Father's Watch comes home

Posted on Fri May 8th, 2026 @ 5:28am by Ensign Mirakylin Yumerieva & Lieutenant (J.G.) Dylan Blake

2,870 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Short Treks
Location: DS9: Promenade
Timeline: 2439-08-19, 1830 Hours

Before the Station Gift Shop Window stood a lone Alekian. She was seeing the inventory, yet not seeing it. Mirakylin Yumerieva, an Ensign Engineer on board the Starship Enterprise, was lost in thought over the last mission. Her right hand brushed over her right side unconsciously, feeling for the fur that was not there, but slowly coming back. Doc Rio had done a wonderful job of repairing her side, besides removing the shotgun pellet embedded into her right pelvic plate when her father had shot his kids to teach them how to be quiet through pain. She gladly kept it, a reminder of her life with her family.

Still, though, she was unsure. Opra had set into motion her getting back her father's watch. However, with Opra having died on the same day as the mission, Mira was so unsure if anything would get back to her about her Father's watch. She hoped it had the family's last name engraved on the back, but yet, now with Opra gone, the hope of getting the watch was far away. She stared, seeing, yet, not seeing.

Another face appeared in the reflection of the store window. A narrow, yet weary face with a chiselled jaw line and bright blue eyes that appeared to glitter in the half light hinting of years past.

"You stand out Yumerieva," he said lowly while keeping his gaze at the store display. "At least you picked a public place especially after that show back there."

Mira's eyes squinted a little as she heard words from the new face that had joined her at the window. This person knew her, but she didn't know him. Yet, as she had been thinking about her father's watch, maybe the wheels were still in motion for it despite Opra being no longer in the land of the living? She smiled hesitantly, then answered, "Yeah, being the only Alekian here makes it doubly so." She took a breath, then continued, "How may I be of service, Mister?"

"I guess that depends," the male replied cocking his head to one side as if trying to read her. The gesture stretched his skin slightly that enhanced the Trill spotted pigment that had been half hidden beneath his upturned collar.

"Rumour has it you're in the market to buy."

Mira's face scrunched slightly, then brightened. She nodded, "If it is about a particular watch, I am. What are you asking for it?"

"Properly more than an Ensign could afford," the trader replied. "It's a curious item, rare, one of a kind I'd say, and wasn't easy to come by, all of which normally drives up the price." He turned from the store front to look at the Officer directly. "Lucky for you I'm looking for a quick sell, and I'm a damned sucker for helping damsels and will offer at a discount. Six bars and ten strips."

Mira's eyes widened at the asking price. She knew the price would be high, yet, in comparing to her uniform which would cost one strip... doable, as she knew she had close or maybe a little more than that amount. She closed her eyes, sighed, then replied, "You're right, more than an ensign can afford. However, I have been saving up since a child, as well as forgoing anything that would be considered frivolous. Can we meet a Quarks later after I grab my stash in my quarters? Say, in thirty minutes?"

The Trill trader bit back a chortle: "Not much of a damsel after all," he smirked. "Thirty minutes, Quarks."

Mira nodded, "Yeah, can't afford to be a damsel. Meet you in Thirty."

==== 27 minutes later ====

Mira approached Quarks and looked a the multi-level bar. She snorted to herself as she realized she should have said a level or something, but, at the time, that thought had not crossed her mind. In her inside inseam pocket, the six bars and eleven strips felt heavy and conspicuous, even though her jacket fit made sure they weren't. So, how to approach this... well, if she went to the Bar to order a drink, the guy could easily find her and then they could go upwards to find an empty table to do their transaction at. She had his smell and looks imprinted upon herself to help keep herself on the 'casual' looking around for him.

She went inside and went up to the bar, politely waiting her turn to make an order.

The ruckus atmosphere of Quarks throughout the decades had diminished very little. It's blend of drinking gambling, dancing along with pleasures of the flesh continued offer much distraction for those looking to trade under the table. It's multi level layout created pockets of blinding light for those craving the attention of the room to bask in like a lizard in the midday sun, and in contrast cast deep dark nooks for the observer to spy upon their prey undetected even from station security personnel.

Mira's mysterious trader however, wasn't atypical of those genres.

