Legends of the Halcyon Era

Episode 55 - The Avion Adventure: Journey to Arkopolis

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Previously, in Legends of the Halcyon Era...

Upon their arrival on Avion, Nytetrayn learns that his repairs came with some unexpected upgrades, too – upgrades he's going to have to get used to. And he's not the only one, as his three GunRobo assistants were given more sophisticated AI, along with the ability to speak!

Meanwhile, Black Steel and Janine's bond grew ever deeper as they took their relationship to the next level...

On the planet of Avion, the sun rose, and ushered in the dawn of a new day.

Black Steel awoke after a memorable night with Janine, one which not only granted him a newfound understanding of female biology, but in his mind now granted him the right to call himself a man.

Once he shook off the realization of what had happened, he reluctantly pulled himself free of her soft embrace, careful not to wake her. He looked over at the window, stood, stretched, and then looked down at his love. So sweet and tender. It was hard for him to believe that he had once planted C4 on her ankle.

"Thank God for duds," he thought to himself.

Steel's mind fought through the haze of awakening, and remembered the promise of ancient ruins – ancient ruins on a new, alien world, no less. A grin split his face as he quietly reached for his equipment – no need to wake his dear Janine for this. Besides, she'd probably need more rest after her arduous "teaching" process the night before.

He readied himself quickly, and after a brief shower, made certain to give his slumbering companion a kiss on the way out.

As Steel stepped out of the hotel and into the sunlight outside, he suppressed the urge to scream as the gleaming rays hit his pupils... but only for a moment. "GWAH!"

He shook it off, and looked around. He found it ironic that the city would bear the name of the planet, and figured that it must be the political seat of this world.

Nearby, he spotted Nytetrayn trying to get the hang of his new hover-shoes. He approached his rival, who was otherwise unarmored. "Morning, Nyte." After a pause, he noted, "That does not sound right."

"Huh?" Nyte screeched to a halt as he noted Steel's arrival. "Oh, heya, Steel."

"Enjoying the new toys?"

"Getting used to them," Nyte said, as he sort of tapped the toe of one on the sidewalk, then the other.

"Man..." Steel began. Nyte looked at him inquisitively. "Just... you all have so much going for ya'."

"Huh? Who?" Nyte asked, as he looked around for these apparently well-off people who had joined them when he wasn't looking..

"Kinda hard being the only one with no powers or 'upgrades'," Steel continued. "I know this must all be hard for you..."

"Oh," Nytetrayn said, as he started to catch on. "Kinda..."

"But from where I stand right now, it means I'm outclassed big time," Steel said in a pleasantly nervous sort of way.

Nyte chuckled a little, flattered. "I dunno, I'm not all that different, really," he said. Then he considered the life-changing revelations he'd experienced recently. "Well, okay, that's sort of untrue. But I'm not really different from who I was..."

"You're the same guy at heart, that I know. And for me, that's all that should matter," Steel told him. "I guess... I'm just worried now."

"About?"

"Jan. I've got to look out for her. If I let anything happen to her... if anyone hurt her..."

"Ah," he said, thinking about Celeste.. "Yeah, I know that feeling..."

"I knew you would," Steel said. After a moment, he asked "Ever wonder what the hell brings us so many bad times?"

"Kinda?" Nyte said. "I dunno, never really thought much about it. I just deal."

"Heh. I suppose it doesn't pay to be introspective."

Nyte just shrugged. "So, what's got you out so early?"

"The promise of ruin hunting," Steel said, causing Nyte to perk up. "I'm anxious to see what secrets this world has. What cultures rose and fell here. What artifacts remain of ancient civilizations..." He added "Whether any giant bird statues can grant me fabulous secret powers" under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Er, nothing."

Nyte shrugged again. "Cool. Mind if I come with?"

"Heh, glad to have ya along," Steel said, adding "Just don't get in my way" with a mischievous grin.

"Heh, right. Cool, lemme just go get my armor on," Nyte said before he headed back up to the room he and Celeste were sharing.

"Yeah sure, I'll wait here for ya'."

