Living Day

Posted on 18 May 2013 @ 10:40am by Lieutenant Jacob Pendleton
Edited on on 18 May 2013 @ 11:08am

3,235 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Observation Lounge
Timeline: MD6 2000 Hours

ON:

The Observation Lounge was always pretty empty this late in the evening; it was therefore one of Jacob's favorite places to be, a place other than his quarters, a place where Jacob could really peer off into space while working on his music.

His fold out/flexible keyboard was a pinnacle of musical technology that he got for himself when he graduated from the Academy, and even these few years later was still one of the highest levels of musical instruments.

Jacob had some music sheets laid out on the table. He read the musical arrangement and began (again) to work on yet another song he knew well but always practiced. He hoped one day to perform his entire repertoire for the entire crew... until then, it was practice old songs and learn new ones.

He first worked on the keyboard work; adding or extending notes here, altering notes there, changing the tempo, changing it back and just being creative with the arrangement. After a bit of musical creativity he went back and then worked on his vocal work as it was always important to keep your voice trained as it was to keep your body trained.

He worked on some creative voice inflections, adding and extending notes or changing their very key. He made his edits onto the musical sheets as he worked; then edited those as well, soon enough though, he went back to the original piece and sang and played it as it was meant to be sang and played. His deep, rich voice added his own personal element to the beautiful melody.

(OOC: Click here to listen to the song on Youtube!):

"On the road of experience, I'm trying to find my own way.
Sometimes I wish that I could fly away
When I think that I'm moving, suddenly things stand still
I'm afraid 'cause I think they always will

And I'm looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I'm looking to know and understand
It's a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I'm deep in despair

All alone in the universe, sometimes that's how it seems
I get lost in the sadness and the screams
Then I look in the center, suddenly everything's clear
I find myself in the sunshine and my dreams

And I'm looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I'm looking to know and understand
It's a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I'm deep in despair

On the road of experience, join in the living day
if there's an answer, it's just that it's just that way

When you're looking for space
And to find out who you are
When you're looking to try and reach the stars
It's a sweet, sweet sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
But sometimes I'm deep in despair
Sometimes I fly like an eagle,
like an eagle
I go flying flying."

Seated in the corner away from prying eyes, Liyar was leaned over the table with his hand cradled around a small shotglass. Every once in a while he would pour some of the bright red-orange drink from the bottle beside it into the glass and drain it. Like most Vulcans, his bearing was stony and emotionless. One would think he was drinking water. There were no people in the lounge, except for Pendleton at the piano. Liyar pour-drained another glass and listened to the flat, bizarre Terran harmonies curiously. He hadn't taken his harmonic frequency transceiver with him, so the beauty in Pendleton's singing was entirely lost on him. He stood once Pendleton finished and made his way up to the bar, the half-empty yon-savas navileh bottle and the glass in his hand the only clues to his inebriated state. He set them carefully on the bar and fixed himself yet another, peering down at the menu. It didn't look like the house served anything palatable. Replicator it was. "Pre tarmeeli," he ordered from the hologram who had popped up. A plate of spicy rice and vegetables was set in front of him. He picked up the pair of chopsticks and with far more deftness than a man as drunk as he ought to have had, he began demolishing the pre tarmeeli without incident. He noted Pendleton walking toward him and lifted his chin in silent greeting.

Jacob had looked up from writing more notes on his sheets to see Liyar. He smiled and held up his seemingly always with him bottle of soda pop in a gesture of greeting and well wishing. "Evening Lieutenant Liyar." He looked down to his sheets again and then looked back up, "If I am bothering you in any way, please let me know. I usually come here to work on my music when there is almost no one here so I don't intrude on other's down time."

Liyar looked at him evenly, swallowed and set the chopsticks down. "There is no offense. What type of music is that?"

"It's known as Folk/Western music," Jacob replied, "The artist is John Denver, for whom, it was always hard to label, as his music didn't fit any category. He is one of my all time favorites." Jacob then wrote a few more notes on the music sheets. "Do you enjoy music Liyar?"

"As a Vulcan, I am not prone to enjoyment. Nevertheless, music is a worthy application of effort."

Jacob smiled again, "Worthy application of effort eh? Good enough for me." He then thought for a moment and asked, "If memory serves, didn't the great Ambassador Spock play the.. um.. I think its called the Vulcan Harp?"

"The ka'athrya. It is more accurately called a lyre. A harp is a much larger instrument which rests on the ground between the player's legs." He paused to down another shot and set the glass aside.

Jacob nodded, "Yes, lyre that is it. I hear he was quite gifted with it. You play any instruments?"

"I am proficient in several," the Vulcan confirmed. "The ka'athrya," he said, "is not among them."

Jacob nodded, "That is good Liyar. Very good. Music.. it is the language of the Universe, it is what runs through all of us.. it is the essence of beauty and the wisdom of it all as far as I am concerned. It is my poetry and your poetry and the poetry of us all. Music is life." He smiled and then pulled out more music sheet to replace the ones he had just written on. He studied them for a moment before beginning to make some notes on them then remembered to put the other ones in the shoulder bag he had on.

