A/N: This is a first, I've never really detailed anything so far as the surface of any planet in the Stygian System, but, this story will cover the details of most of them. Spare Styx...cuz let's face it. Planetary prison full of psychos, murderers, and war criminals isn't a very fun setting. Maybe in another story though right? Anyhow, this one picks up one of my favorite races I've never managed to go anywhere with the Drogann. Remember to R&R, it helps. Thanks for the continued support, and hope everyone enjoys the chapter. I know I've been behind lately so I tried to put this one up a little quicker than last.

~ The Footsteps in the darkness - SkullFox

Skye had been waiting for what felt like forever, Aetheria meant doing something, or going somewhere that very few others had. She was breaking ground on the new and she loved every second of it; unfortunately, in agreement with the locals of the planet, she was forced to omit any recording devices of any kind. The way she saw it her memories would serve her far better anyhow. Artimus seemed more excited than any, his devices were only to record data, and as such were, oddly enough, allowed. It took a bit of time to find a third for their drop team; Lamont was more interested in studying the ships' unusually complicated computer system, Tilly stuck to him like glue, Gryfith seemed a bit complacent with the whole idea, in the end Dax seemed to be the only third willing to go down to the planet's surface. Each member of the drop team would take their own Arwing upon locking orbit with the planet, the team had already been left with directions and coordinates for an adequate landing area. Luckily the planet was roughly the size of Corneria, making it easy for them all to get used to the change in gravity. Seated in her small fighter, Skye had waited for some time to be able to fly it for a reason; the new-fangled models were fully customizable, a feature she was definitely going to look into in the near future, but, more than anything thanks to the newer, more powerful G-diffuser system the engines were capable of pumping out much more speed. It was a chance to test all the skills she'd learned from Marcus and the simulator before her graduation.
The small team's time of departure took, in Skye's mind, far too long. Even after sitting by in her Arwing, it felt like ages of simply staring out into the black void waiting to kick her engines on. Oddly, none really showed up for the sight as Art and Dax found their way to the docking bay. Dax boarded an Arwing a short ways down the line of ships; it was normal enough, spare the extra jutting point across the top of the cockpit, and the angled wings that jutted forward and down rather than out and back. Just as well Art's did not seem to resemble an Arwing at all; it was a single body, no separated wings, with the words Bullfrog II written across the side of it. She recalled hearing about Professor Slippy flying a similar fighter, clearly it was in homage to the brainy toad's father. None of them really were sure what to expect from an unexplored planet, but, at least Skye and Art were both excited to see what lay ahead...

The atmosphere of the planet didn't seem all that different from that of Corneria or most other life bearing planets. Green and blue, with heavy swaths of white clouds. Looking over her console of controls, Skye thanked whatever gods there might have been for automatic G-diffuser calibration systems, as the manual steps were often complicated and could be difficult to do on the fly without proper experience and training. Newer systems measured atmospheric pressure outside of the ship at all times adjusting G-diffuser output on the fly with little to no needed intervention by the pilot. All Skye needed was to stay her course, monitor her engines output and stay in control of the vehicle while admiring the sight of the atmosphere breaking against the hull of her ship, igniting in a brilliant display of flames dancing across the ship itself. The first time she'd witnessed such a thing the young pilot panicked a bit, causing the simulation to end in a crash and burn. As the land rushed up to greet her however, Skye looked out over a landscape unlike most she was used to. There wasn't a city or skyscraper in sight, in fact the tallest thing she could notice other than a forest that stretched out as far as the eye could see, was a massive mountain peak near the center of the large continent they rapidly approached. It was only Art's face appearing in front of her...
"If our coordinates are clear," He said, "our landing zone is that bald patch near the coast of the far side of the continent. Try to do as little damage landing as possible, the last thing we want to do is harm this ecosystem any more than our presence here already will."

Skye nodded, "Oh yeah, the last thing we want is to hurt any of this."
"I didn't know there were inhabited places like this," Dax butted in, his image not showing up, "like it's lost in time or something. But, if they're this far behind in tech, how do they know about us?"

"First question I intend to solve," Art replied, "let's save idle chit-chat for after we've landed. Let's get down there."

