Historic Apologies

Posted on Wed Jul 16th, 2025 @ 3:52pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,822 words; about a 9 minute read

*** Some Years Ago ***

The party had finally ended, and the villa was silent. The hum of celebration, the clinking of glasses, and the warmth of family laughter had faded into the hush of the countryside. Adrianna’s family had gone to bed, their joy giving way to the heavy stillness of sleep. All but Giovanni, who stood on the balcony, his broad frame silhouetted against the silver glow of the moon. He held a ring box in his hand, turning it idly as his dark eyes scanned the vineyard stretching endlessly below.

Adrianna found him there, her footsteps were soft as she stepped out into the cool night air. She wrapped her cardigan tightly around herself, her hesitation masked by the steady expression she wore. He didn’t look at her, but he could sense she was there and smiled to himself.

“You don’t sleep much these days,” she said, breaking the silence, “Missing the feeling of a StarFleet bed?”

Giovanni turned his head slightly, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “gawd no. You don't seem to sleep much either, sorellina. Too much on your mind?”

She stepped closer, joining him at the railing. The vineyards stretched out beneath them like dark waves, the moonlight brushing the land with a gentle glow. Adrianna hesitated, her hands gripping the cold metal as she searched for the words. “I wanted to talk to you,” she said finally, “about what I told everyone earlier.”

Giovanni nodded slowly, the faintest crease forming between his brows, “I had a feeling you weren’t telling the whole truth. Exploration, tactical– sure, you can punch above your weight, but that’s not you. You always wanted to be a superhero, not a hitter.”

Adrianna sighed, her breath visible in the chill, “You’re right. I wasn’t honest with the others.” She paused, gathering her resolve, “I’ve been assigned to Starfleet Intelligence. They’re sending me undercover on Freecloud. I leave tomorrow.”

Giovanni straightened, the unlit cigar forgotten in his hand. “Freecloud?” His voice was low, but the concern in it was clear. “You’re barely out of being a cadet, Adrianna. You’re too young for something like this.”

“I passed their assessments,” she countered, her tone steady. “They wouldn’t have chosen me if I wasn’t ready or if I wasn't a good fit for the mission.”

He turned to face her fully now, his dark eyes boring into hers. “Ready? A good fit!?” he repeated, almost mocking her attitude, “You’ve barely seen the real galaxy outside of simulations and carefully controlled cadet exercises. You think you’re ready to infiltrate one of the most dangerous hubs in the quadrant? A place where people will kill you for looking at them the wrong way?”

“I know what I’m walking into,” she said firmly, though her heart twisted at his words. “I’ve trained for this; I’ve studied for this; I've been reading into the brief for this. I’m not just some naive cadet anymore, Giovanni. I can do this.”

He exhaled sharply, shaking his head, “You’ve always been stubborn,” he muttered, “but this is... it’s madness! Freecloud is a viper’s nest, Adrianna. You’ll be alone, cut off from everyone who cares about you. If something goes wrong, we can't just contact you– you can't just come home.”

“That’s why I’m telling you,” she said quietly, her voice softening, “because I needed someone to know. Someone I trust.”

For a long moment, he stared at her, the conflict plain on his face. Finally, he reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. His grip was firm, steadying her as much as himself. “You’re young,” he finally broke the silence, his voice thick with emotion, “and you’re inexperienced, no matter how ready you think you are, but you’re also a Baciami and if anyone can do this, it’s you.”

Adrianna’s breath caught in her throat, her resolve cracking just slightly under the weight of his words.

“I’m proud of you, sorellina,” he continued, his tone softening, “even if this terrifies. Just promise me– promise me– you’ll remember who you are. You’re not just Starfleet– you’re family and no matter how far away you go, we’re with you.”

Tears pricked at her eyes, but she blinked them away. “I promise,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He pulled her into a fierce embrace, the strength of his arms grounding her. When they finally parted, she felt both lighter and heavier, the gravity of her mission pressing down on her but buoyed by the love of her brother.

“Keep them safe and make sure they don't do too many stupid things whilst I'm gone,” she said, glancing back at the sleeping villa.

“Always,” Giovanni replied, “the second you get an opportunity– make sure you call home.”

Adrianna nodded, stepping back into the shadows. Tomorrow, her journey would begin, and the life she had known would fade into the background but tonight, she had the solace of Giovanni’s unwavering pride– and his warning to remind her of the risks she faced.

