Part Five

"Captain, the Matriarch will see you now."

With his hands behind his back, James did not turn at the sound of the mellow voice behind him. He didn't need the translator to deduce that the deep long tones which echoed through out the Navigation Center belonged to Saunchi. The long white whale hovered near the entrance, his gaze fixed on the land-walker before him. The fox stood on a walkway over the water which bridged the outer and inner rings of the Delphi's Nav Center. As always, Saunchi had came to fetch him for the Blessed Ayden--Matriarch of the RCSV Delphi. And as always, he found James staring intently at the brilliant blue sphere mounted in the center of the room; ringed with walkways over the water. It had been many years since those metal catwalks had seen use; never in Saunchi's 36 years, to be sure.

Spy-hopping to remind James of his presence, Saunchi swam closer to the blue sphere which mapped out the current quadrant of the Dorian Star System. Twitching an ear in the whale's direction, James sighed.

"What does she want today?"

"You know it is not my place to ask." Said Saunchi. "She sends; I fetch."

James smiled slightly as he glanced away from the Nav Sphere to Saunchi. What a strange culture he had found himself a part of. Though Saunchi and many other males his age had served aboard the science vessel for nearly all their lives, most of them still held fairly low ranks. Theirs was a female-run society, and each vessel was commanded by a Matriarch, just as the atoll Serina called home was presided over by Dusk. At times the fact annoyed him, as if he had found himself thrust into the watchful care of a gaggle of elderly aunts. At other times it amused him, and though he frequently prodded Saunchi to inquire about a loftier rank, the beluga always returned the thought with a curtain of warning bubbles. Saunchi was faithful, and what was more, he looked upon his position of Ayden's courier with great pride.

"Have you heard anything about the signal?" James gazed back to the Nav Sphere, making out their present position on a star chart he had come to nearly memorize.

"The Blessed Mother sends; I fetch. She does not converse with me about mysterious signals." Saunchi sunk beneath the warm waters of the Delphi's massive lagoon system, and James grumbled at this response.

"Come on, Sanch. Level with me, here. You hear all the gossip on this ship. What have you heard about the signal they picked up yesterday?"

Saunchi surfaced again, taking a short puffing breath in annoyance. He had never understood the land-walker custom of speaking only half a name, and even though James had explained it numerous times, the whale still did not concept why the practice was not considered rude where James hailed from. But Saunchi knew that the fox had done all the adapting he was prepared to, and so he let this slide as he usually did.

"It's all the buzz on the Bridge." He stretched out along the surface in a leisurely manner. "It's been confirmed--the wormhole is due to open. Gina's best guess sometime in the next 36 hours."

"Do they know the window? How long is it supposed to stay open?"

"It's undetermined." Saunchi watched as James ran a ragged hand through the fur at his forehead. "A couple of minutes, maybe. Twenty at best."

With a long breath, James clasped his hands behind him once more. Staring vacantly at the glowing Nav Sphere, he composed himself as best he could.

"It's been five years, Saunchi. Five years since I landed on Caer Ailinne. I've waited every moment of these long five years for this, and God doesn't see fit to answer me with more than 20 minutes. Why is that, do you think?" James looked down to his right at the beluga, who was silent for a moment. After a while, James turned back to the sphere, studying their intended course to the star system he had been born in. When Saunchi spoke, it startled him.

"If I may, Sir? Perhaps you are only asking the wrong question of this 'God'. You once asked for peace in your life, did you not?" The whale smiled as James scowled in return.

"If you people don't stop picking my brain--" he leaned on the hand rail nearest to Saunchi, "--of course I asked for peace. Doesn't everyone?"

"And you did not find this peace on Caer Ailinne?" Saunchi moved to circle the sphere, and James sighed softly.

"I found nothing but the sting of memories, Saunchi. They haunt me still. And though the beauty of the tide sings to me, it reminds me that I am not of this world. I never will be."

"You found nothing, Sir?" Saunchi spy-hopped.

"I found nothing." James echoed distantly.

"Then why does it upset you so much that you only have 20 minutes to say good-bye to her?" Saunchi watched placidly as James leaned on folded arms over the hand rail. "Come; the Matriarch has sent for you. We've already kept her waiting far too long."