The rest of the trip to the surface of the planet was very smooth so far as landings go; nothing but the slight thump of the landing gear meeting the ground below. Several small scans of the area and the environment later, the cockpit of each Arwing hissed open. The oxygen levels were not only tolerable, they were better than any other planet Art had been on. The three immediately found themselves serenaded by the songs of birds and wildlife, some almost familiar, most a rare treat that only a slight few had ever heard. The sights, sounds, and smells filled their senses so much so that the presence of a tall figure standing behind them went unheard and unseen for nearly ten minutes...
"This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Skye gasped.

"You are very kind." The sudden voice caused the three to turn, though not as violently as would it have been had they been on another planet for some reason, "I am certain this world is curious about the three of you as well."

The three stood in shock; the figure was little less than seven feet tall, the thick green robe it wore was cinched tight around a slim waist with a cord resembling a vine strewn with leaves. From beneath the hood of the robe, a pair of golden eyes with S shaped slits for pupils, set just above the jutting snout of a reptile who's right nostril bared a golden ring, a small length of thin chain scaling back into the robe. Behind the figure swished about a thick tail, tipped with a small tuft of fine red hair and spines along the top of it's length...
"We have been expecting you for some time, " It said gently bowing to them, "Skye, Artimus ... Dax. You may call me Ignys," It's voice was like a sound none of them had ever heard, it was welcoming, calming, the most soothing sound Skye had personally ever heard leaving a strange tingle about her body, "I would trust that you have left your weapons aboard these ... ships?"

Skye looked to the others receiving a nod from each, "I only have my knife but ..."
"Keepsakes are important to us as well," Ignys replied holding up a scaly hand of green and gold before folding the cuffs of the robe back over it, "your guest is waiting ahead; yet, we have prepared a guide for the young professor..." As he said this another figure in roughly the same attire appeared from the left as if from thin air, "...Inary will be your guide. Any questions you have within understandable realm will be hers to answer for you. You may find that the Drogann very much appreciate the pursuit of knowledge."

As the unknown individual lead Art off with a ruby scaled hand on his shoulder Skye should only shake her had as his swath of questions was only met with the sweet laughter from the unseen female of their species. It was not until the moment however that Skye's eyes opened wide causing her to look back to Ignys...
"Wait a second," She demanded, "how did you know that we three were coming? And already had someone specifically here for Art?"

Ignys shook his robed head, "Do not worry Skye. You will find soon enough that the Drogann know many things that we possibly should not."

Dax suddenly stepped forward, "So why suddenly start letting outsiders in? This isn't normal here. Even people from Stygian have little idea what goes on down here."

Ignys shook is head again, "Worry not, you will all be told the truth in time. First we will fall back to the Den. There I will answer questions while we await Master McCloud's friend he wishes you to meet with. We have plenty of time, but so very little of it in the long of things. My people have feared this era for some time..."

Skye and Dax asked no further questions as they began to follow their tall guide. Skye was obscenely curious about their appearance beneath the robes, she'd seen people dress in such a manner before. Monks only visited the larger cities once in a great while but, they were often treated with respect when they did; often enough they were only in the cities long enough to demonstrate what their convent had to teach, often enough leaving with several new initiates into their monetary before retreating into whatever backward countryside they'd come from. These people however, felt different, even in fact as Skye watched Ignys walk his path, hands still hidden within the sleeves of his robe as they stay folded behind his back. A number of butterflies and birds would come to perch on his narrow shoulders, or swarm about him before darting off again. Even with the Inary person that was left with Art; she'd come from seemingly nowhere, yet, somehow she seemed to walk out of the forest as if she was a part of it. As they continued to walk for some time, the trees gave way to open fields where more tall, hooded figures stood gently bowing as they passed...
"Here we have striven to always convene with nature," Ignys sighed, shaking his head, "our ancestors attempted long ago to teach these ways to a young race outside these star systems. Results were...candid at best. Some took to the teachings, others decided that my ancestors were a fearful lot. Some were killed...some did the killing. In the end, we quickly learned that not all of nature can be given or taught. Some natures, like that of mankind eons ago...must be given space to proceed along their own path."

Skye laughed, "Man? Humans died out ages ago..." She shook her head, "...we've excavated Earth dozens of times. There's nothing left."
Ignys nodded, "I am certain you have," He replied, "we are very proud of man's sudden turn about. Unlike many things their sudden spark of realization to what they were doing to that planet was ... nothing short of miraculous. They abandoned their mother, just in time to let her live and prosper once more. Some time before your people reached it, that planet was a barren wasteland, barely capable of supporting life. Man has gone to find other homes elsewhere in the cosmos. Unfortunately their plight is part of why you are here."