About 20 minutes later, Nytetrayn returned, now clad in his armor. He took care not to wake Celeste, and after some consideration, decided to leave the GunRobos be for now. He wasn't sure if an alien ruin on a different world was necessarily the best place to try out the new "them".

"Hope I don't need any special weapons on this trip," he said.

"I don't think you'll have much to worry about," Steel reassured him. "We can always fall back if things get too tough."

"Yeah, you're right," Nyte agreed.

"So... any idea where we should start?"

"No clue. Let's ask someone inside."

"Sounds good."

Nytetrayn nodded and headed back into the hotel again, this time heading for the front desk with Steel in tow.

"Hi," the taller Digger said to the clerk behind the desk, a human-looking man in a fine suit with a thin pencil mustache.

With a rising inflection, the man loudly replied "YEEEEEEES?" He looked only too happy to be of service.

"Where can we go to face death-inducing traps and life threatening relics of eras long past?"

"WELL, I BELIEVE THE FIRST PLACE SOMEONE LOOKING FOR THAT KIND OF ADVENTURE SHOULD GO WOULD BE ARKOPOLIS."

"Arkopolis, eh? Where is that from here?"

"THAT WOULD BE THE NEXT CITY TO THE EAST."

"...why do you talk like that?" Nyte asked.

"I HAD A STROKE," the man replied, still smiling.

"I see," Nyte said, while Steel just raised a concerned eyebrow.

"Uh, I think we should be going," Steel said nervously, as he hurried away with Nyte in tow. "Thanks!"

"ANYTIME... THANKS FOR DROPPING BY!"

"Nice fellow," Nyte said while being dragged away. "Certainly enthusiastic about his work, it would seem."

"Nice, nothing. Guy freaks me out. Don't make eye contact."

"...right."

Back outside, Nyte asked "So, how do we get to Arkopolis?"

"Well, we could hoof it the old fashioned way..." Steel replied.

"I dunno, that might take awhile."

"...but I'm sure there's some weird transport system around here."

"Yeah," Nyte agreed, as the two looked around at the various hovering and flying vehicles going by. "Maybe we should rent something..."

Steel looked at Nyte incredulously. "Like either of us know how to drive something like that?"

Nyte shrugged. "I don't think they'd accept my Digger's license for operating a motor vehicle, anyway."

"You could always flaunt political power."

"How do I do that?"

"What do I look like, a politician? Your – eh, 'father' – seems pretty big around here. Mention him or something. Works for the mafia."

"Um, I guess..."

Nyte walked up to a yellow vehicle adorned with a black checkerboard pattern, with Steel in tow. "Hiya," he said, prompting the driver to look up from his paper. "Um, I was just wondering if you could tell me where I could find someone who could take us somewhere?"

The driver just stared wordlessly at Nytetrayn, while Steel suddenly looked annoyed. "Get in the car, Nyte."

"Huh?" was all Nyte could get out before Steel opened the back door and shoved Nyte in with a loud yelp, following soon after.

"S'where to, and howya payin'?" the driver asked.

"Arkopolis, please," answered Steel. "Paying? Ah, crap, that's right. This ain't Terra. What kinda payments do you accept here?"

"Money, mostly. And Arkopolis is kinda far. Sure you got the funds for a trip like that?"

"...probably not."

"Um... my... er, 'dad' is a Commander here," Nyte offered. "That matter at all?"

"A Commander, eh? And who would he be?"

"Ah... Black Draco is his name..." Nyte said sheepishly.

After a moment of awkward silence, the driver said "O-kay, I think this charade has gone far enough. Outta the cab, please."

Nytetrayn looked to Steel. "Did I say something wrong?"

"The guy thinks you're lying."

"Look, I'm sure you're a nice guy and all, but let's look at what's wrong with your story here. One: You don't look nothin' like the guy you say is your pop. Two, I ain't never heard of him havin' no kids..."

"Three," Steel interjected. "The guy we're talking to is a jackass. C'mon Nyte, let's find a better way," he said as he pulled his partner out of the car with a "yick!"

