Post by Bobbi on Jan 11, 2021 10:09:09 GMT -5
The ghostly hue of what was a washed out and blue highlighted echo of a planetary system stared back at him against the backdrop of a dark room. The house was quiet, and still with only his movements to disturb it as he reached out and manipulated the holo to zoom in on the pinnacle of his focus. He studied the floating orb of a world as he had done many times before.
There was nothing new to see there, nor was there anything new to see from the string of data that flowed off to the left hand side of the holo. The floating words were an endless string of symbols that were tracking. Tracking. Tracking.
The Mandals were out there in the galaxy, still finding new ways to live their lives, still working on reclaiming a world that was limping along like a lame bantha. And somewhere in that data was the key to finding what he was looking for. Ker’dan A’kir said he’d gotten a lead. It was a small hope, a little consolation in the months that followed the ravaging of Mandalore.
The proof had to be there somewhere.
This was a thought that had lent him to many sleepless nights, and countless hours of tracking. He was not going to interfere with Ker’dan’s business, he told himself. He promised himself. He could follow the data without crossing that line back into servitude. This was another promise. It was one he had made to himself for Trinity, for the children, and for himself.
He owed the Mandals nothing.
“Solomon?”
The soft voice came just with the sound of barefooted steps, breaking his concentration on the world and the data that had come with it. A quick flick of his fingers sent the image spiraling away into nothing, and a flick of his wrist over the holotable brought up another image. This new one was plans, building schematics for two different locations, but she had seen enough of the first just in that winking out as she came through the doorway to know what he had been doing.
Her appearance brought a straightness to him as the images shifted, but that disappeared as she held her hand out toward him while crossing the room. In the pale light they both looked ghostly, the holo capturing and shaping shadows and hollows against both of their faces.
He smiled and took her hand, stepping toward her while drawing her close at the same time.
“Are you alright?”
Solomon could only answer with a small nod and a little smile, “I couldn’t sleep, but I’m alright.”
Reaching up, Trinity brushed the back of her fingers against the line of his jaw and shook her head gently, “You are a horrible liar, Mister Tekal. Tell me what it was.” She spoke, her insistence just as gentle as her touch.
For several seconds he didn’t move. That time was spent with him looking down into her eyes, watching her face as the hololight took her features and shone in her eyes. She could tell he was wrestling with whether to tell her or not. The hesitation wasn’t so harsh, it wasn’t blunt. She knew it came from a past that he was still learning to overcome, and old habits that needed to be let go.
She didn’t look away until he did, following the turn of his head toward the table as he released her hand and drew the image of the system back up, sending the building schematics away. For a handful of heartbeats he stood there just looking at the image of the planet and the data streaming by next to it in silence.
Trinity waited. She knew Mandalore when she saw it, even in this form.
Solomon’s awareness of the silence was keen. He could feel her waiting there for him to say something with the seconds melting away. His chin lifted just slightly, and then dropped before he said, “I thought I heard him.” His shoulders fell with those words, sagging beneath the weight of the disappointment he had felt when reality set in, “But it was nothing. There was no one there when I opened my eyes.”
Silently, Trinity reached for his arm and drew herself closer with her other hand coming up behind him to rest against his other shoulder. A light kiss was laid to the cloth that covered his upper body.
He didn’t flinch, and didn’t bat an eye, but he did keep talking. “He’s got to be out there somewhere, Trin.”
Beside him, Trinity nodded her head. She’d also closed her eyes and placed another light kiss. “It’s been months Sol, and there’s been nothing. I’m not sure that’s so true anymore --”
“Ker’dan said --”
“I know,” She replied with a sigh, “What Akir told you. But he might be wrong. I am not telling you to give up, Sol. I would never tell you to do that, but I do think you need to start looking at this as if he were never coming back. As if there is no way to get to him.”
Beneath her hands, Trinity could feel Solomon stiffen and draw still again. He didn’t look her way though she could see in the pale light of the holo that he hadn’t shut down. She gave him time, letting him find the space he needed to speak. “I can’t.” He answered at length with a shake of his head, “I can’t face that. I can’t let him go like that. He’s still out there, Trin. I can feel it, I just don’t know where.”
There was no pushing of the issue. What he had said was enough for her to nod her head before she laid it down against his arm. “Take your time, but try to make it back to bed before the sun rises.”
