7.
Seven Daggers
Rise, rise. ride the skies
With the sound of screams
Of eagle's cries
Turn, yearn, bleed and burn
Destroyed lie dreams
And all hope dies
Ah-ué makihara
Ah-ué ki tanhyata
Ah-ué Rapa Nui,
Ah-ué, Rapa Nui
—Septigram, Burning Islands
February 22, 2222
Though her continuing professional studio work had proven as lucrative in Tucson as it had in New York, Atiranhyi had found it not to be as satisfying as performance. This had led her, at first for her own amusement, to bring together a musical ensemble—a band called Septigram.
By ones and twos, she had found them: Ewa Jankovski, the cellist, had been one of her own students at Juilliard. Following soon after were the grim-faced drummer, a Canadian Inuit named Cody Tiriganiaq. Her travel to Australia, Africa and Great Britain had brought the others to her: her flautist Kharzon Sonda, a giant of a man from Khazakstan, a somewhat obnoxious French bassist named Étienne Jourdemaine, keyboardist Msiba Nkele, from the Maasai Mara, and Jilliandrea Unaipon, an indigenous Australian, last to join them, became their lead guitarist. All of them were vocalists, and their association with Atiranhyi meant their voices would improve exponentially as she trained them.
Their musical backgrounds were just as motley as their origins; Ewa had to teach Étienne how to read music; his pitch was excellent and he could improvise very well, but he had had no formal training whatsoever. There was a sort of gestalt amongst this group, however; it did not take long before they were performing live, and then traveling in support of their first vid-album, Seven Daggers.
Their reputation—both musically and otherwise—also did not take long to develop. Seven Daggers launched with immediate critical and public acclaim. Atiranhyi's reputation meant that any musical venture she touched turned to gold; and the talent of the other band members—raw, trained or otherwise—ensured that their success would continue.
This evening's concert was in support of their second album, Spheres and Energies. This was something of a homecoming for Atiranhyi; the performance was to be at Juilliard's Alice Tully Hall. The concert was already sold out, and then some; people crowded the campus, hoping to be able to catch a bit of the sound. This concert was also going to be broadcast via satellite relay to some of the more remote Terran bases; this was something of a gift to Derek and Nova, who were patrolling the outer solar system aboard the Argo and unable to attend. Alex and Sasha would, likewise, be unable to see her perform live; both were at the EDF Academy. Atiranhyi had calmed their protests and disappointment by promising a concert at the Academy itself. Even though they could not be directly there, Atiranhyi looked forward to performing to her adoptive family.
She was unaware that she would have other listeners as well.
When they were on stage, Septigram was a feast for the senses. Beyond the music, there was Atiranhyi's talent at dance; she seemed only loosely bound by the laws of gravity and physics. In a nod to her Polynesian heritage, she also did some firedancing, spinning flaming spheres on welded chains. The instrumental title track of the album showcased her dance beautifully; it brought the audience to a screaming, stamping standing ovation. At the end of it all, they had to return for no less than three encores, one of them a simple a cappella piece that had not yet even been recorded in the studio. And then, three hours after it had begun, Septigram was offstage and the spell was broken.
"Ugh, gods, don't even look at me, I stink!" Though Deema was waiting backstage to greet her, Atiranhyi had only one thing on her mind: a shower. Covered in sweat and soot from her firespheres, she could not countenance even the slightest delay in getting clean.
"Don't worry, I can sit here and listen to Étienne's dirty jokes!" Deema laughed. "You guys were great, once again."
"Of course we were fuckin' great, we're Septigram!" Jilliandrea popped up and began sashaying around. "King Shit, don't you know it!" Her thick Australian accent made it all the more amusing.
Shaking her head and grinning, Atiranhyi slipped off to take a very well-earned shower.
