Word: Pelagic

 

pelagic

[ puh-laj-ik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the open seas or oceans.
2. living or growing at or near the surface of the ocean, far from land, as certain organisms.

 *************************

The weather was nice. For now, anyway. But the man wouldn’t put much stock in “for now.” Ocean weather was notoriously fickle. He had learned that was true of any ocean, no matter what planet it happened to be on. He had once thought that being an all-ocean planet would help keep things somewhat stable. That hope had gone out the window in the first three days. 

But it did give him some time to do things. His boat needed maintenance after the last storm, and now was the time to do it. Or at least enough to see him through the next storm. He got to work, mending what he could and doing his best to salvage what he could not. He needed to make everything last as long as possible and even broken parts could have some use. 

It was not like he could just go to the nearest dock and get repairs, after all. He had lost count of how long it had been since he saw anyone. Since he had seen anything other than sky and water. Forget about other humans, even the native animals seemed to avoid him.  

The last living thing he had seen was that monstrous creature that looked like the unholy hybrid of a squid and a shark had been enlarged to the size of a whale. Luckily it had been quite distant and not interested in him or his small boat. Of course, now he would rather take his chances with that beast than just wait for his supplies to run out.  

It took him several hours to get anything in working order. Or as much as he could without any new materials or equipment to use. It would hold, at least. A brief glance at his improvised fishing line at the back of the boat told him he would have to eat rations again. He sighed and hid under one of the few remaining overhangs. 

Why had he agreed to come on this voyage? See an alien world, they said. It’ll be an adventure, they said. Now he was stranded in an endless ocean with dwindling supplies, no way to contact anyone, and no chance of rescue. 

A cool ocean breeze blew through his little shelter. He groaned and stood. The wind meant weather was on its way. He needed to make whatever preparations he could. He grabbed his tools. He paused. 

Why was he still doing this? As far as he knew, nobody even knew he was still alive. And even if someone did, the odds of rescue were essentially zero. This ocean, this planet, was going to kill him. If the storms didn’t get him, the local wildlife would. And if even those failed, well, he only had so much food and water left. Why should he prolong his suffering? Why not just let it happen? Go to sleep. Take one last nap before the upcoming storm caused his boat to break or him to fall overboard. That way, at least it would all be over. 

He sighed. No. No, he could not let himself just give up. Some bit of human stubbornness refused to let the planet win without a fight. He would lose eventually, sure. But he would at least go down swinging. He left his small shelter and got to work, preparing for whatever the vast, endless ocean could throw at him. 

*******************************

Ever played Subnautica? It's a good game, but not for the faint of heart. I've played and beaten it, but not its sequal. At least not yet. Maybe someday I'll revisit that one.