Liyar unscrewed the yon-savas navileh bottle to get at the last bit at the bottom. He chased it down with another helping of his curry and cracked his neck to the side, closing one eye and then opening it. He observed Pendleton writing his notes and leaned over on his stool to catch some of them. His mind easily translated the notes and chords into numbers, equations. He could almost hear it in his mind, perhaps even the way it was meant to be heard. His difficulty was purely harmonic. To him, it wasn't universal, because music itself was not universal. Sure, he could learn Maenad's piano, but he could not make it come alive under his fingers. "Music is mathematics. It is merely a matter of perfecting the equation."

Jacob looked back at him, "Well, yes, its mathematics within every measure, every chord and every tempo, but.. it is so much more than that. It is poetry, pure poetry. It can move you, make you happy and want to dance or make you sad and reflective. It can be of great meaning to something that happened to you. It can be a very reflection of your own philosophy... it is complex and deep... I don't know how else to explain it from my own perspective... it is something of great value to me.. to many."

"I am not a poet," Liyar pointed out dryly. "I am a mathematical scientist."

"And, from what I hear, a damn good one," Jacob replied, "Nevertheless, as a good mathematician friend of mine once said 'mathematics are poetry in the form of numbers, equations and formulas. They are their own art.' And you know what? I truly believe him." Jacob ordered another Grape Nehi soda and took a good drink. "So anyway, what are you working on? Anything new? Exciting? Is your curiosity peaked by all the things we are finding here on Rojar?"

"The majority of my time is spent handling the diplomatic interests of Starfleet regarding Rojar, and dealing with the crisis of MS1 and Kaitan, on Vulcan." Liyar set his empty shotglass down. "As I am Vulcan, I find neither exciting." Liyar pushed away the glass and picked up his chopsticks, blinking toward Pendleton. "You have heard of me."

"I make sure to read up on all the people I will be serving with. Research.. its what I do." Jacob smiled and chuckled, "Besides, what Vulcan is not good at logic models to which Math is the ultimate expression?" He looked at the food Liyar was eating and realized he was also getting hungry again. He called for the hologram waiter and ordered, "Five traditional Mexican legua tacos, verde sauce, central Mexican style. No rice or beans, just the tacos por favor." The hologram took the order and replicated a fair reconstruction of what Jacob asked for. He picked one up and devoured it in three bites. "Decent." He remarked and then devoured the second one.

Liyar looked at Pendleton sideways. "Math describes people."

"Oh?" Jacob raised his left eyebrow a la Spock, "How so?"

"In the end-" Liyar started, distracted briefly as Pendleton inhaled another taco, "-it is not logic, music, or the universe which are described by mathematics. It is people."

"Ah, I see. Perception creates our reality and of course, we are the creators. Very philosophical Liyar. I appreciate your insight! It has been far too long since I had a good philosophical discussion." Jacob finished off his plate and took another drink of his soda.

Liyar spent a long time staring at Pendleton's now-empty plate. Then back to his own pre tarmeeli. Then back to Pendleton. "If you wish to have a philosophical discussion," he said after taking another bite, "then you must acknowledge that Whole-reality and perception are transient and largely irrelevant."

"Irrelevant? I don't think so. Transient? Yah, I could agree with that one." Jacob looked back at his music sheet and realized something he could add to one of the musical phrases.

"Reality is simple, Mr. Pendleton. We invent unnecessarily complex and arguably pretentious systems to analyze it." Liyar cast his plate aside and sat up on his stool, rooting behind the bar for something stronger than Terran whiskey.

Jacob shrugged and replied, "If we didn't, I would dare say, life and living would be pretty boring my friend. Sentient species are complex and simple at the same time. A most intriguing and sometimes baffling duality. As Socrates might have said: 'Are you just that shadow on the wall or are you the actual you? The best, the pinnacle of your species? Have you truly looked for the Truth no matter the consequences or hardships?"

He walked back to his fold out keyboard but moved it so he could look at Liyar while he worked on his music.

Liyar selected one of the bottles, a pale green Something, and sat back on his stool. "Are you asking me if I am the best of my species?" Liyar asked, uncertain of the relevance in Pendleton's statements.

"No siree. It is a question meant for all sentient beings. A reflective question. A question for one to ask oneself. For that one question could open the very answers of the really big questions like 'what is the meaning of life and living? What is my purpose? What is the nature of my existence?' Et cetera, et cetera." Jacob wrote some more notes and made a few more edits on his new sheets until he seemed mostly satisfied.

"I am reminded of why I dislike philosophical discussions," the Vulcan said to himself.

Jacob smiled, "Ok.. well then.. I guess that ends that..." He looked down at his music sheet then back up at Liyar. "So let's talk about something else. Do you have any hobbies, interests, things like that you might find 'fascinating'?"