James drifted behind the young whale quietly, following him several paces back on the winding walkways to the upper bow of the interstellar starship. He knew what Ayden had called him to the bridge for, and with a closed heart he decided that he was tired of her advice and her council. But he followed Saunchi in any case, perhaps a slim hope residing in him that she wished to relay news that the worm hole would remain open longer than first predicted. But her 1st officer, Gina, was hardly ever incorrect in her stellar calculations.

As he made his way to the bridge, he found himself looking back to his time on Caer Ailinne, on the continent of Eridania. After Serina had pulled him from the raging ocean during the gale, she had induced one of the longest and most complete strings of memory to ever surface in his mind. Though it was a significant piece to the puzzle that was his life, he could not help but remain bitter that his life was not as whole as he had wished it to be. Saunchi was not incorrect when he had said James had wished for peace in his life. It was not the first time, nor the last. Though he had not seen it then, his solitary life trapped on his island was the most simplistic peace he had ever known. But ignorance is never bliss when your past haunts you like shadows on the water, and the fog in your mind begins to lift.

The evening that James had woken up from his remembrance had been a cool one. Even though the ocean winds were warm and caressing, he felt cold and hollow, and the emptiness in his stomach could not be filled no matter how much he ate. He had walked the length of the western beach, trying to hold the sight of his son's face in his mind for as long as possible. He was frightened to death that he might forget it once more if he let it slip for but a moment. The light and warmth in his son's hazel eyes was all that comforted him, and yet it was very near torture at the same time. In the dark, on the beach, James sat staring at the sky which he had fallen from.


Mother, Mother Ocean,
After all the years I've found,
An occupational hazard means
My occupation's just not around.
I feel like I've drowned...
I feel like I've drowned.

In the morning James awoke to the taunting calls of a sea bird, far overhead. He hadn't remembered drifting off, but then again, that seemed to be the theme of his life. Brushing the sand from his fur, he rose to explore the coast of this newfound island, only to find the same distant signs of past civilization there as he had on his own island. The ruins were larger, though, and as he explored what he discovered to be a rather ancient city, he marveled at the craftsmanship. Though deeply marred by wind and time, the entire city was built of what appeared to be dark granite and flagstone. Closer to the water the smaller buildings and gateways were constructed from a mixture of crushed shells and sand that had hardened to a cement like texture. Most of these had born the brunt of storms and time, and graceful holes and erosion were apparent. But what really struck James' interest were the temples far upon the hillsides.

They were covered in bas-relief carvings of dolphins among the waves. A bit of color still clung to the rocks, as well as what appeared to be streaks of gold along the bodies of the dolphins.

The buildings themselves were in the process of being reclaimed by the surrounding rain forest, and he had to watch his step over the uneven steps of a beautiful courtyard. Lichen dotted the granite, and the sweet smell of yellow and purple orchids was heavy in the air as he continued deeper into the ruins. The courtyard was one of many, and each was as grand as the next. All of them boasted an array of fountains that had been dry for what looked like centuries, but James was struck by them. Fountains meant running water; up until this point, James had simply passed the place off as bearly even sea faring. Running water meant technology. Spinning to find numerous carvings of leaping dolphins staring silently at him from their pedestals and rooftops, James frowned to himself.

So where did they go? This was foremost on his mind as he followed a path into the largest temple he had come across. It looked more like a mountain than a temple; standing surely against the skyline, it was the most beautiful of all the structures James had found. Archways marked the entrance, and dappled sunlight shone down through the vines and the trees which had begun their assault on the magnificent building. The jungle was still as he entered the darkened main hall, and though it was difficult to see, he followed a pathway lit by cracks in the ceiling and a sparse scattering of windows. As he gazed upon blue and gold paintings of waves, he fancied they were so lovely he could hear them breaking against the coral reefs. There was no place to sit, only rings of steps that led further downward. It was unlike anything he had seen before--and at the center of the ornate structure was what looked like a well. Roughly nine feet wide and 3 feet tall, the well was sunken in a ring of those same steps. As he neared the opening, James paused as he realized he hadn't been imagining the sounds of the waves against coral.

It was filled with slowly rising water, and sweeping a hand through the cool brine, James realized it must be morning tide. He wondered how far down the hillside he had wandered until coming to the temple. Lightly splashing his face with the cool water, he knelt to rest on the steps.