While he answered that with a small dip of his head Trinity was lifting her’s and rising onto her toes to kiss his stubbled cheek. Her parting words came after, warming the hollows painted across Solomon’s face with a little smile. “Don’t keep me waiting, Mister Tekal, I need your attention too.”
There was nothing new to see there, nor was there anything new to see from the string of data that flowed off to the left hand side of the holo. The floating words were an endless string of symbols that were tracking. Tracking. Tracking.
The Mandals were out there in the galaxy, still finding new ways to live their lives, still working on reclaiming a world that was limping along like a lame bantha. And somewhere in that data was the key to finding what he was looking for. Ker’dan A’kir said he’d gotten a lead. It was a small hope, a little consolation in the months that followed the ravaging of Mandalore.
The proof had to be there somewhere.
This was a thought that had lent him to many sleepless nights, and countless hours of tracking. He was not going to interfere with Ker’dan’s business, he told himself. He promised himself. He could follow the data without crossing that line back into servitude. This was another promise. It was one he had made to himself for Trinity, for the children, and for himself.
He owed the Mandals nothing.
“Solomon?”
The soft voice came just with the sound of barefooted steps, breaking his concentration on the world and the data that had come with it. A quick flick of his fingers sent the image spiraling away into nothing, and a flick of his wrist over the holotable brought up another image. This new one was plans, building schematics for two different locations, but she had seen enough of the first just in that winking out as she came through the doorway to know what he had been doing.
Her appearance brought a straightness to him as the images shifted, but that disappeared as she held her hand out toward him while crossing the room. In the pale light they both looked ghostly, the holo capturing and shaping shadows and hollows against both of their faces.
He smiled and took her hand, stepping toward her while drawing her close at the same time.
“Are you alright?”
Solomon could only answer with a small nod and a little smile, “I couldn’t sleep, but I’m alright.”
Reaching up, Trinity brushed the back of her fingers against the line of his jaw and shook her head gently, “You are a horrible liar, Mister Tekal. Tell me what it was.” She spoke, her insistence just as gentle as her touch.
For several seconds he didn’t move. That time was spent with him looking down into her eyes, watching her face as the hololight took her features and shone in her eyes. She could tell he was wrestling with whether to tell her or not. The hesitation wasn’t so harsh, it wasn’t blunt. She knew it came from a past that he was still learning to overcome, and old habits that needed to be let go.
She didn’t look away until he did, following the turn of his head toward the table as he released her hand and drew the image of the system back up, sending the building schematics away. For a handful of heartbeats he stood there just looking at the image of the planet and the data streaming by next to it in silence.
Trinity waited. She knew Mandalore when she saw it, even in this form.
Solomon’s awareness of the silence was keen. He could feel her waiting there for him to say something with the seconds melting away. His chin lifted just slightly, and then dropped before he said, “I thought I heard him.” His shoulders fell with those words, sagging beneath the weight of the disappointment he had felt when reality set in, “But it was nothing. There was no one there when I opened my eyes.”
Silently, Trinity reached for his arm and drew herself closer with her other hand coming up behind him to rest against his other shoulder. A light kiss was laid to the cloth that covered his upper body.
He didn’t flinch, and didn’t bat an eye, but he did keep talking. “He’s got to be out there somewhere, Trin.”
Beside him, Trinity nodded her head. She’d also closed her eyes and placed another light kiss. “It’s been months Sol, and there’s been nothing. I’m not sure that’s so true anymore --”
“Ker’dan said --”
“I know,” She replied with a sigh, “What Akir told you. But he might be wrong. I am not telling you to give up, Sol. I would never tell you to do that, but I do think you need to start looking at this as if he were never coming back. As if there is no way to get to him.”
Beneath her hands, Trinity could feel Solomon stiffen and draw still again. He didn’t look her way though she could see in the pale light of the holo that he hadn’t shut down. She gave him time, letting him find the space he needed to speak. “I can’t.” He answered at length with a shake of his head, “I can’t face that. I can’t let him go like that. He’s still out there, Trin. I can feel it, I just don’t know where.”
There was no pushing of the issue. What he had said was enough for her to nod her head before she laid it down against his arm. “Take your time, but try to make it back to bed before the sun rises.”
While he answered that with a small dip of his head Trinity was lifting her’s and rising onto her toes to kiss his stubbled cheek. Her parting words came after, warming the hollows painted across Solomon’s face with a little smile. “Don’t keep me waiting, Mister Tekal, I need your attention too.”
