The Archipelago

Oh, the beauty... Iridescent swirls of pink and magenta carry the sweetest aroma of Bulgarian rose and blue lotus. I feel the pleasant comfort of sand underneath me, grains of sediment falling between my toes. Although peacefully seated I can sense swift movement. Through the whirling velvet smoke of blissful hues, I perceive an apparition forming.

A female form with the most striking features shimmers in and out of sight. She has indigo highlights sprinkled throughout her free-forming blonde locks. A thin black line tattoo begins at the center of her bottom lip ending just below her chin. Her oracular eyes are complimented by long jet-black eyelashes; her eyes are like windows, intimidating at first, but if I maintain my gaze I'm able to glimpse the sweetest and yet the most fierce embodiment of love.

Unsure of how I know this otherworldly being, her presence feeling so familiar...

As my mind travels searching for the remembrance, there is a tangible longing in my heart space, I know her, I'm certain of it, but why can't I remember.. ?!

"Yes, but what is our memory? .... and where are the lost memories found ?" A thick accented aboriginal male voice seemingly answered me from within my own head.

Perplexed by all of this, I look down, sensing and finally beginning to see an energetic cord pulsing from my sacral.

Following the luminescent tether, I find that it leads to the mystery woman now several meters ahead of me. It was at this moment that I realized I was in the dream space. The landscape of the astral realm was a comfort I'd grown accustomed to in recent years. Up until about 28 years around the sun my dreams had always been fleeting and lucidity was unattainable. However, that all shifted in 2040 after the Galactic Conference in Lake Titicaca, which was where I met... my lover? My mind had hit another mnemonic block.

Was the mystery woman my lover? Yearning for her to acknowledge me my mind traveled along our energy cord. The swirls of soft hues began to dissipate and so too her appearance shifted. Upon a black backdrop, the woman's eyes were now blindfolded, her mouth was gagged and her hands seemed to be restrained behind her. I sensed she was in danger although I could strongly feel her calm demeanor. There was a laser beam focus within her. That laser beam culminated as a telepathic message from her mind to mine... " Wake up! " her voice exclaimed.

Jolting awake, I find myself in quite an accommodating lounge recliner.

As my senses returned the images from the dream space dissolved and I wondered what it all meant and what was the deal with that aboriginal voice?

"Chac Le, a pleasure to formally meet you! Quite delighted that you found it fitting to rise from your slumber! "

I recognized the theatrical aboriginal accent from my dream.

Looking up to my right, I found a slender framed, golden brown man with a long white ponytail of locked hair sitting cheerfully with his right palm on his heart as he introduced himself. I couldn't quite gauge his age, perhaps in his late forties or early fifties. He did have a very youthful spirit and radiant glow about him.

Placing my hand on my chest I matched his regard as I sat up in my chair. "I'm... " I paused and wondered what my name was. " El? He questioned.

" Yeah! Confused as my sentences formed, I explained that El was short for Eleven and that only my close companions referred to me as El.

"How did you... "

" Oh, the lady, of course, that funky head of hers was all over you. I'm sure if anyone else was awake they'd have wished the two of you were in yer' own private sit down n' buckle up eh? Me," his tone of voice becoming more melancholy, "I love nothing more than to witness the full expression of love. "

Chac Le briefly drifted away into what felt like nostalgia before suddenly remembering that he was actually speaking to someone.

"Quite a cosmic couple you and Miss P! Hehe !" He chuckled

What was the deal with this guy? Maybe my mind had implemented his voice into my dream subconsciously?

And what of this Miss P? How could we be in such an expressive romance and yet I can't even recall her name?

The only logical explanation I could piece together was that I had just met this lady on the train, we got really drunk and then I blacked out.

But then where was she? It then dawned on me as I searched my empty pockets for clues, that perhaps this so-called love of mine had drugged me while we shared a drink and then stole my wallet...

I quickly and quietly wondered all of this to myself as I looked around fully regaining my wits.

We seemed to be on a train, except all the windows appeared to be blacked out making it impossible to know where exactly we were and what time of day it was. This train was remarkable, it was both exceptionally unique and aesthetic in its design.

The walkway seemed to be made of clear thick glass revealing an extravagant display of rich green moss, plump succulents, and a myriad of different crystals. Magenta-colored LED lights ran down either side of the glass floor providing a calming ambiance throughout the train car.

Peering backward and forwards down the aisle it seemed like there must've been at least 100 rows of seating. "How could one train car be so long ?"

The seats themselves were the type you'd probably find on a private jet. On either side of the walkway, each row consisted of two chairs with ample room all around, allowing you to fully recline without any inconvenience to surrounding passengers.