"...and three, I'm findin' it kinda hard to believe that the 'son' of the highest rankin' official on the planet doesn't even have any currency."

After the pair had exited the vehicle, he added, "...'ave a nice day," to which Steel offered his middle finger in exchange as a lovely parting gift.

"Jeez," Steel said. "All that position-of-power stuff, and no way to use it."

"Guess my story doesn't really check out, does it?" Nyte said.

"Can you look more dragon-like? Y'know, growl and stuff?"

Nyte paused, then put an angry look on his face, bared his teeth and growled. Not really very dragon-like, but if it weren't for his index fingers acting as horns, he'd probably just look really constipated. "How's this?"

"...yeah, we're walking," Steel said as Nyte quietly dropped the expression.

Thinking back to a few moments earlier, Nyte asked "...what was that last thing he said when you yanked me out?"

"Something about not having any currency despite being the son of commander, yadda yadda."

"I thought he said something about him being the highest ranking on the planet..."

"He mighta mentioned that, yeah."

The two stopped and looked at each other.

"I... did I miss something?" Nyte asked.

"If you're the son of someone that powerful," Steel said with widened eyes, "then you're nothing short of a VIP here!"

"I mean, we all kinda are, aren't we? And y'know, it would explain the rooms. Dunno about yours, but me and Cel's is bigger than our entire apartment back home."

"It dwarfs my ship for god's sake! But back to the matter at hand. If we only had a way to prove that status..."

"Maybe we should call Edge?"

"Do it. If you don't, we'll be playing run around forever."

"Gotcha," Nyte said, before pressing a button on his watch to make the call.

"'Yello?" the red Mechadrake said, as his visage appeared before them.

"Hi, Edge," Nyte replied.

"Ah, hey kid. Up a bit early, I see... what's up?"

"Steel and I were wanting to go check out some Avion ruins. The guy with the stroke told us to go to Arkopolis, but the cab driver didn't believe I was who I am. Can you help?"

"Hmm, yeah, I can see the problem. You don't really look much like the Commander, even though you wear his colors... I'll be right over."

"Cool, seeya then," Nyte said, before pressing the button again to end the transmission. "Easy enough," he told Steel with a smile.

"Oh yeah, forgot mine at the hotel," Steel said, a little embarrassed by his error.

Soon, Edge arrived in what looked like a sort of presidential-style limo, and stepped out. "Hey, guys."

"Hey hey," Steel replied.

Edge handed each of them an envelope. "These should make things easier for you. I didn't expect you guys to get going so early, though. 'S why I didn't have them ready yet..."

The Diggers curiously opened their respective envelopes, and pulled out an ID card with their name, picture, VIP status, and more on it. "Nice," Nyte said.

"Hmmmm. I can see this being very useful," Steel added.

"Tap the cards to your watches to upload the data, and you can hang on to the cards as a backup, just in case. Now let me just take this inside so the others can get theirs when they wake, and I'll be right back," Edge said before going inside.

"Hope you didn't wake Jan," Steel said as Edge returned. "She'll worry."

"No worries, I left the cards with the clerk at the front desk and messages for the others to pick theirs up when they get the chance," Edge reassured the Digger. "Now then, Arkopolis, huh? That's a ways out... you guys want to ride out, or teleport?"

"Teleport?" Steel asked.

"Yeah," Edge told him. "Been used for... well, ever, it seems like. Usually for long-distance travel, though."

"Huh," Steel replied. "I used to be able to kinda teleport, short-range, but it was only thanks to some archaic equipment I lost back in a battle on Terra."

"Ah, that's cool," Edge said.

Meanwhile, Nyte's face paled at the word. "...ride," he said. "Um, let's ride... so we can, er... see the scenery! Yeah, that's the ticket!" he added nervously.

Edge raised an eyebrow at the younger Digger. "You alright, Nyte?"

"Something you ain't tellin' us, Nyte?" asked Steel, who'd only even seen Nytetrayn rattled like this once before: when they'd confronted Trevor Creed back on Archie Island. And even then, it was reasonable to assume he had been worried more for Celeste's wellbeing than his own. "You seem awfully... eh, wussy-like about this. Not common for you."

