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It was one of the many things he hated about being trapped in this hellhole known as Delta Vega.
Constant below freezing weather meant no nice weather which meant no chance at fun for him. Ever.
Scotty had hoped, obviously in vain, that there might be some crazy hot spring lurking on the planet. Somewhere he could relax and unwind. He had been praying for just a small section of the planet to be above freezing, maybe even warm enough for a river with some nice fish, not the crazy monsters that lived under the ice, where he could work on his cast.
But no, that would be too easy and would make him too happy. He knew it had always been Starfleet's mission to make him miserable and damn if they hadn't succeeded! But he wasn't going to let them win, oh no, he wasn't.
Scotty was a smart man, a genius if you asked him (though nobody did) and if he wanted a river to fish in he was going to have one.
His project lasted for weeks, and honestly it's not like he didn't have the free time to conceive and build his latest endeavor. His lab was littered with blueprint sketches, mathematical equations were scribbled on his table, tools and several improved upon prototypes were scattered haphazardly throughout several rooms. The final outcome was worth the sleepless nights.
The long trench he had built, dug really though no one needed to know that, in one of the outposts hallways had been lined with tubing that had been cut in half and stretched throughout, fitting snuggly and securely. It was filled with ice which he had melted down to simply extremely cold water.
It wasn't a real river, but it would do.
As he cast his makeshift fishing pole, he grinned and shouted into the emptiness of the outpost, "Ha ha, your move Starfleet!"