"Perhaps I was sitting in business class ?"

I felt a curious stillness throughout the train car, unable to detect whether anyone else was awake.

Marveling at the fancy chairs I realized how comfortable I felt in mine. Leaning back I could feel how delightful it would be if I simply gave up on trying to remember the many missing details and simply drifted back to sleep.

Maybe if I closed my eyes and relaxed my memories would start to return. Just as my eyelids were about to shut, I was alerted by my new friend as he seemingly cleared his throat.

Looking over, Chac Le sat cross-legged with his chair turned 90 degrees to the left allowing him to face me directly. His face held a blank expression as if beckoning me to ask him my many questions.

Closing my eyes and inhaling slowly, filling my diaphragm with air I can detect Bulgarian rose and blue lotus. The sweet floral aromas triggered the image from my dream of the mystery woman. I saw her in all her effulgence, I felt how blessed I would be if this actually were my lover. I then recalled the image of her in captivity, calling for me...

Taking another deep breath in, I sit up and swivel my chair, matching Chac Le's cross-legged poise.

My patience had been worn thin, I wanted answers and something about his calm demeanor told me that he would be the one to provide them.

"Alright, Listen, Chac Le, I can't seem to remember a damn thing right now, I feel disoriented, and I have no idea where this train is going or where I'm even coming from, is there any way you can help me ?" I said, practically pleading. "Did you see where we were when I boarded the train? And what about this Miss P? Who is she? Or more importantly where is she? "

"Mmmmm" he sounded. Chac Le seemed almost delighted by my dilemma. He sat with a gaze that was both endearing and penetrating and with a smirk that told me this guy definitely knew what was going on. I wondered if maybe he was responsible for my memory loss. What if he was somehow the one keeping Miss P hostage?

"Hey man," I started. I was done being docile. "Listen!"

"No" he replied simply. " No, I believe that it's time that you finally did some listening lad"

His accent no longer seemed aboriginal, it sounded... different.. and yet familiar...

He continued, speaking both slowly and expressively, he delivered his words rather poetically.

"Allow me to formally introduce you to The Archipelago," he said with both hands extended outward referring to the train.

"This is, of course, no ordinary train, rather this is by far one the most ancient future technologies in this sector of the galaxy. This ingenious machine is a vehicle for intergalactic multidimensional travel. This train is a timeship and my goodness, she is a beauty." He exclaimed passionately.

"In this now moment, we are seated in the last of 7 very unique train cars, this one being the most regular. After this car, you'll experience the most compelling amazonian style jungle terrain, sadly the most elegant black jaguar is no longer aboard, a bit too intimidating for most star travelers I suppose."

I tried to fathom how there could be an actual jungle in a train car. Was he speaking figuratively? At first, I thought it might just be a jungle aesthetic but with the mention of the jaguar, I felt very much in over my head.

Looking down, I noticed for the first time how my arms were adorned with geometric tattoos and my fingers embellished with different color rune symbols. My left forearm had an intricate tattoo of some sort of antenna. Realizing he had stopped speaking, I looked up and found that Chac Le was curiously watching me examine my own body art, it was almost as if he had hoped I would recognize these symbols...

"Okay Okay, hold on, so we're on an extraordinary space traveling train" "Time." He said cutting me off. "An extraordinary time-traveling train, not so much going forward or backward in time necessarily but traveling through time to arrive at many different celestial worlds throughout the cosmos." He stated as if it were a most regular phenomenon.

I looked at him with a blank stare momentarily...

"Right! Of course, a time-traveling train. Please forgive me," I said sarcastically.

My point is, this may all very well be true... but why can't I remember any of it ?!"

"Ahh yes... But what is our memory?" I recognized the question from my dream. "And where are the lost memories found?" We both asked the question together.

Sensing my unsettled frustration, Chac Le invited me to walk with him. "We have a long way until we arrive at the Zen complex where Pleiades is likely being held, that would be car number two in case you're wondering."

Processing all of this, we begin strolling down the terrarium walkway.

"Alright, if you'd be so kind as to not cut me off, I'd be happy to provide you with the missing mind pieces which you seek Mister Eleven." He said as he held his hands elegantly in front of him, connected ever so slightly by the fingertips.

Inhaling deeply, "take it away" I beckoned him.

"As grandiose as this train is you'd probably imagine it had the most superb security systems and personnel on board." I agreed silently, noticing all of the passengers reclined and sound asleep on either side of us.