He nearly jumped when a large dolphin peeked up out of the well in a short spurt of breath. Blinking in amazement, James stood slowly as the dolphin stared unemotionally back at him. It's skin was a smooth burnt ochre, and from the corners of its golden eyes came lighter streaks which ran down its body. For a long while, they only stared at each other, until finally the dolphin tired of the ordeal. With a long draw of breath, it sunk back down through the underwater entrance of the well.

"Hey! Hey, wait!" James leaned over the edge of the stone rim, frowning at his own reflection in the inky black water. He could see the bottom, and there was a ray of light dancing on the sandy floor of the underwater cavern below. The dolphin paused briefly to glance back at him before darting out of sight toward the source of the light; the opening of the cave. Gaping, James marveled at the shimmer of gold on the cavern floor. Coins, dishes, pitchers, and necklaces bejeweled with rubies the size of his fist all lay in offering at the bottom. Still more was covered lightly with sand, and with a chuckle he wondered how much more was buried under the top layer. He had found a sort of giant wishing well; only it wasn't just pocket change that had been thrown in.

Like any man, his gaze was caught by the glimmer of the golden trinkets, and faintly he wondered how far it was to the bottom. Before he could ponder much further on the subject, a group of four dolphins, headed by Dusk, came swiftly from the cavern entrance. Sighing as he recognized the dolphin at her right as the one from earlier, James backed away from the well.

"Wonderful; the mod squad." He sat down on the steps, and sure enough Dusk and her companions surfaced to look at him. "Hey, how ya' doing? Nice well." He faked a smile and a wave. "Gives new meaning to the phrase 'a penny for your thoughts.'"

Placidly, Dusk glanced briefly to the golden dolphin with her, then back to James.

"You think yourself humorous, Land-walker?" She revealed the tiny translator between her teeth, and James rested his chin on a loose fist.

"No, I think myself lost. Got a map?"

"Look upon this seabed, Land-walker." She said. "It is all the map your kind will ever need. The roads to your future are always paved in greed."

"And hey, that rhymes." James chuckled. "I'm new at this fortune telling thing, so gimmie a second. Whoever these people were that tossed that gold into the well did so because they wanted your favor, am I close?" He watched as Dusk fought the urge to chatter in annoyance--to do so would have destroyed the translator.

"You enter waters which are more treacherous than you realize, Land-walker. I suggest you make your peace and leave. It has been more centuries than I care to count since a ship has been anchored off these shores, and I am not about to let it begin once more."

With a raised eyebrow, James leaned forward.

"Tell me what happened to these people. Where did they go? And none of that cryptic shit--I'm really in no mood."

After a hesitant pause, Dusk spoke in a low drawn out tone; the translator amazingly adapted.

"To know where they have gone, you must first know how they came, and how they lived." With a nod of her head, two of her companions left quietly, while the golden one stayed. "My pod is gifted to include such a Historian among us. He is the oldest of us, and remembers tending this cavern when he was but a calf in his mother's wake. If you promise to listen well, Land-walker, I will allow you to hear his story."

James blinked as the two passed the glimmering translator between them, and he wondered if he had heard Dusk correctly. As the larger dolphin fixed him with a weighted stare, James sat up straighter. He had so many questions, but he was afraid to break the silence between them. The Golden One appeared to be waiting for something, and after a moment, when the temple was still enough that James felt the full depth of the Golden One's stare, the dolphin began.

"You are the one who fell from the sky, are you not?"

"I am."

"You have come to the Well of Truths; what is it that you seek?"

"I'm not sure, exactly...there are many things I don't understand." James sighed. "I mean, I think I now understand how I got here, but most things are still fuzzy. I know I'm not welcome here, but I have no place else to go, really. I wouldn't mind doing a bit of exploring...but I have been told Serina may not accompany me where I sail."

"And this makes you lonely?" The Golden One asked patiently, and James frowned momentarily.

"She's been all I've had...I have no hope of going home. I'm sorry I anchored on your coral, really...I--"

"Why do you call her this, 'Serina'?" The elderly dolphin received a shrug of the shoulders from James.

"I...I didn't know what to call her...she has always been so patient with me--" he blinked as the dolphin interrupted with a untranslatable chatter that sounded very near to laughter. Dusk joined him softly, and James raised a furry eyebrow.

