PATHROS: Setting Outline

Story Idea — Name not yet decided… for now I will refer to it as PATHROS

Setting:

Pathros – 3579 A.D.

Pathros, a moon which has been inhabited by man for just over two hundred years, is a rare spectacle in this vast galaxy. It is fairly large, for a moon, and orbits the gaseous planet: Nephilath. It has a similar atmosphere to the Earth-Relic, and can support life. The only difference in the atmosphere is the addition of aiexyn, a unique chemical compound. Aiexyn is native to Pathros; it can be found nowhere else in the known galaxy. Aiexyn has a very low melting point, -26° C, as well as a low evaporating point, 4° C. Across the entire surface of Pathros, excluding only parts of the oceans, is a thick mist of evaporated aiexyn. The few, scattered human colonies are raised up a minimum of 100 meters in order to rise above the mists. Below, within the mists, is danger.

Pathros is inhabited by an entirely different domain of life than any other planet. While some of them are like animals and others are like plants, fungi, or bacteria, they all have something that no other lifeforms do, and their taxonomic classification is aiexates, or domain aiexia. The name explains most of it: aiexyn is a critical part of their make-up. Aiexates are dependant upon the aiex. Within domain aiexia are all of the common Eukaryotes: animalia, plantae, fungi, and so on, but all with the prefix: aiexy. That said, there are kingdoms aiexyanimalia, aiexyfungi, and so on. In a nutshell, Pathros is inhabited by very similar lifeforms to those found throughout the rest of the galaxy; the only difference is the role that aiex plays with these lifeforms.

Let us take, for example, aiexyanimalia. From that kingdom, we take a creature that might resemble a mammal. The difference is in the blood. Coursing through its veins is a similar compound of blood cells, carrying oxygen throughout the body, but that is not all. The blood not only carries oxygen, but aiexyn as well. Each lifeform has a dependency on aiexyn. If it doesn’t get the aiexyn, it will die. The aiexyn, though, does more than just sustain its life. It gives it various traits, characteristics, and functions.

To best understand this, one must understand the nature of the aiexyn mists. There are numerous types of mists found on Pathros. All of them are derived from aiexyn, but there are about a dozen different forms the mists come in. Visually, the only difference is in the colors. The effects of the mists vary, though. One type of aiexyn mist acts as a cooling agent, and over an extended period of time, a freezing agent. Another, on the other end of the spectrum, generates heat. An unprotected person that comes in contact with the mists will, over time, get burns. In a matter of minutes, they could have 1^st degree burns, and within ten to twenty minutes, 2^nd degree burns. Being exposed for over an hour could prove to be fatal. One type of aiexyn mists effects the nervous system, causing one to be very jumpy, even paranoid. Those are just a few of the various aiexyn mists; the rest of them are just as dangerous. The different types of mists are often separate from each other, but in some cases they mists flow together in one spot, lessening the effects, but producing them all at the same time.

The different species of aiexates are adapted to, and reliant on, one particular type of mist. The lifeform breathes in or in some other way absorbs the aiexyn mists, and then displays the particular qualities of that type of mist. An example: the Hearthoaks are a deciduous tree found on Pathros, particularly in areas where the burning aiexyn mists are found. Unlike any tree known on the Earth-Relic, the hearthoaks are fireproof. They would have to be, as, from time to time, out of various openings along the branches of the tree spurt jets of flame. Among animals, it is even more fascinating.

The various creatures in the aiexyanimalia kingdom are the true wonders, and dangers, of Pathros. While a tree that spurts out flames could be dangerous if you get near it, an animal with fiery breath can get near you. That’s not all, though. Aiexyn mists don’t just cause creatures to breath fire or other such unusual functions, but they enhance many other physical characteristics. In essence, all of the animals on Pathros could pose a threat. Even a tiny rodent could eat through an armored vehicle with its acidic saliva, or an herbivorous bird could scorch someone in self-defense. Those are just the small creatures. The big ones, the bad ones, are an even worse threat.

Two tons of muscle, spines down its hairy back, and a bite that sends an electrical current through its prey, describes the voltbison. The thirty foot pathrosic constrictors that leave a trail of frost or ice wherever they go can easily crush an armored vehicle, and freeze it at the same time. There are countless other creatures that wander Pathros. Their dangerous nature, as well as their unique traits have earned a common name from the creatures of Pathros. From the old legends on the Earth-Relic, they have received the name of dragons.

So, its a dangerous place, Pathros. Why do people bother spending their time there? Why do people risk their lives, living in unpleasant surroundings? The answer, Aiex, the liquid form of aiexyn. A certain chemical in the aiex can be extracted and used for medical purposes. Any medical purposes. It has proven to be the miracle chemical, and is used in cures for hundreds of diseases. It is the most valuable resource in the galaxy, and it is only found on Pathros. For that reason, Pathros is the most valuable world in the galaxy. Because of that, it is also the most fought over, and that is the premise for this book.

-Scott Krammer

Next release on PATHROS: Dragoons

2 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI