Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in Holodeck 2 - A Musical Introduction

Posted by Fleet Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Holodeck 2 - A Musical Introduction

Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in Holodeck 2 - A Musical Introduction
Posted by… suppressed (7) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Deep under the water, Sair hovered. Lightness above, darkness below, she existed in a middle place. It wasn’t a place she was stuck in but there was no impetus to move. The tremolos continued into the lower range of notes (though it was still octaves higher than Alex’s lower notes. The prizar didn’t have the same ability for continuous sound that his cello did, but she was able to draw out the sounds as if she were pulling the sound right out of the instrument itself, rather than letting it give of itself as before. As she hit a lower note, Sair suddenly stopped laying, her eyes flying open as her breath caught in her throat. Music was emotional and she often felt things when she played (perhaps why it had felt dangerous to do so too often before), but this was something else all together and she couldn’t explain it.

~Sair Songz, CNS

Cochrane stopped playing as well. “Counselor? Are you alright?” he asked, setting the cello down gently and turning to her. “What happened?”

Cochrane, CO

She averted her gaze as she tried to process what exactly was happening for her here. The answer was not obvious. “I’m not sure,” she said softly. “All I know was I was lost in the music and then it became too much. But I’m not sure why.”

~Sair Songz, CNS

Cochrane nodded and said “I understand… sometimes it sneaks up on me, too.” He turned and reached into the cello case and pulled out a flask. He unscrewed the top and handed it to her. “If you like. Napoleonic brandy. I have found it helps ease such times.”

Cochrane, CO

She didn’t know why, but the sight of the captain pulling out liquor from his instrument case made her burst out with a laugh. “Ohh! Well, if you’re you’re offering. I don’t know if this stuff is supposed to be any good, but it feels right,” she said, accepting the flask. Sair knocked some back and it went down smoothly, but she had never been much of a drinker, so it still snuck up on her. She took a second, but smaller swig and handed it back. “Alright then. Day drinking. Not something I thought I’d ever do, but here we are.”

~Sair Songz, CNS

Cochrane smiled and shrugged. “Some call it day drinking; I prefer the term ‘beverage-assisted coping’.” and he laughed and took a drink himself. “So was it the music that got to you? Or was it something else?” he asked. He leaned over and picked up the cello, but didn’t set the bow to it. He simple rested the instrument against his shoulder.

Cochrane

The brandy sat on her tongue and for a moment Sair focused on it, allowing herself a moment to gather her thoughts. “Music… there’s a reason I don’t practice often. Or rather why I haven’t for awhile. It’s just been too intense these last years, and right now even more so. And yet for the first time I’m drawn to it again. Maybe it allows me to process difficult things? Or at least unearth it and let it come to the surface. But I don’t have many opportunities where I can fully do that, so it’s… hard.”

~Sair Songz, CNS

Alex was silent a moment and then he closed his eyes. When he spoke, his words were soft and faint.

“Our bodys are a vessel,
Adrift on the tumultuous and unpredictable ocean
Of the storm-tossed existence of what we call ‘Life’.

And as the waves and winds of the years carry us,
Lash against us,
Batter us with unrelenting chaos…

Let Art be the shore that gives us shelter and respite…
And let music be our guide to that place.”

Cochrane

Tears blurred her vision and Sair sucked in a breath and gazed at him intently. “People on my world focus on the healthcare providers and see that as heroic, and it is. We would not exist as a people right now if it weren’t for the doctors and scientists and researchers of all kinds. But I think the true heroes are people like my father, who create beautiful things in the face of such overwhelming devastation. And he does so quietly, without fanfare, not expecting anything, not even recognition. He does it simply for the joy of it. I envy him that some days.”

~Sair Songz, CNS

He opened his eyes and said “Your people have been affected by a great tragedy.” He looked at her directly and said “Tragedies overshadow everything else for their duration and for sometime after. And while your people focus on the issue at hand and those who are working so diligently to deal with it; I believe in time your people will have the opportunity to look back at this time with a more detached perspective. And then individuals, like your son, will discover the amazing art and music and stories and poetry that were created during this time. And the people who create it, like your father, will be celebrated and focused on like your scientists and medical personnel are right now. And they will be seen as custodians of the soul of your people… like you are a custodian of their physical bodies.” He sighed and looked out over the pond as a breze rippled the water’s surface. “On Earth, many centuries ago, there was a war. It encompassed the entire globe. It was referred to as World War Two, and yes; there had been another war, similar in scope, not long before that one. One of the leaders of a country called Great Britain was named Winston Churchill. His government was seated ina city called London, and their enemies had decimated the city with bombs and rockets and death. One of the government members told Churchill that they needed to cut all funding for the arts to better support the war effort.” He turned and looked at Sair and said “Churchill responded ‘Then what would we be fighting for?’” and he smiled. “That is what your efforts are for, Doctor. To give your people the opportunity not just to survive… but to create beautiful works that show the galaxy the soul of your people. Maybe that is why the music gets to you… it is, after all, hard to bare one’s soul… even to one’s self.”

Cochrane

Eyes still glistening with tears, she gave him a small smile. “Yes, you’re probably right. It’s felt so risky to dig that deep, for fear of being lost to whatever you might find. And even though Koro gives me so much joy and hope, it’s easy to live for him. I lost myself in everything, especially that first time away from Kobliad. I gained something immeasurable during my stint with the exchange, but I also was running away. This time I’ve left with a goal in mind, and maybe finding my own music again is a part of that.”

Sair grinned. “But I do have an objection. We just composed music together… the least you can do is call me Sair. I think we’ve established enough of a rapport for that, don’t you?” He defaulted to Doctor and she didn’t mind or blame him for that. It was natural. But so many people kept her at arms length around here that it was nice to have even a small sense that at least a few people on the Manhattan wouldn’t do so all the time.

~Sair Songz, CNS

Cochrane smiled and said “I will if you call me Alex. Its only fair.” and he picked up the bow and looked at her. “So shall we continue? Or would you like to take a break and go for a walk? I find that the respite is a good indicator of where the music is going to take me.”

Alex