"Yes, well, not quite" Chac Le professed. " In the first car, known as the Helm, we'll find the operations bay, many cool looking buttons, and levers in there used to steer this ship on its merry way. However, there are only three train conductors. About two years ago in 2047, after the first galaxy-wide synchronized meditation, the need for security seemed completely unnecessary, or so we thought."

"Hold on, who exactly is we?" I asked.

Chac Le had stopped walking several strides behind me. Sighing in disbelief, I apologized for cutting him and walked back to join him.

"Please, carry on." I beckoned him, noticing how it felt natural to interact with this strange man and all his quirkiness.

Continuing, as though I had put him on pause and finally pressed play again, we resumed walking.

"Little did we anticipate someone would actually attempt AND successfully hijack The Archipelago."

"What?!" I exclaimed. Oh, this just gets better and better, you're telling me, this wondrous train, which we are casually strolling on, is currently hijacked?!"

Chac Le didn't stop walking this time.

"Yes." He said plainly. "In fact, that's the very reason you and I and your beloved Pleiades, are on this titanium vessel!"

This time I was the one who stopped walking. "What do you mean?! Are you saying we got on this train knowing that it was going to be hijacked?"

"My good sir, of course not! Has a comet passed by and left with your mind?! If we knew the train was going to be stolen, it would've never happened.

No, once we discovered that the Archipelago had been commandeered the three of us were translocated on board. The real issue that need be addressed is that this rescue was meant to be a solo mission." Chac Le stopped walking and faced me in a confronting manner.

I was at a loss for words and at the same time, I began feeling like I was finally beginning to recollect my lost memories.

"I must say El, you and Pleiades are a troublesome bunch but lo and behold, dear friend, I will most certainly not be the one to admonish the two of you. It just wouldn't be fair considering that it was likely my prestigious and yet unruly track record that has inspired you to be so bold.

My goodness, I actually feel quite honored to be on this perilous journey with the two of you..." It was quite pleasing to follow the flow of Chac Le's diction and the way he seamlessly slipped in and out of different accents. At this point, he spoke with a British accent.

"Sooo are we like part of the cosmic police or something? I asked ignorantly. "Cosmic police?! Oh god no, what an awfully boring job those space cadets have.

That memory gas really went deep into the oblongata huh? Come now, have some respect lad, we are of the Galactic Federation! Our fleets survey all the systems from here to Sirius, from the Pleiades to Arcturus!" His accent had returned to full Aussie.

"Huh, well how bout that," I said feeling dignified before circling back to his aforementioned comment about memory gas.

"So the culprit gassed us! That's why we can't remember anything!"

Chac Le remained silent waiting for me to realize what I had said. Clearly, his memory was fully intact. "Did you arrive after the gas was released is that why you can still remember everything?"

"Actually, I arrived right on time for the gas blast but as a veteran officer, my Dzogchen mind training skills are far beyond exceptional! The same goes for the funky-headed Pleiades too! Well, she isn't close to my rank but clearly, that girl knows how to slide right into samadhi."

I was so carried away by the rigamarole of getting caught up to speed that I had forgotten about Pleiades. "So she wasn't a stranger and apparently, she hadn't lost her memory, but somehow she had been captured?" I spoke to myself but still loud enough for Chac Le to hear me.

Chac Le continued, "Oh, I'm sure you could've bypassed the bye-bye memory gas too if you hadn't been so preoccupied with your bag of bliss balls."

Slowly and skeptically I looked at Chac Le with a raised eyebrow. We were finally only a few meters from the door to the next car, the next car which was apparently an actual jungle!

"Yes! Such a galactic hedonist you can be Eleven, I mean, again, I'm not one to judge, I keep a bag of bliss balls on my person at all time." He said as he displayed a small orange pouch that was slung around his body. "As a matter of truth!" He exclaimed excitedly, " you should have one!"

"Umm, yeah I suppose that would be nice, what exactly is it though?" I asked curiously.

"Ha! He remarked, " it's a bliss ball, meaning a ball of bliss" he spoke slowly as if I was hard of hearing. "You know, I'm starting to worry that the nerve gas has really affected your brain chap! He handed me one of the renowned balls of bliss, it really just looked like a ball of chocolate. I leaned my head back and dramatically placed the bliss ball into my mouth.

I felt like my soul had been smacked with a million feathers or rather like my soul had been lifted out of my body and into a pool of stardust.

There were so many flavors swirling through me, not flavors on my tongue but it felt like the most decadent flavors were caressing my whole multidimensional self.

The tantalizing experience wasn't comparable to anything I've felt and yet it was a familiar feeling.