"Oh, and adding more words to a cover up only makes it worse," he added.

"Yeah! No! I mean, I'm alright. I'm definitely not covering anything up!"

Edge looked at Steel, who asked " I don't suppose you guys have, like, truth darts or anything here, do you?" Edge just shook his head. "Damn," replied the Digger.

"If he doesn't want to tell us, though..."

Nyte wiped his brow in relief.

"What are you talking about?" Steel asked. "The boy obviously does! Just look at that sweat! Sure fire sign of a secret waiting to be told!"

Nyte started to sweat again. "Oh, fine..." he began.

But before he could say much, Steel cheerfully interrupted with "Ah, but this is wasting valuable shooting time."

"Shortly after I – yeah, you're right," Nyte said, not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Edge just looked back and forth between the odd pair, wondering what was next.

"Alright, we're official," Steel said, before looking back at the cabbie and a sinister smirk crossed his face. He grabbed Nyte with another yelp and dragged him along over to the cab.

"Uh, guys...?" the confused Mechadrake began.

Steel shoved the younger Digger into the cabbie's face, along with his ID card in clear view. "Now who's a liar?!"

After a pause, the cabbie asked "So, I guess you want a ride, then?"

"Hell no!" Steel said, before dragging Nyte back over to where Edge remained, watching this unfold. The driver shrugged, and went back to his paper.

"All done. Now then, you were saying?" Steel asked Edge.

"Er, nevermind. Let's just get into the limo and get going, eh?"

"Yes... limo," Steel replied, as Edge opened the door and gestured for the two to enter. He couldn't help smirking in an almost sinister fashion as he entered; the change of lifestyle was far too inviting to him.

The limo sped along, and before long came upon the limits of the city, where a large statue of Black Draco stood like an enormous sentinel looking over the entrance to Avion City.

"What's with that, anyway?" Nyte asked Edge.

"What's with what?"

"The statue. And the cabbie saying that... er, the Commander... is the highest ranking official on the planet?"

"Citizens sort of called for the statue. BD doesn't much care for them, but he figured if it makes them happy, then no harm done. He's not much on the fame or anything. Kinda hates it, if we're being honest."

"As to your other question," he continued, "he is the Avion Supreme Commander. Doesn't really roll off the tongue easily, though, and he doesn't much care for the sound, either. So he just usually goes by 'Commander'." Edge paused a moment. "I... guess we didn't mention that before, did we?"

"There's a lot that's been overlooked. But then..." Steel said as he looked out the window, "seems there's a lot to bring up."

"Sorry about that... It is a lot. We weren't really expecting the company, either, y'know?"

Steel nodded.

"BD and the crew of the Ark, myself included, had to deal with a lot of situations on our voyage here. A lot of people felt strongly about how he did on the way, and opted to make him leader of more than just the colony, once it became clear that we were probably going to have a war on our hands."

"Hmmmm. Must be one hell of a guy," Steel said.

"He wasn't really much into the idea," Edge continued. "Leadership has never been something he's been comfortable with, but it often sort of gets thrown on him for whatever reason. So he went with it this time, too. He might not agree, but most of us feel differently. And considering what he's had to endure after we found this place, I'd say he's done rather well."

"He's unsure of himself, mostly. Y'see," he said as he looked at Nyte, "the circumstances that left you buried all those years have been a heavy burden on him for a long time. I think he's really glad to know that you're doing alright, considering."

Edge paused, as he considered his next words. "When... after Celeste died... I dunno. It seemed like a part of him died, too. Frankly, it's surprising how well he's held up after all this time."

Steel decided to withhold any comment, as he felt it was no matter for him to be stepping into. Nytetrayn just quietly nodded, as the limo continued its speedy journey through the countryside's serene beauty.

A short time later, Steel broke the silence when he asked "How long have we been driving?"

Edge checked his chronometer. "About an hour, I'd say."

"And no water yet?" Steel asked, letting it sink in for a second. "Wow."

