Music That Tells The Story

Posted on Sat Apr 15, 2017 @ 1:26am by Lieutenant Vincent Kramer

Mission: An Orion to Die For
Location: Exhibition Hall - Deck 23
Timeline: MD 6 || 1230 Hours

After reviewing some reports on recent repairs, Lt Kramer laid down his PADD onto his desk and looked out through the transparent walls into Main Engineering at the Tri-Core Warp engines. He was very pleased that all was running as expected.

Vince had been informed and invited to some kind of 'Beach Party' taking place on a holodeck. That type of event really was not the type of relaxation he preferred. Social interaction was fine with him, but when a good amount of people where involved, he didn't know. And he was sure drinking and carrying-on would be taking place. This too was not what he preferred.

With work done for the moment, Kramer left his office and headed to the holodeck where all the activity would be taking place. Vince knew he was not going to stay, but he did want to do the respectable thing, to make an appearance for a few minutes.

Upon arriving at the proper location, Lt. Kramer walked onto the holodeck, still in his uniform, and stood to the side for a moment. Vince thought it was a very beautiful program; a long white beach, dazzling blue green water lapping at the beach with soft waves, and with a marvelous blue sky above. He looked about at all the crew from the ship, who all seemed to be having a good time. Most were wearing very meager clothing, of course appropriate for the setting, but just not for him. He didn't feel that he was a snob or anything, but had been taught to cover one's body so not to improperly entice or mislead someone else.

For the few minutes Vince was there, he had nodded and said 'Hello' as other crew passed. He was glad that so many were having a good time. He even saw a few of his engineers out there tossing some kind of disk to each other. The disk seemed to float on the air as it was passed about. With a shrug, Vince turned and exited the holodeck.

Vince made his way to his quarters and removed his uniform, in favor of a pair of relaxed fitting deep blue pleated pants and a button up short sleeve blue-plaid shirt that was slightly loose fitting as well. He had not tucked in the shirt tail. Going to one of the cabinets along the living area wall, Vince extracted a black case with handle. It had a narrow wedge shape to it, a little longer than his forearm and hand put together.

With the case in hand and a confident smile, Vince made his way out of his quarters and to the turbolift. Upon entering he said, "Deck 23, section 7." As the lift went on its way, Vince glanced down again at the case and smiled, then waited patiently for the doors to open.

Making his way down a very empty passageway, Vince felt a strange feeling since for a ship this size, no one was in 'this' passageway. But actually that is how he should have expected it. For the Engineer knew that there were no planned activities today in the Exhibition Hall nor any of the other large conference sections on this deck.

Vice turned right and entered a narrow door that whooshed aside quietly for him. He continued down the narrow passageway and found himself in a very dark room with just enough lights to see the massive hanging curtains before him. "Computer, bring up stage lights to medium."

When the lights came on, Vince found himself, as expected, back stage of the Exhibition Hall. Before him was a fairly good sized stage with 6 chairs and music stands already set up on center stage. He walked out casually and sat down with the case across his knees. Vince just sat there for a minute and breathed. So many memories were flooding through his mind of music concerts from his past, good and bad.

Then with focused mind, he looked down and opened the case before him. He extracted the bow initially and examined it quickly. He then lifted out the violin and a memory chip, setting down the case without thinking. With the instrument laying across his lap, he inserted the chip into the music stand/display and activated the device. He recalled how his farther dispised these type of devices, who preferred playing from printed sheets of music. Vince liked them because the musicstand could display 3 pages of music at one time.

Vince selected a piece of music from the list at the left side, then selecting the option to have added instruments play with him; 2 violins, 1 cello, and 1 French horn. This was not a classic piece, just one of Vince's favorites.

Laying the base of the instrument to rest up under his chin, he lifted his bow and said, "three, four," and the music began.

It was a melodic tune. One that Vince really did not need the score for him to play, for it was one of his favorite pieces. At one point the song became intense, and he had to look at the lines before him, because the cording changed several times on the same page.

It was a song about a horse. Definitely, something not seen nor heard on Starships too often. The beginning had the joyousness of new birth, then the silliness of a young foal. The strains of the chords changed to a laboring beat and tone representing the time in the horse's life that it had to work, pulling a heavy wagon. There were several diminished chords representing a time when it was cold and hungry. The next part was even darker, at a point of deep dispair when a kind old man saw the horse in a line-up intended for the glue factory. Joyous strains returned as the song came to a conclusion. The story told of the man walking the horse out of town and to his country home, there each day to be fed, talked to and brushed by the man, and allowed live in the natural beauty and not have to labor anymore.