"Oh, that is something to hear; you must understand, that this calf has been everything but patient, so far as I can tell." The Golden One mused, and James broke a smile.

"She may be but a child to the both of you, but she's been the only thing that's made sense to me these 14 months...God, has it really been that long?" He sighed, running a hand over his ears in contemplation. The Golden One glanced to Dusk, with a silence that warranted James to wonder whether it was by telepathy that the elder dolphin bid her to leave. Leaving only a few rings of water in the surface behind her, Dusk sunk quietly to leave the two alone. James could not bring himself to look to the Golden One, as if the weight of his stare would bore into his soul.

First in a rumbling weave of clicks, then in deeper tones, the ancient dolphin confirmed to James his age.

"I remember a great many things the others do not, Land-walker. I remember them because it is my place to teach the young ones to be cautious of what things they may find in this world. While the pretty Silver Spotted One shows them how to hunt the flat fish in the sand, and the Dappled Blue One teaches them to fly from sharks if possible; defend themselves if necessary, it is I who teach them of your world.

"My mother and her mother before her tended this temple and kept to its purpose. When the world was young, and the Land-walkers sparse, my mother would bring me to this well and she would speak the Truths for them. This atoll was but one of many places in our world which the Land-walkers conversed with our kind. This village was filled with those who dedicated their lives to spreading the Truths which we spoke."

James shifted a bit, trying to take it all in as he finally watched the dolphin intently.

"I want you to come closer, 'James', isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Come closer, James." The Golden One beckoned, and James stood, slowly moving to stand over the well. "The trinkets--do you see them? Good. Now tell me which of them you think it is I treasure most."

"I...I don't know, Sir..." James replied softly.

"The dagger there, the one with the emerald at the hilt...do you see it? I will bring it to you if you like?"

Before James could tell him otherwise, the dolphin dove quickly, and brought the dagger up carefully. As James took it, he marveled at the craftsmanship. The dagger was pure gold from hilt to tip; obviously not meant to be anything but a centerpiece. Along the sides of the hilt was an emerald and jade setting in the form of a dolphin.

"It's very beautiful,"

"It is the dagger which they killed my poor mother with." The Golden One said simply, and James snapped his gaze back to him in shock. "Her eyes, you see...they were the eyes of one they thought could divine the future. They were a great thing to possess."

Horrified, James dropped the dagger into the well as if it were a viper, staring with wide eyes as it spiraled to the bottom hilt first. Suddenly the fervor with which Dusk attempted to rid the atoll of his presence made perfect sense, and he backed away from the well, closing his eyes in a long, soft sigh.

"I do not tell you this to sadden you. I tell you so that you may understand that while the descendants of the Land-walkers which built this temple may only be a few days sail away, we keep away from them and to ourselves as much as possible."

"Your mother..." James found his voice at last, she see the future as they had thought?"

"No one may know the future, James. We merely possess the gift of inner-sight. What the child did for you was merely unlock what you already knew."

"I had a wife...and a son..." James sat back down. "My wife...she is dead?"

"What does your heart tell you?"

With a long sigh, James gazed to the sculpted dome of the temple, and slowly he nodded.

"And what of my son? He was only a boy...what is to become of him?"

"The only hope a parent really has is to know that they taught their child well. You will not be able to help him fight his battles, but you will be with him always. He will mourn you well. Do you understand?"

James looked to the Golden One, whose voice was kind, and whose patience comforted him in a place he knew he did not belong.

"I think so." He said. "But what of me?"

"You? You will live." The Golden One said simply, and James frowned with a chuckle.

"That's not very reassuring or specific," he leaned his chin on a fist, and the Golden One laughed at him.

"You want what I can not give, James." The dolphin watched as James grinned slyly.

"If I throw you a couple place settings, will you tell me?"

"Now you're getting the idea." The Golden One chattered in amusement. "But you really must stop fidgeting and listen to my story. Once the people who lived on this atoll and my kind thrived in a peace that lasted thousands of years. Their friendship was very valuable to us, as there are few creatures in the sea that give so good a conversation."

"Thanks."