Liyar tossed back the drink he'd prepared. He was not in a good mood, but it didn't show. Any Terran would think he looked the same as always, except for the drink in his hand. "The majority of my time is spent working and training."

"Good to hear about the training Liyar. I work out everyday for at least one hour doing various strength training, dexterity work, speed enhancement training, fighting simulations, and so forth." Jacob then looked back down at the sheet made some edits and then played a short musical phrase while he hummed along. Frowning, it was obvious that he was not happy with either the arrangement, tempo or both.

Liyar gestured with his hand toward the stack of sheets in Pendleton's hands. "You are unsatisfied."

Jacob nodded, "Yeah, I wanted to add some notes here," he pointed to a line on the paper, "that would give the phrase a more Bluesy quality; unfortunately, the arrangement would make it sound more like ancient American Country music.. and that is not where I want to go with this piece..." He looked at it closer, made some more edits and scribbled more notations. "Maybe if I add some sharps here and then some flats over here.... then change this phrase with some added half tempo..." He scratched his head again and then crossed out some of his earlier notes. He then played that part of the piece with the editions and then tried it with his older edits, neither that he seemed to like.

He kept his hand out. "If you wish, I can look at the math."

Jacob shrugged, "Sure. Have at it." He gave the several sheets to Liyar. They had notes scribbled all over the place with arrows pointing to various places in the phrases where he had made a note, tempo or other embellishment edit. The lyrics were completely unchanged and read as such:

"On the road of experience, I'm trying to find my own way.
Sometimes I wish that I could fly away
When I think that I'm moving, suddenly things stand still
I'm afraid 'cause I think they always will

And I'm looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I'm looking to know and understand
It's a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I'm deep in despair

All alone in the universe, sometimes that's how it seems
I get lost in the sadness and the screams
Then I look in the center, suddenly everything's clear
I find myself in the sunshine and my dreams

And I'm looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I'm looking to know and understand
It's a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I'm deep in despair

On the road of experience, join in the living day
if there's an answer, it's just that it's just that way

When you're looking for space
And to find out who you are
When you're looking to try and reach the stars
It's a sweet, sweet sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
But sometimes I'm deep in despair
Sometimes I fly like an eagle,
like an eagle
I go flying flying"

Liyar translated the notes in front of him into comparable Vulcan. F, G, C, CMAJ9, AM, F-B, CSUS2, CMAJ9-B, F, G, C, CMAJ9, AM, F... He turned toward the added embellishment edits, rapidly adding and modifying them in his mind. It didn't take long before he saw the effect Pendleton was going for, and he took the archaeologist's pen, making a few subtle changes in flow and adding some extra leading notes to compensate for the heavy - he quirked an eyebrow - blues quality, he believed Pendleton called it. The math came together in front of him until it started to fall into place. He handed the papers back to Pendleton with his added chickenscratch.

Jacob's jaw dropped, "Oh.. my... incredible.. this.. this is extraordinary Liyar! Astounding! I am completely in debt to you for this!" He immediately put his fingers to his keyboard and played the new edit and it sounded beautiful to him. He played it again with emphasis on the melody by making sure the brighter tones were "bright" and the more "soulful" notes more "soulful". Jacob smiling was absolutely beaming. "I truly, truly appreciate your assistance Liyar. If there is anything I can ever help you with, all you have to do is ask and I will do so."

"In my debt?" Liyar blinked at Pendleton, eyebrows furrowing. As a species, Vulcans took debt rather seriously. It seemed a waste. He had done no more than illuminate numbers that came naturally to him. He watched Pendleton play enthusiastically, wondering how possible it was that a person could be so happy all the time. It was hard to be grumpy around him, but Liyar did his level best, resting his chin in his hand lazily.

With a bit of his own embellishment, Jacob made the song "his" and he played it through completely; and although his deep voice was so much different from what it would have sounded like when John made it, but the power and beauty of the song remained (OOC: Youtube link). Jacob was almost giddy with satisfaction when he finished. "Well Liyar, as I said, I cannot extend to you enough thanks. Maybe now, if this ship has a talent show like most other ships do, well at least I have one incredible song to play as my 'showstopper' piece."

Liyar stared at him skeptically. "I see. Then you are welcome, I believe the term goes."

A tone on Jacob's PADD alerted him that he had other engagements to attend. He gathered up his musical sheets and looked at Liyar, "Looks like I have some other things to get involved with Liyar. Again, if you need or want any assistance on anything, you just let me know." He smiled at Liyar and folded up his flexible keyboard. "I hope the rest of the evening goes well for you my friend."

With that he got up, gave a quick "salute" to Liyar, nodded to him respectfully and walked to the door.

OFF:

Lieutenant (JG) Jacob Pendleton
Chief Research Officer, SSC
USS Galileo

Lieutenant (JG) Liyar
Diplomatic Officer, VDF/SDD
USS Galileo

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