Fools Said I You do Not Know
Blue.
The color was expansive. A bright, vivid shade stretching across the horizon, as far as the eye could see. Not a single cloud marred the wash of cerulean. The color of a robin's egg. The sky was vast. Curving. A single, solid hue of the same color. Unbroken by anything but the sun. The golden orb was awash in blue, nearly appearing white. The brilliant vista held no interest for Moira Sheppard, however. Instead she was focused on what lay beneath it.
A vast plain extended. Lush with wild grasses and an overgrowth of trees. A river snaked its way along the ground, curving gently and sparkling silver as the sun glinted on its clear, clear waters. A horde of animals populated the plain. A wild cacophony of their noises filled the warm air. Squawks. Hoots. Squeaks. Yells. Cries. Growls. Songs of birds. Buzzing of insects. Snarls of predators. Trumpeting of elephants. But these were no ordinary animals. These were the prehistoric predecessors to their modern forms. A panoply of long-lost fauna. The dream of a paleozoologist.
Moira knelt on the ridge, pointing out the rarer creatures to her two sons who were sheltered in her arms. On their knees as well the little boys stared in amazed joy. Exclaiming in delight at the living zoo beneath them. Pointing as well when they would recognize an animal they had only seen in pictures, in books before coming here. To one side the baby prattled in her stroller, not at all interested in the animals or even the sky. Shaded from the sun by a covering and a yellow sunhat she shook her rattle. Started to whine, demanding attention.
"Mommy, mommy, look!" Johnny Sheppard exclaimed. "Enteledonts!" He stared at the group of pig-like creatures as they snuffled along the river's edge. Snorting and swinging their enormous heads. Bony protrusions extended from their long faces. Sharp teeth glinted as they sought easy prey among the denizens of the plain. Their hooves left tracks in the mud near the snaking river.
"Yes, darling. Entelodon deguilhemi, I believe. The largest. Carnivores, but more than likely scavengers. Distantly related to modern pigs."
"Mommy, mommy, what that?" Seamus Sheppard asked, pointing to a large animal with pale brown fur that was sitting on its haunches. Its elongated arms ended in short but curved claws. The animal drew the top of a tree down to it and began to eat the leaves. Its long tongue protruding.
"Chalicotheres...an extinct group of plant-eaters. That one is Chalicotherium grande. It could reach up to six feet in height. It looks like a very heavyset horse, doesn't it?"
"Yes!" the boys agreed, nodding.
"Yes. They are very distant relatives of horses and rhinos...but are a unique species all their own," she continued. "See how the front legs are much longer than the hind ones? That's how the animal can reach the tops of those trees to get the best leaves."
"Smilodon! Big cats over there!" Johnny noted. A group of the spotted big cats could be seen lounging in the shade of the nearby trees. Saber-toothed smiles glinting even in the shadows. Short tails twitching in the long grasses as they waited, waited. Exhibiting infinite feline patience.
"Ephants!" Seamus shouted, jumping up and down.
"No, honey, but close relatives," Moira corrected, catching her son before he inadvertently toppled off the edge of the cliff. "Gomphotheres. See the tusks? They curve under instead of out and are not as long as other proboscides. And they have that third trunk coming out of their chin."
"Wow!" the boys shouted, jumping as a large crocodile lunged out of the river. Nearly catching a hapless antelope before it receded back into the waters. Long jaw snapping at empty air. "Daddy! Daddy, come see!" they demanded, dark-haired heads bent as they studied the diversity on the plain. "Daddy!" they cried in unison as the waters rippled, but the large creature did not emerge again.
John Sheppard stepped down from the Jumper hearing the excited calls of his sons. He smiled. Slid on his sunglasses and strolled to them. He smiled at the sight of his little family all engrossed by the plain below them. His wife's ponytail snaking down her back against her green t-shirt. The khaki pants hugging her rear. His sons clustered close to her, clad in red t-shirts and jeans. Voices rising in excitement as they named the animals. His baby daughter was prattling, adorable in her yellow and blue sun dress and hat. He shook his head, squatted near his daughter.
