Ford's mind feels different. His usual mental landscape doesn't have the holes in it anymore, no fears crowding in on a functional workspace. It's relaxed.

There's a beautiful starfield, but its vast expanse stretches over a beach at night. Even though it's dark, all the colors are vibrant: the starlight, the planets whose strange and wonderful features you can almost see, all of it gives plenty of light to see by. The grass is a lush green; a spaceship is docked in the ocean. ?? Just go with it.

Everything feels like it's within reach, like if you tilt your head just right you might see a path that'll take you to one of those planets, or to anywhere you need to go. And Ford himself -- his mind's unguarded. The metal plate is there, but it's not a barrier anymore. For the first time in over thirty years, his thoughts can be read.