Ensign Janai Zol - Music Fills the Room
Janai Zol
It hadn't been long since they'd arrived at the archaeological site when Janai noticed some local representatives coming a bit too close.
Zol: Ne'Tatkret, forgive me for prying, but is the Va’tsekeluai’ra clan solely here to ensure everything is in order, or are they hoping to gain something from the archaeological investigation? Improve their position somehow?
History was a powerful tool, as it often appeared in cultures to prove a group's right to rule or longevity. Depending on the answer, it might also give a hint to the power structure of the planet.
Ne’Tatkret: Well, of course, they are hoping to find traces to justify their new home on Qareluun. It is speculated that the Va’tsekeluai’ra migrated from here, after all, and an indication as to where exactly or when would be helpful for both academics and the clan itself. They also will look for artifacts to claim for their own holding. There is an arrangement between the K’tsérai, who is funding this excavation, and the Va’tsekeluai’ra clan to share artifacts and findings freely. ::beat:: They will not bother us. Your presence is simply unusual.
Though it seemed the Va’tsekeluai’ra would be no threat, Lieutenant Is'Kah nodded at Janai. It seemed she'd been thinking the same thing about these representatives.
Zol: Understood, then.
Ada: I admit, I am particularly intrigued by the massive instruments. These kinds of "mega-instruments" are uncommon, most instruments are made to scale to be playable by the people that made them. But I shouldn't presume--I hear the harp as music, but does it carry the connotation of music for your people, Ne’Tatkret? Or does the sound mean something other than music?
It was great thinking on Commander Ada's part. Janai had been considering the same: were such instruments built for the music they produced, or was the act of constructing them itself that mattered most? Perhaps it was another thing entirely, something unlike anything on Trill or Earth: to allow her own perspective on such things to color her understanding was ill-conceived.
Ne’Tatkret: It is music! The reason for the harp tower is not purely musical, as you might surmise. There is a particular kind of sound that comes from it when the winds are picking up so it can serve as an indicator of an oncoming storm. We have our ways to tell when a storm is coming aside from that, of course, but any additional indicators are nice to have.
She turned to look at the silhouette of the harp tower in the distance briefly.
Ne’Tatkret: It was probably an accidental purpose. We K'tsélai very much do enjoy music for its own sake.
Janai smiled. It was wrong to let her own perspective color her understanding, yes, but still, there was such beauty in the fact that so many species across the galaxy enjoyed music. It was a universal language almost, the same music notes playing out from world to world.
Zol: Music is a big part of life among most species of the Federation as well.
Is'Kah: May I ask several questions regarding the structure? You mentioned that the water is rising and beginning to cover the historical site here. Was the land elevated in the past, or is the structure gradually sinking?
Ne’Tatkret: Good question. It’s a mixture of both. The water itself is rising and the island was never particularly tall in the first place. The temple itself is also sinking in places where the coral that supports this island has weakened.
Zol: Makes sense to me - I assume it's a common phenomenon for old structures on the planet?
It was a particular problem for Earth island archaeology, some centuries ago, but that had been because of manmade climate change. Was the same true here?
Ada: Response
Is'Kah: What is the cause of the rising sea levels? Is the planet experiencing climate change?
Ne’Tatkret regarded the Lieutenant with some confusion. Perhaps the K’tsélai hadn't experienced the same climate hardships humans had, but Janai doubted that their planet was absolutely stable when it came to that.
Ne’Tatkret: Climate change is only happening to the extent that it always does - slowly. Aelvarai Selav is supported primarily by coral. It has simply eroded to the point that we noticed it. Add in that the Va’tsekeluai’ra clan built the temple to be partially underwater in the first place, and we have what is happening here.
Zol: You've taken better care of your planet than some members of our Federation have, Ne'Tatkret.
Ada: Response
Is'Kah: One last set of questions, how old is the site, was it in continual use until it was abandoned, and when was that?
They were all great questions - Lieutenant Is'Kah was on a roll. Truth be told, she ought to have asked some of those herself, but Janai had been too preoccupied with her surroundings, what with this being her first archaeological mission as an Ensign and all.
Ne’Tatkret: Hmm. Our latest guesses put this site at somewhere between five and ten thousand years old. The dive is to help narrow down that range more.
Zol: Wow, that's truly ancient. It's held up quite well if that's the case. And to think your ancestors were capable of building such structures so long ago...
Ten thousand years ago, the people of Trill were still concentrated in one single area of the planet, the Joining still a few thousand years away.
Ada: Response
Ne’Tatkret: We do have a very long history. You should visit one of the museums or universities while you are here. Most of the bigger cities on Aelkuun should have one and we do keep them above water to help preserve them, so you will not have to swim.
