Spark of Hope

Posted on Sun Oct 20th, 2024 @ 2:59pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami & Lieutenant Fang Lee

1,131 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Chief Coms office | USS Arcadia
Timeline: Current

ON:

"Thank you," Adrianna smiled and ended the call. That was a lead and she couldn't let it go. "Zai, got a minute? I need a second set of eyes," Adrianna tapped her badge, "my office, fifteen minutes?" The woman didn't want to get her hopes up, but she needed to talk to someone who knew everything.

"Oh my way." Came his hurried voice. He shook himself out of the memory of the Academy days and left Engineering quickly. It wasn't long before he arrived flustered and out of breath. "What's wrong?"

Adrianna waited for the door to shut behind him before speaking. She stood from her desk and gestured for him to take a seat in her seat, pulling up the clip. "You were the last to see Vance," she replied, "my contact says that he saw him a week or so ago. I've not looked at the CCTV from the bar yet. I don't want to get my hopes up for nothing or a poor lead. I'm struggling to see this in a professional manner. Emotions are making this difficult. I need you to tell me if the man in the video is in fact Vance. If it is, I think I know where he is." She stepped away and looked away from the screen.

Zai studied the image. "You, my friend, are spooky." He looked up at her and then back at the image. "He's a bit older but yes, that's Vance."

"I've been called many things, but spooky is not one of them," she shook her head. She finally walked around and replayed the video for her own eyes. She leaned over his shoulder, watching. When she caught sight of him on the screen she took a step back. It was like she was seeing a ghost.

She stumbled backwards, and slid down the wall behind her. She muttered a few things in Italian. She gripped her chest where the ring was hanging on it's pendant. Her eyes seemed like they were glazed over and that she was lost in thought. He was alive. By any god alive-- he lived.

Zai noticed and he quickly stood walking over to her and sitting beside her. He didn't say anything just reached out and took her hand. "It's a lot. Just process things and remember he'd want you happy. So... because he's alive doesn't mean you have to give up the meathead in tactical."

"It's not that easy," she almost whispered, "I owe Vance a debt, and until it's repaid, I can't sit idly by. I'm not in a position to choose. Either way, I've spoken to Jason-- he knows and understands. He's willing to fight and Wait-- gawd knows why. I'm hardly deserving and we're still so new. I--" she paused, "you may not see it, since you don't know him, but Jason is a lot like Vance. Scary so. He said, near enough word for word something that Vance used to say to me. I need closure before I can move on."

"Well I'll help you as much as I can. As I said when I left he remembered nothing, nor did he remember who he was. I've been looking for him but... He always disappears just before I can get there." He sighed. "But I get needing closure."

"Funny story," she chuckled, "sure, he's going around as Vance Adams, but he keeps slipping up and calling himself Vance Reggimi." She paused, "something is sticking with him. This footage is a week old, but I know I'm close. I can feel it. I can give his journals back and maybe he can remember who he is. If not, I'll pay for him to retire as he dreamed-- on a colony planet, with nothing and no-one for miles."

He sighed. "Well the old Vance would have tossed you into the ocean. He hated being taken care of...remind you of someone?"

She smirked, "I get your point, cucciolo, but it's not taking care of, more repaying and settling my conscience. What he does with the knowledge-- that's up to him. Sell it for all I care. I just need to pay him back, any means necessary."

Zai gave a nod. "What if he wishes to continue your relationship?"

She was silent for a moment. The thought had crossed her mind but she'd struggled to answer it definitely. "Honestly?" She asked, "my heart wants nothing more. My head-- that is struggling to think further than just finding him."

He snorted. "You know what. You are spooky."

"What does that even mean," she asked, curiously as she stood back up.

"Just you're good at what you do. And I don't now...you're easy to like." He sighed. "Plus you're hard to read even for an empath like me. So ... spooky." He stood back up. "Not a bad thing."

"Vance was no empathy, but he could read me like a book, as can Jason--" she teased, "appears mere humans are better than you."

"Them is fighting words my friend." He yawned. "Well then. What's the next step in hunting Vance Adams?"

Reggimi had a ring to It, but she chose not to humorously correct him. "It means that I now have a face to work with, and a name. So I can start using other sources too. Try and find a pattern for his movements and if we end up close enough-- intercept." There was hesitation to her word choice, "or maybe you. I can't ruin my career for a man that may not remember me. But I'm not sure I won't be able to be so close and yet so far from him. So I've still got to decide. I am, however, going to try and put a call out to him, if I do find him."

"I can help with a few things. I have some...out of fleet sources that may be able to help."

"I'll send you a still and the alias he's going by," she nodded, "I'd appreciate the assist. Just-- let's not say the reason we're wanting to find him, please."

"Well he's a friend so I want to make sure he's okay. That's my reason." He made a kissy face. "I can't imagine why you want to find him." He puckered his lips making kiss sounds.

"If that's what you think, you evidently didn't know Vance. The first time that he kissed me was the day I lost him," she smiled at the memory. Vance knew they were meant to be together and didn't need a kiss or anything physical to confirm it-- but their kiss had definitely confirmed it.

He laughed. "Still. I shall find our boyfriend. I promise you."

"I don't share or play nicely with others," she darkly teased back.

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