Edge glanced out the window. "There's a pond over there," he said, pointing.

"I was thinking more along the lines of, ya' know, oceans."

"...oh. Well, we'll be hitting that before too long."

On the horizon, enormous domes started to appear, and they could soon see that they laid on the water, covering several small islands of sorts. Some with buildings, others with natural landscapes within. As they drew closer, there was what appeared to be a large central dome, surrounded by a web of smaller domes connected by roadways and tunnels. The whole structure seemed to be sitting on the water.

"Arkopolis?" Steel asked.

Edge nodded. "That would be it. The original capital city of Avion."

"Impressive... Why would there be ruins there, however?"

"There wouldn't be."

"...then why were we directed here for our search?"

"Because it's become a scientific and historical location over the years – a historical landmark, of sorts, in itself, and it's known as the scientific and historical capital of our planet. It'd be the place to go for rundowns on locations, getting archaeological ID and licenses, that sort of thing. If you want to find a choice place to check out, this is the place to find out about it first."

"That, and you can see what things were like on Earth all those years ago," Edge added with a smile.

"Argh," Steel groaned. "With the time it took to get here, I could've stumbled haphazardly upon a random ruin..."

"Eh, maybe on Earth. 'Course, this planet is decidedly larger, and I've seen the reports of how many ruins there are back on Earth now, and it's not exactly like that here. Keep in mind, most of the civilization that's evident here now, we put here..."

Steel nodded, and said "All planets have their history, however. And not everything can be documented." Then he muttered, "And from what I've heard, I'm not sure I want to know the history of Earth..."

"No worries, no one is forcing you to learn or anything," Edge chuckled. "But the colony's city and landscapes are more representative of how it was back then, and as such, special care has been taken to preserve them. It's actually why we made Avion City the new capital – so this one could be preserved."

"I see..."

While they chatted, Nytetrayn just continued staring out the window, taking in everything that he saw around them.

"Ever seen a treeborg?" Edge asked.

"Tree.. borg?" Steel replied.

"Sort of a cyborg tree... a tree with mechanical parts and things. Check out the forest dome for that."

"I've never heard of such a thing."

"Cybotanists created them a long time ago when fallout made things like real trees really scarce. These are stronger, and have some strange properties..."

"Fallout? From what?"

"Wars, nuclear attacks, that sort of thing... Before my time, actually. Started the robotics movement more heavily, too."

"On Terra, you mean?"

Edge nodded.

"Ah, I see."

Edge continued. "Hard living for the humans back then... They had to step up robotics research to help fix the place up. Foremost among them was Dr. Thomas Light. In a way, with how history seemed to repeat itself with the Eurasia incident, I'm really surprised the Earth came back to being in such good, if a little soggy, shape."

"The past of Terra is so vast... between you guys and what I've learned from Jan, it's hard to believe my species made it this long."

Edge nodded.

The limo soon arrived at the gates, whose center section where the two halves of the door met flashed for a second before opening, splitting both up and down. It proceeded through as the gates closed after them with the loud sound of metal hitting metal, and another similar flash as the door sealed.

"So where are we heading, exactly?" Steel asked.

"Arkopolis Exploration and Research Centre."

"Uh... huh. And are those the 'treeborgs' you were talking about?" Steel asked as they began driving through the colony.

"That's them. The term was coined in the early 21st century, when mass pollution, deforestation, and radioactive fallout combined to wipe out around 98% of the earth's plant life. It was that atrocity which brought an end to the Third World War. When the humans realized that the dangers were higher than ever of dying from a lack of the oxygen provided by trees, an effort by all the world's leading nations formed a team of scientists which became known as 'cyborg-botanists', or 'cybotanists', for short."

Nytetrayn listened quietly, as he took in the sights and sounds of Arkopolis. It was a bizarre sensation, knowing that what he was now seeing was representative of the world he had been created in. It was a lot to consider; in a way, it made him feel like he was in a place out of time.

Meanwhile, Steel found it sadistically appropriate that the history of his world is one rife with misery. "Wait, 'third'?" he asked. "Three world wars? And the whole world was involved?"

