Mementos of the Past - Part II

Posted on Fri Oct 18th, 2024 @ 10:33pm by Lieutenant JG Zai & Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

847 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Engineering & Lt. Zai Quarters | USS Arcadia
Timeline: Current

Previously on Mementos of the Past...


"Let him sweat a little longer, he'll be fine." She offered a small smile. There it was. An opening. Adrianna had to phrase it carefully, to ensure that everything remained clean, "I'm sure that we may have crossed paths at some point. I worked around that area for a while. I'm sure it wasn't just a general that you took. Whether or not they lived-- different question."


And Now The Conclusion..,


"Too many stories." Tolek shrugged. "Well I should get back. Lee Fang likes things done on time and when he's away Zai ensures all is done the way Fang likes it." He shook his head. "Best kept secret of the Engineer Warriors. Zai's feelings for Lee Fang and Lee Fang's total oblivion to them." He sighed. "I am starting to think that we all stayed around just to see how that little drama will play out. For all our coldness my people are hopeless romantics deep down." He looked at her. "As for crossing paths we just may have. You and Zai have a friend in common and that's all I’m going to say. The rest you can ask Zai."

"He isn't completely oblivious," Adrianna chuckled and shook her head, "as for the mutual friend-- I trust that friend is not a late friend." There was a slight hitch to the tone of her question. She tried to hide it by clearing her throat, but she needed to know that Zai wasn't sending her on a wild goose chase.

Tolek. "Not as far as I know. But we haven't seen him for a while...Zai will find him though. He's determined." He shrugged. "I should get back to work."

Adrianna nodded, letting it sink in. Zai was telling the truth. He wasn't playing with her out of spite. "Thanks, Tolek," she replied and headed out.

It didn't take her long before she returned to Zai's quarters. She let herself in and smiled, holding the necklace up, the chain unraveling, hanging from her finger, idly swinging. She remained silent for a moment before saying, "you dropped it in engineering. One of your engineers had returned it to your desk."

Zai grabbed the necklace clear relief on his face. He sagged to the floor clutching the necklace for dear life. It wasn't a small thing it fit in the palm of his hand, roughly carved but it was his left. He touched the necklace to his forehead and then held it to his heart. He tried to speak but nothing came out. Then, in a rough voice, he said. "Thank you...I will never forget this." He was visibly shaking with the relief of having it back.

Adrianna nodded, "don't mention it. Oh, you may want to thank the engineers for thinking to put it back on your desk. I didn't get the guys name though-- so perhaps just a general thank you." There was method in her madness. A subtle and silent nod to the agreement with the engineer that she had threatened to show that she had kept up her end of the deal. She wouldn't tell Zai the truth about how it all happened, nor would she tell him that she referenced herself as his pet psychopath.

He gave a nod. Still clutching the necklace. He stood and on shaky legs walked over to the box on the table. He placed the necklace there and closed it. "I'm never taking this out again." He headed to his room and then was back. He straightened. "I owe you much for this. If I had lost this...I might as well be dead."

"We all have our momom--momen--," she paused, regaining her composer, unable to formulate the word, so changing track, "we all have our prized possessions." She reached into her shirt, pulling her own necklace. On it, was the ring that Vance had given her, "sometimes, the safest place for things like that is on your person. Always."

"Ah, you still have it. He was so nervous when he got you that." Zai smiled. "He literally stared at it for hours before he bought it and after." Zai sighed. "Vance was a nut but he loved you."

She smiled, looking down to the ring, "I never took it off. Only moved It to a necklace. Couldn't part with it. I wiped him from the face of the universes, but I kept a few things for my eyes and knowledge only. If what you're saying is true about him-- that he lost his memories-- I have all of his journals."

"I'm guessing most of them are about you." He laughed. "Well I should go to work now that this is over. When Fang gets back he expects engineering to be functioning at 100%."

"Most are about his life in general," she replied, walking out with him, "I'm only a few pages in comparison. Anyway-- don't forget to thank your engineers."

He gave a nod as they headed out of his quarters and parted ways.

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