"What that?" Seamus asked.
"It's an...a..." Moira seemed to struggle, at a loss for a moment.
"Litoptern, mommy! 'Cause of the funny, droopy nose," Johnny supplied.
"Oh, yes! Litoptern, you are right, darling."
John's gaze narrowed in concern. For Moira to forget the name of any prehistoric animal was extremely unusual. In fact he couldn't recall a time she had ever been at a loss about this. He stepped to them. Touched her shoulder. "Moy? You okay?"
She glanced at him, smiled. "Yes, sweetie. Just had a momentary lapse there." Her gaze took in his snug black t-shirt, snug gray pants. Twin holster straps around his thigh, invariably drawing the eyes to both the gun holstered at his side and his other noticeable ordnance.
"You? About this?" He gestured towards the plain. "That would be like Rodney forgetting a food group!"
"Hilarious, John! You know I haven't been sleeping well." She turned back to the plain. "That one is a Macrauchenia patachonica. The largest hoofed animal of its order. An extinct order of ungulates. In fact it was Darwin who collected the foot bones in Argentina during a break on his voyage on the Beagle and probably helped him on his way to developing his then radical theory of evolution. See the droopy nose? A short trunk like an elephant. These animals can be quite big. They can reach up to five feet in height."
"Tiny ears!"
"Yes, Seamus, very," she agreed. "Minuscule, even, you could say, and very short fur."
John relaxed. "That's more like it, paleo-girl." He moved to sit next to the stroller. "Hey, Ems." He covered his face with his hands. Opened them. "Peek-a-boo!" The baby girl chortled with delight, smiling. He repeated it. "Peek-a-BOO!"
"DADA!" the baby girl shrieked, then laughed. "Dada, dada dada dada goo!" the baby giggled, clumsily clapping her hands. Cooing and tilting her head as if flirting with her father. Blue eyes bright. All smiles now that she was receiving some attention.
John smiled. Covered his face again. Waited. Waited. Spread his fingers to see the little girl staring, mouth open. Uncertainty on her face. John grinned. Opened his hands wide. "Peek-a- what?" he asked, seeing his wife and sons looking at him, expressions askance. Nevertheless the baby giggled. Shook her rattle in approval.
Moira laughed. "To each his own, I guess. Here we go, boys!" They turned back to the plain. "Do you see that? Another relative of the elephant. Deinotheres. See how the tusks are curving downwards from the chin of the animal? And again the ears are small. See how he's using the tusks to dig up the plants from the ground? The elephantids were quite a diverse family once, with several different species, all with their own special niches to fill in the environment and–"
"Whoa, doctor! Emily and I have had enough science for one day!" John stood, clapped his hands. "Let's take a flyover. Johnny, you can pilot."
"Yay!" Johnny jumped to his feet and ran to his father, then to the ship.
Moira moved to her feet. "John?"
"He'll be on my lap, don't you worry. Are you're sure you're okay?" he asked.
"Of course. You try raising three little kids and still be able to function professionally. Let's go, Seamus." She caught his hand, led him to the stroller and pushed it up the ramp of the ship.
John smirked. "I suppose you'll be blaming that on me?"
"You and your damn sperm, yes," she noted mildly, but smiled over her shoulder at him. Gaze lowering for a moment. "But not on that ordnance, colonel. Wow."
John smirked, followed her into the ship. "Damn right, baby. Damn right. Here we go." John shut the hatch, moved to the pilot's seat. Johnny sprang into his lap. Grabbed the controls. The power zoomed in the ship. It lifted off the ground. "Whoa, there, junior. Easy does it." He glanced over at Moira. She had secured Seamus in his seat, was securing the stroller next to hers. "All right, here we go. We're not in race, junior." John slowed the ship as it accelerated, wobbling slightly.
Johnny was grinning ear to ear as he held onto the controls. John's hands were over his, guiding. Steadying. The ship flew smoothly across the plain. "Remember, junior, it will respond to your thoughts. No need to force her. Just take her nice and gentle for the first few times. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"
Moira snorted. "That's not how I recall it, colonel." John chuckled in response.