Edge nodded. "There were two before it, though I wouldn't say either was as catastrophic to the planet itself. And practically, yeah."

"I guess it's true, then, that humans live to hurt one another," Steel said as he shook his head.

"Anyway," Edge continued, "the team of 15 robotechs and botanists built upon several theories based on the use of cybernetic, prosthetic enhancements already used in humans who were hurt, or born with birth defects. Basically, the idea was that what worked for people could work for trees."

"Treeborgs originally began life as saplings, rather than seeds. Leaves were enhanced by micro-solar panels and a malleable core which would simulate photosynthesis. They can only be distinguished from true organic trees by the inexplicable tendency for cables or plating to grow from the bark. In fact, the scientists who created them didn't fully understand how their own creations worked. Theoretically, they shouldn't have been able to reproduce. And yet, they did."

"Sometimes strange things would happen, like entire branches made of iron, or trees growing in the antarctic. Treeborg wood is also more durable, harder than regular wood as well. They grow surprisingly fast as well."

"So," Steel asked, "if this technology continued to breed, why is it no longer present in the modern world?"

"In fact, treeborg growth led to – huh? Oh... That's kind of a mystery to us as well. We can only assume someone, or something, managed to revert much of the world's plantlife back to a more organic form."

Breaking his silence, Nytetrayn chimed in. "Wow, all that..."

"Interesting," Steel said. "You seem to know a lot about the subject..."

"Ah, well, just the basics, really," Edge said, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Came as part of the curriculum for engaging in forest maneuvers way back in the day."

"Ah, of course," Steel said, as he stared out the windows.

"The treeborgs lead to one of Dr. Light's earliest robots, which really sort of began a real downward trend for the world..."

"Meh," Steel said, rebuffing the notion. "The birth of mankind led to a downward spiral for the world."

"I dunno, sometimes things aren't as bad as they seem," Edge said. "'Terra' seems to be doing alright for itself so far. Heck, if it had been more like that then, we might never have even left."

That thought gave Nytetrayn pause. If the world he was created in was like the one he awoke in, that he lived in, then perhaps he'd have never been created in the first place. The irony was almost headache-inducing.

"Hmmmph," Steel said. "Yeah, Terra's a real paradise..." That sounded more than a little sarcastic, yet at the same time, Nytetrayn and Edge couldn't quite be sure if it was, coming from him.

Soon, the limo reached the City Dome of the Ark, and headed for the Research Centre. Driving through the city, things look... different. Unlike Avion City, or for that matter, anything on Terra.

"This is the place," Edge said. "The link between two worlds..."

"What do you mean?" Steel asked. Nyte thought it obvious, but decided to keep quiet about it – at least, for now.

"This place holds much of the history of your planet and our civilization alike. It was once the space colony which carried us from Earth across the galaxy to discover this new world. Much from the old world remains here. It's been a while for me since I last set foot here, personally."

"I see," Steel said, while Nytetrayn just nodded.

"I dunno, though... There's a certain innocence I've seen in Terra, in you guys... without all the baggage and history and knowing what atrocities your race has been through. I sorta wonder if it's not better for well enough to be left alone, for Terra to be its own world. To have its own identity..."

Steel pondered this.

"...not that I'll stop you from trying to learn more," the red Mechadrake continued, as he looked out the window at the ancient city, and the others did likewise.

"We left Earth for the sake of starting anew. Strangely, it somehow seems that maybe... maybe whoever is responsible for things there now might have done a better job than we did," he mused as he considered the implications.

"Don't bet on that," Steel said, leading to a questioning glance from Edge. "From what I've learned through Janine and Magnus, whatever led to Terra being as it is did so without regard for humanity."

"Not that I blame it," he nihilistically added.

"Hmm, yeah... I'd forgotten about that," Edge admitted. "It might bear further investigation."

"But for now," he added as the limo stopped outside a large, museum-like building full of glass windows, "We're here."

The limo stopped outside a large, museum-like building full of glass windows. Edge, Nytetrayn, and Black Steel stepped out and looked up at the structure.

