Community, Part 2: Prioritizing One's Art

Posted on Fri Oct 2nd, 2020 @ 4:07pm by Lieutenant Jane Sinclair MD, DVM

Mission: Interpersonal Drama
Location: New Shanghai, Western Continent, Quadra Sigma III

It had been a productive day, spent exploring the colony on the Western continent of Quadra Sigma III. Before noon, Jane had met several of her neighbours and visited the church, several shops, and the medical clinic. She ate with Dr. Verek (one of the best meals she'd had in months) and discussed her future plans in New Shanghai.

In the afternoon, she had explored more shops and amenities, and spoke to the colonial administrators about use of her land. She had been allocated 100 hectares of land, 500 meters wide by four kilometers deep, to develop as she saw fit. Her single-person domicile took up only 0.75% of her land, leaving so much to be colonially productive. She had an idea for another structure or two to build close to the house, but so much of it was grassland ready for use by dedicated farmers or ranchers. That morning, she had made a deal with her neighbours to let their animals graze. A fence would be built one kilometer from the road, permitting the ranches to use fully 3/4 of her land. More land for grazing meant more animals and less impact on the ecosystem overall. The land remained hers and she could add features as necessary. A gate would permit her to cross the fence whenever she wanted.

Within an hour, the agreement was drafted and signed.

She also obtained zoning clearance to build a new structure, for a special project she had in mind.

Her final stop was one of the more important personal stops.

As with so many Federation colonies, Quadra Sigma III had an amphitheatre capable of holding far more people than currently lived on the planet. Originally it was the central meeting place for town meetings. Now, it was normally used for plays, concerts, and even movie nights. The "QS3 Amphitheatre" was open to the sky and very comfortable. Many of Jane’s new friends told her that seeing things at the venue was one of their favourite activities.

It helped that it was well stocked with art supplies of all kinds, to use on site, borrow, or arrange for duplication. Jane had not yet gotten herself a piano, so she had made an appointment to meet with the theatre director. Jane stood at the entrance to the venue and watched passersby as she waited.

“Doctor Sinclair?”

Jane turned to see the theatre director, a woman with black hair that fell to her shoulders and green skin. She was slightly taller and slimmer than Jane, and aside from her obvious Orion heritage reminded the doctor much more of Bec than of Vivyra.

“Jane is fine. You must be Director Tinaasi.” Jane shook the woman’s hand, and immediately became self conscious of her body temperature and recognized it for what it was. “Pardon me,” she said and reached into her purse. She pulled out a hypo and applied it to her neck. “I’m sorry. That was rude of me. I have an...allergy, I guess you’d say, to Orion pheromones.”

“Oh!” Tinaasi said, surprised but concerned. “We can do this remotely, if you’d prefer.”

“No, that should hold me off,” Jane replied. “Your concern is very sweet though, thank you.” That wasn’t exactly honest of me, but how to explain to someone new that you were addicted to engineered Orion pheromone, and now need to medicate? “So I was hoping to see your pianos?”

“Of course!” Tinaasi grinned widely and gestured for Jane to follow her. “Come inside. I have a few to show you.” The two women entered the amphitheatre and walked down one of the aisles toward the stage. “So what kind of music do you play?”

“A number of things,” Jane answered as she followed. “Mostly piano ballads. Sometimes songs designed as such, and sometimes I rewrite them into piano songs. And I sing. How about you?”

Tinaasi slowed to match Jane’s pace. “I play violin and flute, and I sing, too. I’m trying to learn bass guitar now. I like being part of something bigger, like an orchestra or a band. We have musical performances here every couple of weeks, and I'm often helping out.” They climbed some stairs onto the stage, where three pianos had been set up, an upright, a grand, and an electronic keyboard. “We have a few of each. There’s a practice room backstage, but also if your home is big enough I can help you get one for yourself.”

Jane’s eyes brightened as she saw the instruments available to her.

“We tune them every four months,” Tinaasi continued. “And we offer tuning services to anyone who keeps a piano at home.”

The doctor pulled the bench out from behind the upright. “Truth be told, I like the grand better, but this is what I have space for.” She touched fingers to keys, not playing a song but just getting a sense of its sound. It made her feel suddenly and truly at home. "Sounds perfect, and I have just the space for it."

“Well why don’t you try the grand while you’re here?” Tinaasi suggested. “You’ve test-driven the upright and know it’s for you, but the grand is what you really want.”

“You’re a telepath now, are you?” Jane quipped, a sideways smile on her face. She stood and walked to the grand.

Sitting in front of it felt...natural. Like she was meant to be in front of this piano in this moment. Like God Himself put her here, in the town of New Shanghai, on Quadra Sigma III, to play this piano.

“Why don’t you play something?” Tinaasi suggested. “Instead of just playing absentmindedly. You’ll only know if it plays to your liking if it’s a song you know and love.”

Jane could not agree more. And so, she began to play the first few bars of one of her favourites. A classic piano ballad from one of Earth’s most famous piano men, and most famously sung alongside one of its most talented vocalists.

She was shocked to hear an Orion voice begin singing.

“I can't light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life”

Jane stared as Tinaasi sang, with a pitch and range similar, though slightly lower, than her own. The Orion director’s voice was beautiful, and she was putting her heart and soul into the words.

“It's much too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when I met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light”

Jane played along, and the two musical talents blended together perfectly. She was Elton John to Tinaasi’s George Michael, and she knew that Tinaasi was familiar with the famous 1991 concert where they sang this song together.

“Don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me”

Jane played the interlude and saw Tinaasi look back at her. The Orion grinned and gestured toward the piano. “Ladies and gentlemen, Doctor Jane Sinclair!”

Jane almost heard the imaginary crowd cheer. She knew her cue, and jumped into it perfectly, starting slightly higher in pitch than her duet partner.

“I can't find
Oh, the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way feel”

The two began to sing together and harmonize.

“Don't discard me (baby don't),
Just because you think I mean you harm (Just because you think I mean you harm, oh)
But these cuts I have, (cuts I have)
Well they need love (They need love, they need love) to help them heal

Oh, don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
'Cause losing everything is like the sun going down on me

Don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I that see, yeah
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free baby, oh
'Cause losing everything is like the sun going down on me”

A smile stretching from one ear to the other, Jane stood and walked toward Tinaasi. They clasped hands and bowed toward the imaginary audience together.

“That was great!” Jane said, laughing. “Thank you. You sing beautifully!”

“You too! We’ll need to duet again.” Tinaasi gestured for Jane to follow her again. “Let’s go to my office and prepare the requisition to have an upright replicated and brought to your house. Then let’s grab a coffee. My boyfriend runs the café on the corner of Third and Epsilon.”

Thank God. The thought came into and went out of Jane’s head before she even realized. The last thing she wanted was an Orion as a prospective lover, not after finding a good place with Bec and Neza and largely putting Vivyra behind her. Tinaasi is beautiful and a great singer, but she was taken (and possibly straight), as was Jane herself. With her medical condition, this type of temptation might be hard to resist. This development would make that easier.

“Lead the way.”