Ryder was a man of grey, always walking the line between risk and reward, a man who could hide in plain sight. Drink in hand at the crowded Dabo table appearing to join in with the chorus of luckless fools the Trill had been scanning the room for the Ensign knowing she was driven or foolish enough to show. Similar to the promenade she stood out from the crowd and not just because of her uniform or species but because of her desperate aura. A less worthy trader would have exploited that yearning she carried around her neck like an invisible chain, but Ryder was too long in the tooth for such matters. Being the eighth host of his symbiote he was wise enough to understand the importance of family connections no matter how abstract they appeared to the outsider.

As she got up to the bar, she felt the presence of eyes upon her, as well as the general direction. She ordered her bourbon straight, then left the bar to meander near the Dabo table, glanced at those making the ruckus, then headed upwards to the next level where there was an empty table along the walk near the end to the right of the stairs. She went along the curved path, then sat down to sip her drink and 'enjoy' the view while waiting for the Trader Merchant to join her.

"You certainly don't fit the mould of an Ensign," a familiar voice sounded from behind her before being joined by two glasses, including another bourbon and the Trill merchant occupying the opposite seat at the table. "You're made of sterner stuff than I gave you credit for, therefore this," he slid the shot glass towards her. "Is on me."

Mira's ears tracked him as she came around her. She brightened at the 'don't fit the mold' as she hoped not, then her face, whiskers, and ears looked inquisitive at the shot. She thought a moment, then smiled with her ears, whiskers, and muzzle showing great respect, "Thank you, sir. I accept with respect." She moved her bourbon aside, then took a sip of the offered bourbon, showing trust and understanding about the transaction. Both of them were here for business with understanding, and she could definitely stand behind that.

She now brought out a bag from her side, then counted out, albeit still on her side of the table, six bars and ten strips. Then, she added one more strip 90 degrees to the ten strips. She looked at him, "Tip for authentic, with respect. If not it, that strip is yours for trying, with respect." She now waited for him to produce the watch before him so she could study it to verify it was her fathers.

The Trill Merchant Ryder held her gaze for a heartbeat before reaching inside the jacket pocket and produced a small, navy blue box approximately the same size as his palm. The boxes edges were scuffled and the lid stained with droplets, suspiciously cobalt blue in nature. Gripping the box the merchant lifted the lid which hinged upwards before placing it upon the table and slid it towards Mira for inspection.

Mira's eyes followed what Ryder was doing, her body quivering in hope even while she steeled herself for failure. When the lid opened, there, at the far end of the box were two circular edges, which stilled Mira's quivering. Then as it slid towards her, the middle circle witch would hold the main watch face could be seen, and then as it came to rest before her, the circular bottom. This watch had the three circle overlay pattern with the main circle in the middle, exactly as her dad had made it. Still, though, it could be just a replica.

She smiled up at Ryder and said, "So far, so good... now the real test..." She reverently removed it from the box with her right hand, then pressed a small holding clasp at the round right edge of the watch. The cover sprang open leftwards where the spring hinge point was on the left circle. Mira looked closely at the middle circle with its Radium painted markings for time as well as just along the second, minute, and hour hands, then upper left with the circular gears, upper right with the spring mechanism. Looking back at the gearing, there, just behind it, her father's embossed pulsar symbol.

A very visible relaxation was seen in Mira's posture as she held the watch now with both hands. She looked up at Ryder and said with a quiet voice, yet laced with emotion, "It is the particular watch I was looking for." Her tail came up and around to push the Latinum bars and strips across the table to Ryder. "This is yours, thank you."

The corner of his lips twitched with mirth watching her tail finalize the transaction and wondered if it had any additional meaning. None the less, a transaction was a transaction, one that was always welcomed when it turned a profit. "Thanks," the merchant nodded and quickly stashed the funds out of sight. "A curious item, was tricky to locate, one I can tell is sentimental " He stood abruptly now business had concluded. "I hope it brings you peace, or whatever it was you were looking for."

Mira looked up at him, a questioning look on her face. "Sir, would you mind? I.. do have a couple of other items I would be interested in directly connected with my family." She brought her tail up to gently take the watch and then guide it to the pouch on her left hand side. She saw him do a quick look, then she let out a breath of humor. "Sorry... My tail is my third hand. When My other two hands are busy I use it. My tail definitely comes in handy for replacing equipment as its strength is actually greater than my regular hands." Explanation done, she nodded towards the seat, "So, can I pay you a retainer fee to just keep an eye out for them? I wouldn't want to bother you in your normal routines... just in case you would see them."