"Let's hope we find something here," Steel said, as Edge led the way in.

The trio soon arrived in a wing of the center dedicated to researching the ruins and civilizations of the planet. It was actually rather small, and not many staff were there. Many maps, documents, tools, and other such things littered the place.

"Judging from the size of this area, I'd say either little is known about the history of this world, or no one cares," Steel noted.

"Sadly, it's a bit of both..." said an unfamiliar voice. "A lot of people seem content to simply let old ruins and cultures lie, now."

The group turned to the new voice to see a slightly-older looking fox-type Reploid with spectacles and a white lab coat step up to the group.

"A fox now," Steel said.

"My name is Professor Digston Fox, how are you this day?" he asked with a voice which sounded rather kind and somewhat aged, though not so much as to be elderly.

"Well as can be expected, Professor. I'm Steel, nice to meet you."

Professor Fox reached out and shook hands with everyone, and asked "How might I be of service?"

"We're looking to explore some ruins," Steel told him. "Came here looking for a starting point."

"Yeah," Nytetrayn added. "What've you got?"

"Ah, explorers, are you?" Fox asked, as he looked over their armor and gear. "I can see you boys mean business, too."

Fox led the others to a large screen mounted on the wall, and activated it. After a moment of flickering, it came to life with a map of the planet, highlighting several environments and cities, and a good handful of red dots as well. Steel studied the map carefully.

"I take it you all have experience exploring archaeological sites?" the professor asked.

"Yes," Steel said immediately.

Nyte glanced at Steel with a chuckle. "Heh, he wants to know if we have experience..." Steel smiled slyly back.

"Well, not me, Professor," Edge said. "I'm just sort of helping show them around, and this is where they wanted to come."

"Well, let's see now..." He clicked a point on the map between the locations of Arkopolis and Avion City, though it was off to the side a bit. "Here is one that's fairly local. I believe we've gone through this one, but there might be something of interest still there."

"One dig never reveals every secret," Steel said sagely.

"Sounds like a challenge to me," Nyte said to Steel.

"Yeah. Although..." Steel turned back to the professor. "What kind of troubles should we expect from this world?"

"...troubles?"

"Traps. Guardians..."

"Things that go bump in the night," Nytetrayn interjected, to a light elbow from Steel.

"That sort of thing," Steel continued. "I'm guessing there aren't any Reaverbots, but that doesn't mean there won't be something."

"...Reaverbots? Guardians?" the professor asked. "I've been doing this for some years, never heard of any such things, I'm afraid."

"Hmm, could it be that this planet is not rooted in violent undertones?" Steel pondered.

"It's hard to say for sure," Fox said. "It's a shame, too. It seems most people here are more interested in learning and discovering other worlds than exploring their own."

"One way to learn I guess. Thanks for your help, Professor. If we find anything we'll be glad to let ya know."

"Glad to be of service. We have gone through all the ruins we know of, though not heavily yet. We've formed sort of a rough outline of what's out there, for future reference."

"Maybe we can help pick up the slack then," Steel said, as Professor Fox nodded in approval. "C'mon, Nyte. Let's go detail some rough drafts."

"So long, and good luck!" Fox said with a gentle wave.

"Thanks," said Steel.

"Thanks again!" Nyte added, as he waved back.

Edge led the others back outside, and told them "I've got the coordinates, and I guess you guys have everything you need..."

Steel hefted his arm cannon and patted it, while Nytetrayn held up the Nyte-Buster and smiled.

"Guess that answers that. Alright then, let's do it to it!" Edge said, as he entered the limo, with Nytetrayn and Steel following. Once they were all securely inside, the limo departed, circling around and going back from whence it came.

As they rode back out into the countryside, Steel calibrated his equipment for the upcoming expedition, and set the output for his saber.

"So, that's what the world used to look like on Terra?" Nyte asked, looking back at the city as it gradually disappeared over the horizon.

Edge nodded. "Yep. Pity there wasn't more time to enjoy it on Earth."

Nytetrayn nodded quietly, as they set off on their new quest.

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