Skye sighed heavily, "So, that thing on Macbeth?"
"Yes," Ignys shook his head lowly, "sadly the Pyrexinans were the cause of the humans leaving their home. More than a full century of attempted repair of their home, and all fell through when those ... things arrived. As your friend Art's father is learning at the moment, they are, just as much organic as they are machine. I would love to go into details about their Origin but, I am afraid that particular story could take...well ages. Those things have been ravaging life for as long as we Drogann can remember. As far back as our ancestors' knowledge goes, we are not certain why they seem to hate organic life, we can only surmise that it has something to do with our little imperfections as living things that do not sit well with their ... mechanical way of thinking. However, there is one person here that can conclude better than I or any Drogann."

"Why is that?" Dax asked, "you knew we were coming long before we got here. Where we were gonna land, time we'd arrive, why we're here...how would he know more than you guys?"

Ignys actually stopped and lowered his head, causing all the others around them to do the same, "Because, he's watched the invasion first hand. When Tethys felt that world fall, he went in hopes of finding at least a survivor, the one that did needed Tethys's help in order to live. Now, that poor soul is bound to this place. Well, bound to Tethys."

Skye paused for a minute as she looked about, "When you mention this Tethys person...everyone stopped what they were doing. Is he...important or something?"
Ignys nodded gently as the continued to walk, "Yes, you could say such. In our current ages he is the oldest of us all. We cherish our elders with high respect; however, to bind oneself to another living soul is almost an assured case for death. You see when Tethys found the man, he was already nearly dead. The planet he wandered had been ravaged; how he managed to survive even long enough to allow the polluted and spent atmosphere of his home to poison him as it had was ... unnatural. It would have taken a level of resolve far beyond what we had believed a human capable of. I suppose it was that iron determination to survive that inspired Tethys to do what he did. That very human now watches over Tethys's last days. To grant life at the cost of our own is a ... long ... painful process. We fear the old one will not last much longer. After than Jendyr will be eldest of us, she is already beside herself with mourning of the loss of her mate, and spends every moment at his side assisting that human in whatever ways she can."

Skye and Dax shared a glance before looking back to Ignys, "There's ... a human here?" Skye managed to mutter.
Ignys chuckled, "At this point calling him human would be a gross mistreatment of his gift. A Drahken has not existed for millennia that even we cannot count."

Cocking his head a bit as he studied a small red flower far off in the forest with his guide, Artimus thought about the situation. To hear that a human had been here to study the whole time, he'd have possibly stayed with Skye but, learning what he could from Inary about whatever the situation called for. Currently that was a well known medicinal herb he now inspected called Fire Lilly...
"So, this human was given the remaining lifespan of Tethys causing the old Drogann to age more rapidly than usual," Art reiterated, "that is an unusually interesting ability."

The robed figure nodded, "Yes, for us it is a resort we do not toss about lightly. It almost always certainly ends in death. We Drogann share a sort of singular knowledge, and yet ... none of us can grasp quite what possessed Tethys to do such a thing."

Artimus shook his head lightly, "Pity, remorse, hope ... " He muttered quite lowly, "... from what I can ascertain from my time here thusfar. Which is not much, so forgive my rudeness if I am crossing a boundary here. But, you and Ignys seem very astute, aware of everything around you. From my personal experiences as someone that's gone through life observing every little detail about everything I come across ... I tend to notice that my care for certain things begins to wane. You study a subject for so long ... " He sighed standing and writing something down before moving along, " ... you begin to forget what it was like to care."

Inary sighed a bit, "I think I see why Ignys sent me with you," She pointed out, "you and I think very much alike. I have always been much more curious about this world and how small it is compared to everything around it. If that is the case do you suppose that perhaps Tethys felt for that human he saved?"
Art nodded as he looked to the unusually beautiful sky, "I think that is likely the only explanation. In the moment he saw that man suffering on whatever planet he was on ... your elder recalled possibly what your ancestors felt when they first attempted to direct man. Maybe it was a last attempt at something. For all we know I'm simply grasping at straws, but, isn't that the wonder of science? Asking the questions and then looking for the answers to those questions?" He chuckled looking back to his guide, "of course what your elder felt most likely has nothing to do with science, but, given the situation ... I feel the point still makes itself clear. You see were my father, or his father for that matter; to make a decision such as your elder had ... I'd be nothing short of proud to even say that I was fostered by them. Self sacrifice ... no two words together have quite as impactful a meaning because it means, that for that one instant ... you cared less for yourself than you did the one you were trying to save. Such a notion is almost poetic ... but, I am not a stickler for poetry so ... I digress," He finished, "now you were explaining the most fascinating thing about these trees before our little tangent..."