"But they were also lustful and greedy. When they began to throw gold into this cavern and others like it, we knew it was because they assumed we were as lustful also. We knew their power hungry nature, but we thought we could make them see reason. My mother was one of those who felt that they were only lost in a storm of their own technological advance, and that she could help to guide them to port. There were many who shared her hope, and we continued to speak the Truths for them--but they would not listen. It was then that they turned almost fanatical. You've seen what they built over this well, and the endless paintings and sculptures meant to honor my kind. Even as they painted, they hauled my mother out of the water to purchase the divine eyes of a dolphin at the cost of her life.

"The dagger they bestowed upon me like a gift as I watched helplessly; if there was one moment in my life which I have ever desired to have legs and hands, it was then. But in that moment I knew that I would have used those hands to crush their skulls. Never before or since have I felt such a violence within me.

"You would think we would have learned our lesson, hmm? But our kind is forgiving to a fault, and their kind forgets so easily. My mother's death and others like it were forgiven and forgotten, and we went forward with the Land-walkers into a era of great technological advance. The translator I use to speak to you now is a testament to this. You would ask me how is works, and I must confess I know not. The Matriarch knows more about it, as she took my place as Speaker after I knew I could not find it in myself to forgive my mother's death."

"Then I assume your speaking to me is an honor?" James asked tentatively, and the Golden One paused.

"Unlike the Matriarch I know who it was that plunged the knife into my mother's still beating heart; I do not find fault with one who was not there." The ancient one watched as James stood, hands in his pockets, and face downcast. "Come down to the eastern shore, James. There is something I feel I would like to show you. I will speak to the Matriarch on your behalf--it is well she did not take the words of a calf to heart, but she will listen to me."

"What do I call you?" James looked up as the dolphin began to sink, and at this the Golden One stayed.

"What ever it is you feel you need to call me; the translator will adapt. My pod simply calls me the Historian."


If there was one thing that amazed James as he passed through a series of coquina archways on his way to the beach, it was the fact that Serina's pod seemed to be made up of several different species of dolphin. It was not unlike his own world, where a practically infinite number of species interacted and thrived. It had not always been so, and there was still a large amount of bigotry loose in the Lylat system, but here among these dolphins there did not seem to be any hatred for one another.

The sand was loose and warm between his toes, and when he reached the shore's edge, James looked about. The waves were not as raging on this side of the atoll, and there were no blatant signs of erosion. The tide was full, and the water warm and soothing. After a moment of waiting for the Historian to appear, James waded out into the swells, and to a sandbar that was now waist-deep under the water due to the tide. Kneeling amongst the waves until he was up to his shoulders, James enjoyed the rhythm of the ocean once more. It seemed like ages as he closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face. In a deft movement, Serina curled past him with a soft mutter of clicks, and James opened his eyes to smile at the lavender eyes, which met his.

Unlike the piercing eyes of the Historian, James had never been able to tear his gaze away from the light in Serina's eyes. As if they had been parted for weeks, the tiny dolphin rushed into the hug James offered with a crescendo of whistles. They required no translator to express the happiness they shared.


Sure as the sunrise
Pure as a prayer
You fashioned hope
Right out of the air

He could not imagine it. He could not fathom harming such a radiant creature for any reason--least of all to rob her of the power she freely gave with all the naivety and innocence of her kind and her youth. She had saved him many times, in every way a man could be saved, and as she faced him once more, he petted her lightly.

"You were there...when I fell from the sky..." James whispered, and with a hushed ticking Serina gazed back through the eyes of an empath.

To Be Continued...


Illustrations: (Cut and paste into your browser)
Yaranoi Nebula: http:s92873267.onlinehome.us/starfox/fanart/fara/yaranoi.jpg
Ion Storm: http:s92873267.onlinehome.us/starfox/fanart/fara/ionstorm.jpg
Gravity Bomb: http:s92873267.onlinehome.us/starfox/fanart/fara/eventhorizon2.jpg
The Black Hole: http:s92873267.onlinehome.us/starfox/fanart/fara/requiem.jpg
Descent to Eridania: http:s92873267.onlinehome.us/starfox/fanart/fara/eridania2.jpg
References
"A Pirate Looks At Fifty" – © Jimmy Buffet
"Remember Me" – © Tim McGraw
"Exile" – © Enya
"No One Like You"- © Sara Brightman
"Honor Him"- © Hans Zimmerman
"Only If..." – © Enya