Going Under
Posted on 23 Mar 2023 @ 5:44am by Brek - Timeless Treasures Art Gallery
Edited on on 01 Apr 2023 @ 8:59am
Mission:
M3 - Into the Deep
Location: Volchok, Trading Center, Frozen Lake - Ferengi Space
Timeline: Backstory: Winter 2379
1441 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure
On his day off, Brek woke up at 5am (waste not, want not), and he left the inn where, three months after his arrival on Volchok, he was still staying. It was cleverly called ‘The Generic Inn’, on account that most travellers were likely to spend at least one night there. However, had its name been ‘The Barn’, the description would have also been spot on. The place was cramped, filthy, and the food inedible, but the fees were minimal. No Ferengi could find a greater advantage than that, especially when, like Brek, they had been prevented from buying the house of their dreams.
On this glorious but hellishly cold day, Brek had decided to go to the largest lake in the vicinity: Abysmal Expanse, named so because in bygone times quite a few boats had found their way to the bottom of that lake. The idea was to locate one of those old ships (some of them were 400 years old, he had been told), take amazing pictures and find someone to help him explore one of those boats.
The lake was situated some 2 miles away from Volchok Trading Center, and full of energy as he was, the young Ferengi happily walked that distance. The rural view on offer was the opposite of rich: quiet with subdued colors (white and blue this morning). On the plus side, the Expanse possessed something rarely seen: there were, in places, large bubbles under the pristine ice. It gave the impression you were walking on top of a gigantic jellyfish cocktail. Reality, as often, was grimmer: microbes feeding on decomposing organic matter caused those bubbles. A pity though that, among Ferengis, beautiful images didn’t count for much.
When he reached the lake, he saw Per and Lena in the distance, digging what appeared to be a hole in the ice. It was funny that, because all around the lake there were old silly signs saying 'Public Property. Trespass at your peril.’ He had met the Hewmon couple (from Nordland, he believed) some time ago, and he nearly went to have a word with them. Were they fishing ? Could he help? Why had they travelled so far, and chosen to do business on Volchok? Yet, as much as he enjoyed a long conversation (and possibly free coffee), he kept to his plan. Like many outlanders, Per saw him as a pest, so he had better not intrude.
At 6am the Ferengi launched a drone equipped with a camera to locate those boats effortlessly. He then rewarded himself with a little snack: seaweed biscuits. Those didn’t taste as bad as they looked, despite the fact that their sell by date was last year. Ten minutes later the drone had found something. Thrilled by this quick find, Brek walked towards the drone, briskly. Too briskly as it turned out, for within moments cracks appeared on the ice. He stood still for an eternal minute then decided to take prudent steps back towards safety and the shore. The broken ice wouldn’t have it though. He took two steps, and he went under, into the icy cold water.
He screamed and panicked and swallowed icy water while swimming pretty much like a brick. At one point he was surrounded by tiny green fish with big eyes that seemed to question his life's choices. Unless they were impressed by his presence: a substantial bundle of food for fishes and bottom feeders.
It can't be my time! I'm too young. I haven't done anything of value yet. I deserve a second chance! A chance to fleece people and prove my worth. I'll be ruthless from now on and I'll make my fortune by the end of the year!
As his thoughts descended into hysteria, something grabbed him by the collar and up he went, out of the water and back onto the ice. He coughed and threw up water. When he could finally breathe normally and with minimal pain, he looked up and saw a giant dressed in warm clothes with white fur everywhere. He couldn't care less for the supernatural, but for a few seconds there, his saviour looked like a benevolent creature. What hewmons foolishly call an angel.
“Will you be alright? I had no idea you were so stupid! You are lucky we saw you ... well, disappearing.”
The rough voice, male, and speaking in the language of the outlanders, belonged to Per. The hewmon from the north. North of what had never been clear to Brek.
“Don’t be so harsh,” Per’s wife said. “Accidents happen. You were not so bright yourself at 18, Per... I could tell a few stories, if I wanted to.”
She wrapped Brek, who was shivering like a frail leaf, in an emergency foil blanket. She also gave him something to drink, in a metallic pouch. It wasn’t tea, or coffee, but it was warm and as comforting as the blanket. Looking around, Brek saw that they were almost in the middle of the lake, and that the couple had dug out a new hole to rescue him. Their snow vehicle, a white and yellow truck with huge black wheels, stood a short distance away.
Per sighed. “Can you walk, young man? The sooner we can bring you back to town, the better it will be. We have important work to do here and you are wasting our time. What were you doing on the lake, all by yourself?”
“Sightseeing,” Brek said feebly. He then tried to get to his feet, and to his relief, found that it wasn’t an insurmountable task. “Yes, I think I can walk.”
“You are weird.” Per told him. “But you still need dry clothes. Let’s get back to our site.”
“Well, I think sightseeing is an honest pursuit.” Lena said as she readjusted Brek’s blanket, making sure it wouldn’t fall off. “Far better than drinking or gambling.”
Brek nodded, but in the humiliated situation he was in right now, those two activities sounded more desirable. As the trio walked towards the vehicle, Brek remained by Lena’s side, and with a quiet voice, he explained to her his idea to locate old boats that had sunk into the lake. She might have information about them, and being a nice person, she would share them for free.
“In the Abysmal Expanse?” she asked, doubtful. “The planet was colonised some 200 years ago, you know. There is nothing tremendously old here. Except for the wildlife, of course.”
“Is this what you are studying?”
“We do, yes. We try to understand how planets located far away from the solar system developed."
"Does it pay well?"
She gave him a quick look and she smiled. "It does not. But it's not an issue. What I truly value is the research that I can perform here. This, and being with my husband, means everything to me."
Brek grinned at her. No wonder it was easy to exploit those outlanders. How could one live without a passion for latinum, though? What was there to do if you weren't at least trying to make a profit?
Lena chuckled. "I knew you would find my words entertaining. Your people think that I am a fool. Yet even when I'm cold and work is slow, I'm still happy. Ferengi on the other hand always seem to be unhappy even when they are warm and well fed."
"This is because there is always so much to do, " he told her, feeling like he was teaching her something important. "We can never stop."
She must have been in a funny mood because she put a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to make a pause, while ahead of them, Per was getting inside his snow truck.
"I hope that one day, you realise that there is more to life than latinum, Brek." Lena said, looking worried. "There is also what you really want. What makes your life exciting."
"Don't I know it," he answered. "I'm not making any profit on this lake, and that's by choice."
"Hmm... You being here, it troubles me," she added. "You followed hearsays, didn't you? Silly urban legends that are resurrected every now and again. You should be careful, Brek. People know how curious you are, and this may mean that someone wanted you away from town this morning."
Per started the truck's engine and it produced such an angry sound that Lena and Brek resumed their walk without adding a word. It's only when they were inside the amphibious vehicle that Brek remembered his drone, and the mysterious footage it had captured.
