The sun dipped below the horizon. The expedition had already begun prepping their tents. They were camping in front of a massive forest with tall trees which contrasted greatly with the dryness of the savanna. The tall trees disappeared into the darkness of the sky which made the people below unable to grasp their true height. The enforcers lit a fire and began preparing dinner. Maple was training her officers and so was Harvey.
Both of their training methods were quite soft but Harvey was stricter than Maple. Kay sat near the fire with Arthur and Maple. The flame danced with the wind, as Kay's eyes were lit by it. Suddenly, a voice called Arthur out from behind.
"Ah, Arthur. How are you doing?"
The trio spun around and saw professor sterling, standing with a big smile on his face.
"Ah, sir. I was just about to go and find you." Arthur replied, pulling a plastic chair towards sterling.
"Hm? What do need me for?" Sterling sat down on the chair like the others.
"I needed to know more information about this…place." Arthur said.
"This…" Sterling looked behind, seeing the vast, tall forest. "This is the furthest we've been in the history of expeditions. Beyond this forest, our drones, robots, satellites, any man-made technology fails. It's the reason why we didn't bring any sort of advanced technology to camp."
"Is that the reason why we're using tech from the 21st century?" Amelia inquired, leaning her head on her hand.
"Exactly." Sterling lifted his head, looking at the milky way galaxy.
'This sky…it's just so beautiful here…oh, how I can enjoy the beauty of the world.'
He smiled and then, lowered his head. He gave a small nod to himself and stared at the fire. Right then, Kay asked a sudden question.
"So…sir sterling. What is the plan to execute the expedition tomorrow?"
Sterling rotated towards Kay and gave a straightforward answer. "The generals, supreme commander and lead scientists are still deciding on it."
"Really? Shouldn't you be there? Aren't you one of the lead scientists?" Kay inquired in a surprised tone.
"Ha! I don't care about such meetings. I only care about science and discoveries." Sterling laughed.
***
In a rather big tent, Nyx, David and Lancelot were sitting across from each other. In the middle was a holographic map of the explored parts of the forbidden continent.
"Generals." Nyx uttered.
It instantly drew their attention to the supreme commander. She sighed and leaned forward.
"Listen, we need to formulate a plan for the expedition by tomorrow."
'It would've been more efficient if you'd done it before the expedition instead of on the stop. Oh, great supreme commander, forgive me for your laziness and stupidity.'
Lancelot was obedient on the outside but mocked Nyx internally. He coughed and spoke in a pleasing tone.
"I think we should hear what the scientists want, commander."
Nyx raised her brows. "Right…sir Charles. What would you think is best?"
The officers turned towards a singular man. The man calmly sat in his chair, sipping his tea. He wore a black flat cap, had dark hair and eyes with a beard. He wore dark long coat which made him stand out among the scientists, inside he wore a classical suit with a bowtie. He sipped his tea some more before putting it down on the table. He intertwined his fingers and said in a calm tone.
"To accomplish the task of exploring an unknown area…it will be quite troublesome but I do have a plan."
"Then, let us here it. Stop wasting our time." David blurted.
"We'll fix the GPS and SONAR systems of the cars. Then, we will send out some of the enforcers. Approximately, three cars – east and west. The SONAR system will be active at all times and we will get 3-point cross-section images which we can combine using the super-laptop."
"That seems like a good plan. We get extremely detailed images of the environment by cross-sectioning different images to create an accurate representation of the land but…The journey back and forth could have many unpredictable probabilities." Nyx commented.
"We'll find a plain, somewhere near a river to settle during that time. If we go non-stop, then a massive portion of this continent could be explored." Lancelot agreed with Charles's idea.
"But how will it take is the question?" David said.
"If they rest and eat properly, then…I'm thinking at least two months or more if we also research the wildlife, ecosystem and all. " Charles replied.
"That's enough time for us conduct our own analysis on the surrounding's too." Nyx commented.
"That's the plan then." Lancelot slammed his hand on the table, declaring it the final decision.
"Then, let's decide which enforcers will go on this mission." Charles took another sip of tea.
"Let's send nine enforcers per vehicle. I'll send my lieutenant general." David offered, raising his hand.
"…I'll send nine of our own…It'll be good experience for them." Lancelot said begrudgingly.
"Oh? Are you not gonna send your lieutenant general?" David scoffed.
'Of course not, you damn old bastard! That prideful son of a bitch won't listen to a word I say. The first unit is already under training so, why not send them? It's the best choice I have.'
Lancelot smiled. "Sorry but I believe we'll need him for conducting our research here."
"Then, it's decided." Nyx made the final statement.
***
The night became even darker. Harvey and Maple finished training their officers. They went to have dinner with their team which were the same rations as before. Under the milky way, they quietly ate their food. After dinner, most enforcers went to bed. Kay still sat near the fire pit. The fire had been extinguished quite long ago. He swung his legs, admiring the stars.
Right then, Harvey sat beside him, also peering towards outer space.
"What are you doing out here? It's late." Harvey asked.
"Nothing…The view is just…captivating." Kay answered.
They both sat in silence. Stars shot through the sky like fireworks, mesmerizing anyone who watched. After a few minutes, Kay asked Harvey a strange question.
"Harvey…how far do you think I am from Arthur's level?"
Harvey leaned back. "Arthur's level? Far but not as far as you think."
Kay raised a brow. "What do you mean by that?"
"Listen, Kay. I've known you for two years and how you compare yourself to others. At first, I thought to get you out of that habit but…it was actually doing miracles for you."
"Elaborate."
"Unlike others, you didn't get discouraged. You actually trained until you got the same result as people better than you. It's the reason you got this strong but…"
"But?" Kay urged him to continue.
"You've gotten strong enough. Stop, comparing yourself to others, son. At this stage, you'll only be hindering yourself from your true potential. Appreciative how far you've come and try to climb even higher."
"When did I become your son?" Kay chuckled darkly.
Harvey smiled, glancing at Kay. "Since, we met. You've grown so much since we met and we've gotten so close…It's like you're my actual son…"
Kay bit his lip. His heart began to be filled with something he hadn't felt in ages…compassion. He had always felt underestimated but got used to it after so long. He learnt to work hard and become like people better than him. He constantly compared himself to others whether he wanted it or not but…was it time to change? He didn't know – He didn't know if he could.