Inary could only smile, thought not that it could be seen, "Yes, these are Foxgroves. This is the only place in this entire world where they grow to this height..."

A long walk still and Skye could feel her feet begging her to stop; the trail had led them up the side of a small foothill, down the other, over a small river, through more forest land, it was much further than they'd originally thought. She did her best to ignore her feet, which she found easy enough but, the rumble in her gut clearly meant that skipping out on breakfast had been a lousy idea. It wasn't however, long after her stomach began to growl that Ignys lead the two into a very large grove set in the middle of a heavily wooded area. Encircled by trees, the light that shone down through the open canopy lay a perfect silhouette of the small stone structure where another tall figure lay. Next to this figure another sat idly, while a third smaller, yet much larger built individual walked about bringing this and that to the Drogann that lay on the stone. The strange man that walked about, first bringing the laying figure a pitcher of water, then a small platter covered in bits of meat and fruit; was clearly not of a like even normal to Aetheria. His upper body went unprotected by clothing, and his obtusely muscular form was chiseled of a strange, lightly tan skin that was nearly completely void of fur, spare the bits on his forearms. His face as well was covered by a strange mask that almost resembled a skull of sorts, though with an straight, elongated jaw. His short black hair was drawn back over the back of his head. He seemed very attentive of the old Drogann, but, the strangest thing was the awkwardly somber air he seemed to give off. It was only a moment as they watched on, before a rather sickly voice rose over the quiet...
"It would seem he is quite late Ignys," It called out, "I apologize ... but, you know our backwood cousins. They do as they so please when they please," It attempted to chuckle though was cut off by a fit of coughing, "Jaxon has prepared food and drink for out guests. Please wait with us until Mick arrives ... he will not be long. He is an odd youth, but a mannerly one. He would not be late without reason. What of the insatiably curious one," He paused for another fit of coughing, "did you send him with Inary as I requested?"

Ignys nodded gently, "Yes Elder. Though I still fail to see your reasoning for this."
"Ignys, please do your best to see that our place in the cosmos is not as we are," Tethys paused, only this time to take a number of labored breaths, "I realized this myself some time ago, Inary is simply the most willing to accept a different way, and I believe that Artimus is the same sort as she ... I warn you, by this time tomorrow she will leave us."

Ignys seemed displaced for a moment, "Can we truly allow that Elder? With all due respect, our kind has not left this planet since the attempts at teaching man our ways, are they even ready to accept our presence out there?"
"Ignys," Tethys actually managed a short chuckle, "the better question is. Can you truly do anything to stop her? Even as her sire, I doubt so much can be said. Her own father should know how she is ... she will not take no for an answer," He suddenly grimaced before looking back toward Skye, "it would appear that our friend Mister Vexx has run into ... a few setbacks. Odd that I did not foresee this ... my time must be growing short indeed."

Skye stepped forward a bit, "If that's the case ... should you really be taking an audience right now?"
Tethys once again managed to chuckle without strain, "It is endearing ... " He paused a moment, " ... to see so many care. But, worry not he will be along. In the meantime the company can do me nothing but good. Jaxon has been attending to my needs nonstop, I think everyone could use a bit of time to themselves. Some of what we have to discuss is ... going to be difficult to absorb."

At their current point Skye was willing to accept any kind of food, especially something she'd never tried before. Dax however, seemed to stay more quiet than she was used to. The whole scene seemed just as quiet as she had expected it to be; a chieftain on his deathbed, and an entire planet seemingly in mourning. Though Jaxon's prepared food, and even whatever the strange purple drink was he served them was impressive, but, did nothing to lighten the mood of the situation. Though she understood the Droganns' current state, she wondered how much of time they had before the Terra person they were searching for became that much harder to find.