Tally 8 (Now 7) - The Things You'll Do For Love

Posted on Mon Nov 25th, 2024 @ 11:22pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,297 words; about a 6 minute read

Adrianna Baciami had nothing left to lose. When news of Vance Adams’ death reached her, it shattered her already fragile world, confirming what she thought had happened– just not quite in the same way. She’d barely recovered from having her cover as a smuggler blown days earlier, a mistake that left her reputation in tatters and her life at risk. Grief and guilt consumed her, and she channelled that pain into a desperate, audacious plan– a funeral for Vance, designed not to mourn him, but to lure a Gorm warlord, Xra’kot, out of hiding.

Adrianna knew it would be a suicide mission. She’d seen the odds, heard the whispers from her colleagues about her recklessness but none of that mattered.

“Are you kidding me, Adrianna!?” Giovanni screamed at his sister, who seemed emotionless as she sat in her apartment in Rome.

“Starfleet are angry– I covered up as much as I could, but my handler opened his mouth. Whilst it is hearsay, I could lose my career,” she calmly replied.

“It's a cazzo di suicide mission!”

“It's proof that I did not lose who I was whilst I was undercover. It is one last man behind bars– a huge target that Starfleet have wanted for a long time. It is my golden ticket to being able to return without a blemished record,” she countered as she packed her duffle bag before slamming her hands down on it and turning to Gio, finally losing her temper, “without Starfleet, I have nothing. I need to be able to throw myself into work. I need to be too busy because if I stop, all of this becomes real. I screwed up my operation. I got too close. I did what I am being accused of and this is my best bet to cover up all loose ends. I need this. You do not understand!”

“Oh, I understand, Sorellina,” he hissed, “I understand that you would put yourself above everyone else just so that you can keep being little miss perfect! Grieve properly! Face the consequences of your actions! Return to Starfleet properly. I can talk to my captain about you being stationed on the USS Janus with me. Just don't do this! I do not want to bury my sister because she wanted to be a hero one last time in the name of some Starfleet drop out turned crim–”

Adrianna halted his words with a hefty slap, forcing Giovanni’s head to whip to the side and for him to stumble backwards.

“Vance Adams was more– so much more than a dropout or criminal,” she screamed at him, tears flooding her eyes, “he was a man of honour. He was brave. He was caring. He was far from selfish. He was creative. He was protective of his crew. He was a tactical mastermind that was always ten steps ahead. He was hardworking. He was a genius. He was everything and more. He grounded me. He protected me. He loved me. He was my future. And now? Now he is gone and I would do anything– anything– to switch places with him because he deserved better than the hand he had been dealt. He was a man that deserved to be loved and wanted. He deserved every gawddamn universe. Even when he found out that I was Starfleet, he did everything in his power to protect me which ultimately got him killed. His blood is on my hands; my soulmate’s blood is on my hands. And if I stop, even for a second, his death becomes real. I need to be in a position where I do not have a minute to think about this.”

Giovanni looked back at his sister. He'd never seen her so passionate or distraught. The man realised that he had this situation wrong. She wasn't just grieving her mission– she was grieving for her soulmate.

He silently walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. She fought back, but soon broke in floods of tears, finally allowing herself to cry. He kissed the top of her head, firmly holding her in his arms, struggling to not cry seeing his sister in a pain he'd never thought he'd see. She was the strongest of them all and yet here she was– completely broken.

“Alright,” he murmured into her hair as she started to calm down, “if you're going to do this– I'll get myself assigned to the same mission.”

***

Staging the funeral was a monumental task, not least because her blown cover had made her a pariah. Few people wanted to associate with her, and even fewer were willing to attend what was obviously a trap. His old crew proved to be mostly loyal, though, and they helped once they realised that Adrianna had not lied about loving Vance. Adrianna had to call in every favour she was owed, leaning on the loyalty of a handful of smugglers who still respected Vance and a small team of Starfleet operatives who believed in her mission, even if they disagreed with her methods.

The funeral was held on a barren moon, its desolate surface mirroring the emptiness inside Adrianna. She stood at the heart of the gathering, clad in black, her face pale but resolute. The eulogy she delivered was raw and heartfelt, her Italian accent thick with emotion. In truth, it was real to her.

"Vance Adams was many things– a rogue, a troublemaker, a man who never did what he was told, but he was also the bravest and most protective man I’ve ever known," she said, her voice trembling. "He taught me what it means to fight for something, even when it seems hopeless. And now, I fight for him."

As the final words left her lips, Adrianna felt the shift in the air. Xra’kot had arrived. The warlord and his entourage appeared at the edge of the crowd, their arrival bringing a tense silence.

"Touching," Xra’kot sneered as he approached, his hulking form casting a long shadow, "but I’ve no time for sentimental lies, Starfleet scum."

The attack was swift and brutal. Xra’kot’s forces opened fire, scattering the mourners and exposing Starfleet’s trap. Adrianna fought valiantly, phaser in hand, but the warlord’s soldiers overwhelmed her. Her phaser was knocked away, and she was dragged before Xra’kot, her wrists bound.

"Did you think I wouldn’t see through this pathetic ruse?" Xra’kot growled, his reptilian eyes glinting with malice, "You’ve already lost, girl. Your lover is dead, and now you’ll join him."

Adrianna, bloodied but unbroken, glared up at him. "Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all," she spat.

Xra’kot laughed cruelly. “Ah, so it is true– you did break your protocol. You fell in love,” he smirked, “that changes things. Since Vance is dead– you, his love, his most prized possession– you can take his place.” He nodded to his men, who quickly pinned her down, “your heart is mine.” The warlord pulled a dagger from his waistband and plunged it into her chest.

Suddenly six shots rang out.

The warlord and his men all dropped to the floor. Giovanni came running over, swinging his phaser rifle around. “Ade!” He screamed as tactical swarmed in, making the place secure.

“Adrianna!”

“Gio,” the woman coughed, gasping for air as her lungs flooded with blood, “did I do it?”

“Si, Sorellina, you did,” he smiled trying to keep it together as a medical team came running in, “I need you to stay awake, ok? We need to tell mamma the story of how you got a warlord killed.”

“I want to be with Vance, fratello.”

“Not yet, Sorellina. Not yet!”

“But–”

 

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