So swiftly, memories poured in, I remembered Pleiades, such an awe-inspiring being of love, a being with whom I was in love. I remembered us at the wildest party, dancing like crazy, totally ecstatic, but we weren't drunk, we were definitely indulging with bliss balls but we were mainly in the bliss of our love. I remembered us being at the Midway station between Sirius A and Sirius B and finding out the Archipelago was in distress; the infamous train was never a minute late and it had just missed 3 stops over the span of several hours. I remembered us looking at each other feeling both concerned and exhilarated. We had great respect and honor for nature and natural law but we loved being dare-angels, we were always willing to put everything on the line for love and for the greater good of the galaxy. This instantly felt like a huge opportunity for us to be of service and have a wild adventure. Conveniently, Pleiades and I knew that one of the rarest crystals in the galaxy, Element 113, was hidden in the center of the terrarium walkway which Chac Le and I had just traversed. We also knew that we could link the station's trans-locator device to Element 113 and beam ourselves aboard the timeship. It had even occurred to us that perhaps the culprit had somehow learned of the location of this rare crystal and was attempting to steal it. We moved in full synchronicity not wasting any time, we knew that it would take too long to ask permission or share with someone important what we had telepathically received as truth in our oneness of mind. Sure, someone else might've figured that the train was stolen in an attempt to steal the 113 crystal but we doubted that anyone would think to use the crystal as a tracking beacon. Furthermore, using Element 113 as a way to materialize directly onto the train would require one to know its molecular structure so that the trans-locator could locate the crystal and then trans-locate whoever was daring enough to take the risk. Luckily, Pleiades was highly adept with the crystalline queendom. Not so much from a scientific / geologist perspective but as an intuitive. Ever since Pleiades was 13 years young she had dreams and visions related to the crystal queendom. There was one image in particular that she would receive whenever Sirius was aligned with Velatropa 24, the Sun of the planet Earth. She never shared it with anyone but me, she felt it was sacred, intuitively she had a feeling that it was related to Element 113...

This was our moment. Any minor incorrect detail could jeopardize the whole mission by materializing someone into the vacuum of space. If we had any doubts or any hesitation it wouldn't be worth the risk, but we were fully activated, we had full faith in all of the synchronicities.

The last memory that came through was Pleiades and I in the trans-locator device, we kissed each other, and Pleiades asked if I was sure about this. I raised my left arm showing her my tattoo, it was the Sirius B52 Element 113, the Sirian Antennae; the crystal we were betting our lives on was named after this symbol. This entire moment felt like it was written in the stars and all that was written was being sung in our hearts.

Pleiades handed me a safety beacon to wear around my neck and placed one around hers. If anything went left, we could always press the button and be trans-located back to the Midway station. We kissed each other again and both ate a bliss ball, 13 strains of cacao blended with 20 different highly exotic superfoods from throughout the galaxy and we were off.

With a gasping inhale, I sit up straight, Chac Le had laid me on the terrarium walkway. "Holy Bliss Balls!!" It's so good to see you Chac Le, I still couldn't quite recall the details of how we knew each other but I knew that he was family, plus I was so filled with gratitude for the blissful ride down memory lane.

"Haha!! There you are!!" Chac Le exclaimed with jubilance.

"So tell me boy, do you know what you need to do?" I hesitated, I did, in fact, know what I needed to do but I wondered if he also knew, and if so, how did he know?

I reached into my shirt and pulled out the safety beacon. "I'm assuming you also have one of these?"

"Oh don't you worry about me boy, I'm gonna make my way up to the Helm and have a fun chat with whoever thought they could get away with hijacking the most stunning vehicle in the whole galaxy. As long as Pleiades is still wearing her beacon you'll be able to transport the both of you back to the 'ole Midway."

I knew that she would be wearing her beacon. "Here I was thinking we'd have to travel through all seven cars to rescue Pleiades and of course, the train. Are you sure you won't be needing some backup dear friend?" I felt uncertain about leaving him behind... "Don't you worry about me lad, besides, aside from the lady you also have to keep this safe." Chac Le pulled out an object wrapped in a colorful scarf. The energy of the item was palpable. "No way... is this?"

"Mmmm" Chac Le sounded, Element 113, in all its glory! Get the ladies home safe, I'll handle the rest.

I took the crystal and hugged the 'ole veteran star traveler. "Thank you, brother!" I said, placing my hand on my heart.

"In Lak'ech ala Kin," he replied.

I pressed the button of the safety beacon and the next thing I know I was no longer on the train. I recognized the Midway space station. Looking over to my right, my heart sang as I saw Pleiades sitting, still gagged but clearly smiling. Removing the mouth gag but leaving her eyes covered, I kiss Pleiades and whisper to her, " I'm so happy to see you and I am so happy for you to see what I have for you.