that we're friends, do me a favour."

"Eh?"

Suddenly, the girl gently laid ger head on my lap that almost made me shriek hadn't I accidentally bit my tongue, and oh that hurts that I could only cover my mouth after taking my gas mask, letting it dangle around my neck.

"Stop squirming and let me sleep."

Now that she's closer, she has pinkish hair that reached all the way to her back, and she's facing the side that was on my stomach so I immediately noticed her pale complexion and eyes closing tightly closed.

It reminded me of something in the past that before I knew it, my hand had traveled to her head, carefully rubbing her hair. Apparently, it made her open her eyes.

"Is it uncomfortable? I'm sorry...I don't really know how much force to use..." I whispered, taking my hand, only for her to grab it.

"No. Continue."

"Motion sickness?"

"... embarrassing as it may be, but yes."

"Hmm. We still have an hour before reaching our destination for today's excursion."

"I don't need you to remind me."

"I'm telling you that you can sleep though..."

"Fine, I'll do that." With a deep breath, she closed her eyes once more as I continued rubbing her head.

Somehow, she reminded me how I did this once for the Commandant in the past without her knowing. Well, it was a story for another time. Normally, I wouldn't usually care about other people though. But this girl looked so uncomfortable and pale that I just had to.

I sighed, looking out of the window again, my eyes suddenly meeting the Commandant's gaze by the reflection over her side of the glass—and she's glaring at me again for some unknown reason that I found myself avoiding her beautiful amber eyes in fear.

What did I do wrong this time?

"We're stopping." The Commandant declared standing up that surprised us all, the truck stopping second after she said that even the girl, Safaron, who's about to sleep on my lap sat up.

"What's wrong?" Alter Zielle asked by the intercom.

"This is an in-field training for the cadets. They wouldn't be able to learn what a real Excursion is like if they just wait around." She said coldly.

"We know that, but there's nothing here—"

Commandant interrupted her best friend. "There's a ruin meters ahead. Cadets should go check it out."

"But that ruin is—" again, Commandant Yeona through the intercom is interrupted.

"Put your gas masks on and head out, cadets. This is an order."

"I wonder what's in there."

"This will be my first time doing some actual work."

"I'm very excited."

"Come on, let's go."

"As expected of an S-Class, they're really good at this."

"Hey, let's not get separated."

The cadets began to one by one line up to head outside, the mini vault door opening which filters the air before anyone could go in and out, which is why only one person could go in and out first. Knowing that, Safaron immediately headed straight on the front of the line to be on the first. She must have been really uncomfortable being inside this vehicle.

Eventually, all the cadets were out of the vehicle, looking around the barren wasteland and I was about to stand myself when the Commandant suddenly sat beside me, not exactly looking at mr either.

"My Alter and I will take care of the truck. You and Zielle should go with them."

"Seriously giving us your responsibility?" Zielle complained. "Ugh, fine. Zielle, let's go."

Soon, we saw Commandant Yeona and Altwr Zielle lead the seven cadets towards the ruins. That ruin isn't really anything grand considering how many times we've used this road now. The ruin may seem like it would have a lot of ancient stuffs and possibly some weak corrupted mechanoid wandering around that would enchance the cadets' experiences.

But the truth is this entire area has actually already been safely compromised by the JADES Organization. The only problem around this area is the corrupted air, but other than that, the area is safe.

"Commandant?"

"What?"

"... it's nothing, after all."

"Speak, Elirah." She glared at me. "You speak freely to strangers and you act as though you aren't familiar with me."

"Eh?" My eyes widened, not exactly understanding what she's talking about. "I-I apologize, Commandant—"

"Enough. I've been overworking myself lately every night that I'm not feeling well." She, for some reason, put her head on my lap, grabbing both of my hands. "From now on, you must make me feel better like this."

Perhaps she saw what happened with that girl from earlier and noticed how effective the method is that she wanted to try it now that we're alone. With that in mind, I gently rubbed the Commandant's head as I watch her smiling a little, her eyes closed.

I sighed at the sight.

My commandant seems to be getting very strange recently.