Ryder hesitated at her request having been a hair breath of walking away and onto the next venture. The Ensign was, like the watch a strange, captivating thing. It tugged at his old soul in an uncomfortable way - the way that normally ended with a loaded phaser pointed in his face and his ship being held to ransom for pissing someone off.

"Useful," he nodded to her tactful tail buying himself a moment longer before finally giving in and retook his seat at the table. "What is it you're looking for?" he asked rather directly. "Jewellery isn't normally something I would seek out but I owed Opra a favour."

Mira smiled gently as he immediately came out with 'Jewellery' showing he definitely had talked with Opra. She brought out a drawing of the necklace, two 6 inch single strands with the clasp in the middle, the other ends attached to the tie points for the three strands across the front and the easier style pulsar in the middle with the three strands behind it top, middle, and bottom. As she handed it over, she stated, "My mom had a Necklace made for her by Dad.. a three stranded affair, with a solar burst pendant connected to them. Top strand to the top of the large 'PLUS' of the burst, the middle strand going through the middle where the three segments overlapped, the Medium X and the smaller square with a corner up, and then the third strand connected to the bottom of the large 'PLUS'. My family's names are etched along the back of the necklace."

She thought a second, then brought out the watch, opened the middle section, then showed the unusual embossed pulsar symbol that belonged specifically to her dad. "This symbol, it belonged exclusively to my Dad. Every outcast heretic family had a specific symbol for their family. In this way, if items were dropped, when discovered by another outcast family, the items could get back home. Thus, for anything dealing with my family, this is the symbol to look for." She waited for him to say he had it memorized or to take a pic with a scanner or padd.

"Huh," the trader nodded studying her drawing. From the depths of his jacket he pulled a small device and waved it over the image making a holographic copy for himself. "May I?" he asked holding the device toward the watch to take a more detailed scan of the embossed symbol.

"Yes, please," Mira responded. The actual symbol had intricate marks to make it her family's.

The Trill ran his scanner over the watch and family crest creating further holo images before stowing the device away and handing Mira back her heirloom. "Any more background or context you can give me?" he asked scooping up his glass. "It's a big universe to trawl through," he winked over the rim.

Mira thought a moment as she played with the watch in her hands, its familiarity within her hands very evident as she didn't even need to look in her 'play'. "My father made his living fixing anything as well as creating special watches and jewellery. I remember him tearing down a Moon Hopper to pieces, then reassembling it even better than before. My Mother was a consummate homemaker. She made all of our clothes, us children. Umm, I don't really have more as they were killed when I was six while I barely escaped in a passing ship onboard cargo container... my mother pushed me into it. She didn't have time to push any of my siblings in to follow me... machine guns are rather effective with their spray."

Ryder paused mid drink and swallowed awkwardly unable to hide his wince. "That's...rough," he utterly lowly. "I'm sure they'll be proud if they could see you now though."

Mira saw, yet did not see the wince. She felt that way whenever she thought about what happened. However, she did hear the words, and the way they were said actually felt like agreement rather than pity or counseling. She was liking this trader. "I... would hope so. At least my father was spared seeing what happened to mom and the rest of the children... The zealots beheaded him just before I escaped. I hope he thinks we all escaped to keep him happy." She finished her drink and then handed over a standard data chip. "This has my personal communication frequencies, the Enterprise comms drops frequencies as well as my berth and encryption keys. This way you can send me a message anytime and I will be able to respond. The decryption keys will be created when you install this onto your preferred comm station or device. It will ask for a password. After that, it will only install onto another device with original files and the password you selected." She inhaled a quiet sob. "Some of my Father's work... we had to hide from Zealots, after all." She looked up at him, "Anything else before we part?"

Taking the chip Ryder hesitated, a string of questions forming on the tip of his tongue. He dismissed them quickly - the less he knew the better for this was just another job like all the others.

"Nope," he answered storing the device away. "I think I have what I need."

Mira stood up, did a very gentle curtsy to the trader, then finished with, "Thank you very much for what you have done, and I hope with what you can find. Just put into the missive header 'Watch' and I will know it is from you. Take care, sir, and thank you again." Mira turned around and headed towards the stairs. If he found something else for her, then she would get his name. If he didn't, well, as she didn't know, she couldn't say anything about him if someone came looking. As it was, she had her father's watch, and would now be able to find her family name.

End

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