*** Present Day ***

Adrianna stepped close to Giovanni. She'd seen his light on in his room the day before the wedding. She'd been unable to sleep, nervous about her wedding day. “This feels familiar,” she smiled.

He looked over to her, “I agree. Not here to tell me some other secret that will age me before my time?”

Adrianna smiled and shook her head, somewhat amused, “no, not this time. I'm unable to sleep because of tomorrow.”

Giovanni put an arm around his sister and kissed the top of her head before darkly teasing, “not getting cold feet are you? Just so you know– we're keeping Vance. It'll be you that leaves the family.”

Adrianna elbowed him and chuckled, “Madonna, Gio. Absolutely understandable, but no.”

He chuckled and let her go, “I wanted to apologise to you– I never apologised to go properly.”

Adrianna looked up at him confused, “what did you do?”

“Whilst you were undercover, you weren't around for years. When you resurfaced after 2 or three years, you could only ever call us on encrypted lines and even then, I know you only really spoke to mamma. She never knew about the Intel side, I kept the story up that you were in tactical exploring new galaxies. She assumed that Vance was another StarFleet officer,” he ran his hands through his hair, clearly a guilt coming to the surface, “I told her that I knew him and that I wouldn't approve of him– ever.”

Adrianna shrugged, “so?”

“Ade, I could see you failing in your mission because you were blinded by love. I thought you'd forgotten who you were and you were going to die loving a man who was a criminal and nothing more,” Giovanni replied, “I alerted Fleet.”

She nodded slowly, processing what he had said, silently looking out to the vineyard.

“As much as I wanted you home, I did everything in my power to ensure that the advertising campaign for the grappa didn't go through, but I couldn't tell the family why,” he sighed, “I had knowledge of the campaign months before, and didn't warn you or Fleet, because I thought that I could stop it from happening.”

Adrianna sighed, understanding what that meant. If she had known, perhaps she wouldn't have lost Vance to begin with, “Gio–”

“I'm not done,” he gripped the railing of the balcony as he considered how to explain, “you have no idea how happy I felt knowing that not only were you coming home, unable to work in your role anymore, but that Vance would no longer be an issue as he'd been killed in the process. I purposely came home just so that I could scream at you about breaking your promise to me about not losing yourself whilst undercover. It was only when you told me about the pending investigation, wanting to appear to clear your name, and how you had that stupid plan– Ade, it was only then that I realised the truth. I should have trusted you– and for that, I'm sorry.”

“Gio,” Adrianna sighed, putting her hand on his arm, “you were being a good big brother. You were looking out for me. You had a right to be concerned and I know how it looked. In all honesty, whilst yes, losing Vance almost killed me until I found him again, it all worked out, more than you know. If my cover hadn't been blown, I would have faced some serious retaliation from Fleet. I would have lost my family completely because of not being able to return without being hunted down.”

She paused, “Equally, and probably far too much information for you, but Vance and I had a string of bad luck– like the universe was trying to keep us apart for a reason. We kissed once– we were together for a long time, and yet we only kissed once, and it was the day that I lost him. Every time we were to kiss, someone or something interrupted. Whenever we talked about the future, something used to break around us. When he finally proposed, the day I lost him, it almost felt like something was supposed to go wrong.”

“Since meeting in this life– nothing has stopped us. Well, aside from a certain video call interrupting a moment,” she chuckled softly before continuing, “it's like fate wanted us to both be in a good position to make a life together. I'm not angry at you. You did what you felt was right from the knowledge you had.”

Giovanni put his arms around her and held her close, “you are the bravest and most resilient of all of all of us, Ade. The most stubborn and dumbest person too– but brave and resilient.”

She hugged him back, knowing that he probably needed it more than her. “You're marrying a really great guy, you know,” Giovanni murmured, before letting her go, “I'm glad you found your soulmate. Now go get some sleep. Don't want you looking like a zombie tomorrow for Vance.”

“You deserve happiness too, Gio,” she smiled, “I invited your soulmate to the wedding. You know they'll love them. You just need to be honest with mamma and papa.”

Gio looked at her, as if trying to work out if she was winding him up, but only saw the truth. He sighed and nodded, “thanks, Adie.”

“Welcome,” Ade smiled, “I'll see you in the morning. Please ensure Vance is alright tomorrow– and sober, at least for the ceremony.”

Giovanni snorted and shooed his sister.

Adrianna elbowed him playfully before handing him an envelope, "can you give him this too? Make sure he opens it first thing, ok?"

Giovanni nodded, placing the envelope in his pocket.

 

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