Captain Kastarak had been invited to attend an Earth-style concert in the Shuttlebay. Kastarak had initially been somewhat curious as to the location of the concert, but surmised later that it was likely chosen, (a) for acoustics, and (b) minimal disruption to other ship functions. Organising the concert were so-called lower-deck staff, mainly humans, all without officer rank. It wasn’t often Kastarak would have time to interact with them, but he had tried to memorise everyone’s name and face and some personal detail about them.

There were three of them. Omar Haddad (apparently with a black belt in taekwondo) singing, Gabriel Oliveira Santos (whose favourite book was the Confessions of Saint Augustine – a curious choice according to Kastarak) on piano, and Anjali Nair (who grew up on Earth’s moon, which might account for her tall height) playing the theremin. They stood at a makeshift stage close to the shuttle bay forcefield (the doors were open, allowing a beautiful view of the space behind them closing in behind the warp bubble that the Chernov at faster than light speeds).

Suddenly, the music began, without any introduction. Kastarak first heard the slow sequence from the piano, establishing a structure first – measured and deliberate. Kastarak noticed the pattern, repeating but not identical. The piece was unfamiliar. He accessed his memory but could not find it. He concluded it was likely composed on Earth in the late 21st century, based on the pattern of the music. Haddad’s voice was heard shortly after, contrasting the piano piece with a lower, more baritone – but not completely baritone. While technically imperfect, Haddad’s voice hovered elegantly between baritone and tenor. Then came the theremin. Its melody moved between the notes, not on them. Kastarak felt a brief tension in his gut at the sound. He identified it as unease. The lack of fixed pitch created uncertainty, as he could not mentally predict the movement of the theremin’s music. He looked around, observing that others did not share this reaction. Some even appeared calmed by it. He made a mental note that he needed to meditate on this.

Kastarak, Cpt
Commanding Officer