Is’Kah: That would be delightful, thank you.
Zol: I'd love to do that.
No Symbiont had made its way here, Janai was fairly certain of that. Everything she saw would be a first, not just for her but Zol and its kind too.
Ada: Response
Ne’Tatkret: Please follow me to the harp tower. Seeing the architecture here will likely answer any questions you have about how we construct settlements on the water here.
Is’Kah: After the both of you.
Zha gestured for Ada and Janai to proceed.
Zol: I'm right behind you, Ne'Tatkret.
Ada: Response
Bobbing her head, Ne’Tatkret pointed out the path they would take. It was a dirt path that took them past other representatives and workers on their break. Janai noticed Lieutenant Is'Kah looking at the other K’tsélai, her gaze casual. She wondered if she was scanning for threats - it was most likely the case, she concluded.
Ne’Tatkret: Offworld guests are still somewhat of a novelty. Please excuse their curiosity.
Is’Kah: It is normal for people to be curious about something they haven’t seen before.
Zol: I'm sure I have a similar expression whenever I meet new people.
Ada: Response
After chuckling, Ne’Tatkret cleared her throat as they approached the harp tower. Stepping inside, Janai noticed how the walls subtly curved, pointing upward where the sun hit them and its light was reflected. It was a beautiful sight, and for a moment Janai understood how one might feel closer to the divine here.
Ne’Tatkret: Look closely at the wall. They did use wood for parts of it, but that has long decayed. What we have left are bricks made of volcanic rock, bits of coral, and the bones of nearby marine life. We had to rebuild the stairs when we came here, but the composite materials we use these days can all be traced back to the same practices used here. There is more stone in the temple’s construction since that was built later and over a longer period of time.
Is’Kah: It is beautiful.
The Vulcan hybrid pulled out a tricorder and started scanning the wall.
Zol: Beautiful indeed.
She ought to be scanning too, and she would, but she wanted some pictures first. They would preserve at least something of the light, of the beauty of such an ancient structure. For a moment, Janai was overcome with emotion. She stood where so many people had, beheld the same light as they did, going back thousands of years. She felt a shiver run through her, felt Zol spin inside her torso as she took her pictures.
Ada: Response
Raising an eyebrow, Lieutenant Is’Kah looked over the first scan results.
Is'Kah: Commander, the bricks appear to be analogous to Roman concrete. The calcium derived from coral and bone facilitates self-repair when combined with volcanic rock. The chemical composition is quite elegant.
Lieutenant Is'Kah returned to her scan as Janai reached out a hand to the wall, felt its roughness, its sturdiness.
Zol: It's amazing how different species sometimes develop such similar solutions to their problems, even with different materials. Back on Earth, the Romans built aqueducts and temples with their concrete, and they still stand today.
Ne’Tatkret/Ada: Response
Nodding to zhenself, Lieutenant Is’Kah turned to Commander Ada.
Is'Kah: Commander, the structure appears to be sound; there should be limited risk.
Zol: Should we keep ascending then?
Ne’Tatkret/Ada: Response
Is'Kah: Ne’Tatkret, would you like to learn exactly how long ago this place was built? We can perform advanced carbon dating for you without damaging the structure in any way.
Janai nodded. The Valkyrie was furnished with everything needed, and their tricorders could start the work themselves.
Zol: It shouldn't take too long - a few days at most.
Ne’Tatkret/Ada: Response
They continued on their way up: each turn of the stairs they passed, the tower became just a little bit thinner - never constraining, but thinner. Perhaps it was so that the wind could come through better.
Up and up they went, until they reached the top. There, in a large spherical room whose sides were more window than wall, was the mega-instrument.
It seemed a harp indeed, its strings arranged parallel to each other in the middle of the room, suspended between two bracing posts, one on the floor and the other on the ceiling. Each post was of the same material as the tower, though it was evident there had once been wood there as well. Now the strings were bound to the posts, tied through small holes. As Janai watched, a gust of wind came through, leaving goose bumps on her exposed face. It seemed to her the wind picked up speed as it entered the tower, a quirk of the large windows and the architecture, perhaps.
The wind struck the cords, and music filled the room. This close to the harp, Janai felt every note go through her body, felt Zol vibrating along. The sound was so clear, so bright, like a sea wave hitting a stone shore on a sunny day.
Zol: It's beautiful.
Ne'Tatkret/Ada/Is'Kah: Response
She put a hand on her belly, felt Zol there. She felt Zol's joy and curiosity - this they had in common. This was why she joined Starfleet.
Zol: Do you still build such instruments, Ne'Tatkret? They're unlike anything I've ever seen.
Ne'Tatkret/Ada/Is'Kah: ResponseV240304JZ2