The Silversides, a covert scouting team of six, have traveled nearly 30 light-years from Earth, undergoing cryogenesis—a transformation designed to align their phenotypes with those of the planet’s native inhabitants, the Sechbih. Dykazza, a world locked in tidal orbit, forever exposes one hemisphere to its sun while the other remains in perpetual darkness. Embedded within the remote Sechbih encampment of Pyttra, the Silversides now find themselves inside the Ghraah, a bar unlike any they’ve known.
With a sudden roar from the crowd, the room’s energy surged, all attention snapping to the stage. There, Jayylah stood, looping the strap of his instrument over his shoulder. It was an intriguing creation—a long, thin, triangular wooden hollow frame, its form reminiscent of an oboe fused with the neck of a guitar. The craftsmanship was unmistakable, its body hewn from the branch of a Ghraah.
On his left, two musicians flanked a back-to-back percussion box, its dual surfaces gleaming faintly in the amber light. The boxes pulsed with potential energy, each musician’s hand deftly selecting modes while the other hovered above the pads, coaxing the instruments to life with practiced grace.
A low, resonant hum began to emanate from beneath the floorboards, as though the music had been pulled from oceans far below. It swelled upward, rising like a slow tide, flooding the room with liquid tones. The crowd stilled, mesmerized, their chatter dissolving into quiet awe.
“Welcome to The Ghraah!” Jayylah’s voice rang out, clear and commanding, his presence magnetic. He struck the first note—a deep, sustained bassline that throbbed like the heartbeat of the planet itself. The sound rippled through the air, heavy and grounding, drawing every ear toward him.
The two other musicians mirrored Jayylah’s movements, rolling their palms in fluid arcs above the percussion pads. The tones they conjured were hypnotic, their hands gliding as if conducting unseen currents. The music shimmered, soothing yet alive, an aquatic symphony that wrapped around the listeners like warm water. The duo’s hands reached high, their palms catching the light as they clasped together, the gesture both reverent and electric. As their connection solidified, the sound swelled again, cresting into tranquilizing waves that rippled outward, engulfing the space.
A cheer erupted when Jayyla began to sing–– a tempered pace, three notes at a time with a faint vibration on the third note, his voice filled with emotion and wrapping around the sound of his instrument like a helix, almost indistinguishable. The patrons rising from their bar seats stepped into the rhythm, their vessels raised high in salute. The music transformed the room, shifting its essence from a dim gathering space into a living, breathing entity, every note pulling the Silversides further into the enigmatic world of the Sechbih.
Quu tugged Cody’s arm up above their heads, her fingers intertwining with his in a fluid motion. She turned expectantly toward Kora, waiting for her to mirror the gesture.
––Follow suit, everyone, Nori streamed, her tone clipped, her gaze fixed on the scene.
The Silversides clasped hands reluctantly, their unity almost ceremonial as the music surged, enveloping the room in its hypnotic rhythm. The crowd responded like an ocean rising to meet a storm, a sea of bodies swaying and rippling as one.
Jayylah’s right arm hung by his side, his fingers shaking out the last of any tension that may have existed, his presence effortless, while his left danced across the flattened neck of his instrument. The sound swelled from all corners of the room, as if the air itself had become a fine web connecting everyone.
“We are The Kaytaaks!” Jayylah proclaimed, his voice a rallying cry. The crowd erupted in a chorus of cheers, the energy in the room climbing to a fever pitch.
“Are we here for The Darkening?” he called out, lifting his arms high, and the audience answered with a thunderous roar of approval.
“This piece is called Totality!” he shouted. The name sent a jolt through the room, the crowd breaking into a collective trill, a high, resonant call that reverberated through every fiber of the space.
The music shifted, pressing against the walls and ceiling, the tempo rising in waves that surged through the throng. Groups of three began to move toward the stage, pulled by some magnetic rhythm. Quu was no exception. She grinned as she tugged Cody and Kora forward, weaving through the sea of moving bodies.
David Nadas 