Far away, and several days later, the broadcast filtered its way into Gamilon space. A young officer named Lieutenant Valas had the presence of mind to record it from the
beginning; within a month, Terran time, Atiranhyi and Septigram would have fans they didn't know about—a development that would make the galaxy ring like a struck bell…
March 15, 2222
"No, it's ''Iorana'. There's a glottal stop and a trilled 'r' sound. Come on, you can say it!"
It was about a month after the tour; Derek and Nova had returned from patrol, and the kids were back for Spring Break. They were sitting around the kitchen table at the Wildstars' house, laughing at Alex's attempts to speak Rapa Nui. Atiranhyi was taking a few weeks' vacation herself before returning to the studio.
"You just want her to teach you to cuss, Alex!" Sasha snickered.
"Like you don't get a foul mouth yourself! And ''Iorana' isn't a cuss word, it's just 'hello'."
"There will be no swearing in this house, in English, Rapa Nui or any other language," Nova cut in. "Save it for the locker room, I don't want to hear it."
"Don't worry, Nova, I'll keep the Rapa Nui swear words to myself… along with the French, Russian and Maasai I've picked up from the band…" Atiranhyi leaned back in her chair, her azure eyes sparkling with laughter.
"You people spend as much time causing and getting into trouble as you do making music!" Nova laughed. "I read about that fight Étienne started in the Hard Rock Café in Dubai."
"Actually… he didn't swing the first blow. He was just the one who was loudest. At least Kharzon dragged him out! And, believe it or not… he's not the biggest rage-vector in the band. That'd be Ewa."
"Cute little Ewa?" Alex asked, wide-eyed.
"Omighod, I am so telling her you said that!" crowed Sasha. The siblings began playfully shouting and slapping at each other over the table.
"Okay, you two, if you're going to do that, do it somewhere I'm not stuck in the crossfire!" Derek said, dodging a wild blow. Alex and Sasha ran out of the kitchen, still slap-boxing playfully; their father sighed and relaxed. "I love having them home, but I forgot how chaotic it could be."
"Especially with Ati around," said Nova, shooting a playful glance at Atiranhyi.
"Hey, I've only sung one round of Pelican Poop so far!"
"Yes, but we had to listen to the Prehensile Butt chorus all the way from the shuttleport. Where do you come up with these things?" She shook her head, a quirky smile on her lips.
"Sometimes, I just get inspired," Atiranhyi answered innocently.
"Is that what you call it? I'd say it's more like you just lose your mind temporarily!"
"Watch it, or I'll write a song about you," Atiranhyi laughed.
"Do it! You should do it!" Derek's encouragement earned him a punch on the arm. "Ow!"
"Actually, Ati… there is something fairly serious that we need to talk to you about. It's something that might get you upset, but I didn't want you to find out through the media or something," Nova said quietly.
"Oh?" She sat up, her light mood fading a little.
"It's about the Gamilons. There have been many more sightings of their ships near our sector recently—"
"Fuckin' they'd better not start their shit again!" Ati snarled. "Because I swear to the gods I'll—"
"Calm down, Ati!" Derek put a hand on Atiranhyi's wrist, breaking her tirade. "We don't think there's any hostile intent behind it; if anything, they've been helpful. What Nova is trying to tell you is that they are going to be establishing a consulate here; our diplomatic relations have been strengthening. The reason you need to know now… it's going to be in Phoenix. The Gamilons tend to prefer higher temperatures, so they are placing it there."
"Wonderful." She sagged in her chair, her long braid swinging forward as she put her head down on her folded arms. "This, I do not need. I hope to hell none of them decide to come gallivanting down to Tucson. I just don't know how I'd react."
"The fact that you can say that is actually more encouraging than anything else, Ati," Nova said gently. She rested a sisterly hand on Atiranhyi's shoulder. "If you had said you'd be completely comfortable, or that you didn't care, then I'd worry. I'm sure you'll do fine if and when you meet a Gamilon."
"I hope you're right, Nova." She didn't mention the recurring dream of the world of the white sun.
After all, that was just a dream... wasn't it?