Under a Starless Sky novel Chapter 92

It was dark. Sophia could see, as she was a walking breathing tricorder, embedded in a suit. She turn the illumination up in his suit, making him the source of light in the room.

“Wait,” Jon said, but it was too late. The room filled his eyes. “I was trying to see.”

“In the dark? You have a skillset I am not aware of?” Sophia asked.

“It was dark all the time hear. I learned to see in the dark,” Jon said.

“I accept the possibility that your experience was real to you. The memories you hold may be accurate, but this body didn’t build the neural pathways to support that skill. Knowledge and abilities are two different things,” Sophia said.

Jon sighed into it. The air was okay, but it had a flavor he couldn’t identify. He approached the alter. It looked strange in the light he cast, its shadows moved as he did. There was a stone before the alter. A Torchlight was attached. He touched it. No response.

“Hello?” Jon said.

“Its capacitor is likely drained. I could charge,” Sophia said.

“Proceed,” Jon said.

There was a stirring of air and he had a sudden twinge of hope.

“Have you lost your ever loving mind?”

He turned to see Loxy in the room. His Loxy, from the ship, likely having been shifted over by site to site transport. Her suit was illuminated. She came at him.

“This is place is not safe. It could cave in and be flooded in moments,” Loxy continued. She was in grappling distance. “We have protocols for a reason…” She stopped. “Why are you crying?”

“I lived the better half of a life here,” Jon said. “With you.”

“With me?” Loxy asked. She saw the Torchlight, christened ‘Solarchariot.’ She embraced him.

“It wasn’t just a dream,” Jon said.

A capacitor kicked on and the Hall of Ghosts illuminated around them. They separated, but held hands.

“TL?” Jon asked.

No response.

“It could take moment for all the systems to reboot back up,” Loxy said.

Jon led her to the center of the floor.

“What?” Loxy asked.

He let go of her hand, and formerly bowed.

“What are you doing?” Loxy asked.

He raised his hands and made himself available.

Loxy smirked, amused. “Seriously. What are you doing?”

He closed the distance, took her hand and positioned it behind him, put a hand in the small of her back, and held hands. And he sang ‘you send me,’ 1957 Sam Cooke, a slow version, and swayed with her. By the time the song was midway, there was a full orchestra, and ghosts danced the floor. She barely saw them, as she only had eyes for him. That is, until Rock approached, carrying a pillow, a diamond ring tied to it.

“You’re going to want this,” he said.

“What is all this?”

“The childhood and origin life you didn’t have,” Jon said. “Music and dance and me.”

“Until we are up to full operation and the walls are fortified, I recommend you return to the ship,” Rock said. “We have a lot to discuss. Start with the information coded in this ring.” He looked to Jon. “A lot of Bothans died to bring this to you.”

Jon hugged Rock. “Nice to see you, too.”

Jon and Loxy withdrew to beam out. Jon stopped the process, ran and collected the Torchlight, and returned.

“I am never going anywhere without you,” Jon told her. “Scotty, two to beam up.”

“There is no Scotty,” Loxy said.

“Well, there should be,” Jon said.

“And no one ever said that,” Loxy said.

“Movie?” Jon said.