"Okay, daddy! Mommy, look! I fly the ship like daddy!"
"Yes, darling, but be careful, please." Moira was less than thrilled. Although charmed by the sight of father and son, one almost a mirror to the other as they flew the ship she worried nonetheless about the family's safety. She kept a hand on Emily's stroller. Glanced back to see Seamus in his seat. "Are you okay, honey?"
"I wanna see mammuts, mommy!" the little boy pouted. Lower lip extended in imitation of his father.
"That's what we're going to do, Seamus," John replied. "We should find them in the polar regions of the planet. Right, Moira?"
"Not bad, mensa-boy. Are you going to conduct the tour now?"
He smiled at her tone. "If need be, baby. In case you have another senior moment. Ow!" he complained as she reached over to swat his head. The boys laughed.
"Hilarious, John."
"Okay, junior. Swoop!"
"Swoop!" Johnny exclaimed. The ship flew higher, tilting vertically into the blue, blue sky before leveling out on the air currents. Seamus clapped in delight. Emily fussed.
"John! You're scaring Emily!" Moira warned, turning to calm the unhappy infant.
"Oh. Sorry. Here, princess...easy now. Junior, nice and steady." John corrected the course.
"Emily's no fun, daddy," Johnny complained.
"She's a girl!" Seamus added, as if that explained everything.
John laughed. "Yeah, she's a girl. Girls take all the fun out of ow!" he replied as Moira smacked the back of his head again.
"Watch it, colonel, or your days of fun will be at an end."
"As long as the nights won't be, baby," he rejoined. "And stop messing up my hair," he sternly added.
Moira laughed. "Could you even tell, sweetie?" The boys laughed.
"Someone is getting a spanking when we get home," John warned. Met her gaze and winked. "Repeatedly. On that pert little–"
"Not me!" Seamus said.
"No, not you, buddy. Here, Johnny." John helped the child as the ship gently lowered. Flew a straight course now, dipping and diving slightly to avoid a flock of birds. Dark shapes against the blue sky, temporarily blocking out the sun by their sheer numbers.
John activated the HUD. The display was a green and blue 3D screen in front of them. "Approaching the polar regions now. Hey, this planet is nearly the size of Earth. Interesting. But the poles are slightly askew. Must be due to the tilt of the axis. It's not symmetrical like–"
"Are you channeling Rodney now, colonel?" Moira teased.
John mock glared at her. "Hilarious, Moira! I can be as sciency as you, you know."
"Daddy, what that?"
John eyed the HUD. "Life signs, buddy. Lots of them. There's a whole lot of something down there, huh? And we're about to find out what it is." John made the HUD dissolve with a thought. Fingers light on the controls as the ship responded more to his thoughts than to his actual touch. "How's Ems?"
Moira glanced at the baby. The little girl was sucking on her rattle, staring round. "Fine now. Be gentle, John. She's not used to flight yet. Not like these two."
"Got it. She'll get there. Here we go now. Just think it, Johnny. There you go."
Johnny relaxed his hold on the controls. Secure in his father's lap, in his father's guidance he thought about the ship. About flying it serenely towards the pole. Gliding smoothly over the air currents and feeling the sheer joy of being in flight. Of being in unison with the machine. It felt like home. Like Atlantis, like all Ancient technology did to him. "Daddy, this is fun!"
"I know!" John agreed wholeheartedly. "There's nothing like flying. Nothing!"
"Nothing, colonel?" Moira asked, smirking at him.
He met her gaze. Considered. "Well...maybe something else is as exhilarating. Maybe."
"Maybe? I see." Moira pretended to be offended, turning away from him.
John laughed. "Okay, okay, just as exhilarating. Better?"
"No."
"No? Okay, okay, more exhilarating. Better?"
She met his merry gaze. Shook her head. "I guess, but I know you don't mean it, colonel."
"You'll have to convince me, then, won't you?"
"Daddy! Daddy, look!"