MEMORY LOG: The Truth Behind the Heist

Posted on Tue Nov 12th, 2024 @ 10:03am by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami
Edited on on Tue Nov 12th, 2024 @ 10:04am

1,690 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Pendragon
Timeline: ---Past---

Adrianna Baciami, code name Reggimi, was balancing herself on a line finer than any she'd ever walked. Leaning against a corridor wall on the smuggling ship Pendragon, she rubbed her temple with one hand, her communicator held tight in the other, as if to steady the turbulent thoughts racing through her mind.

The mission– Operation Drifting Gallivant– had sounded deceptively straightforward at the outset. Infiltrate, observe, and, if necessary, manipulate to extract sensitive information from her target. The goal was to get close, build trust, and uncover secrets buried within the smuggling ring's command structure, where Vance Adams– a former Starfleet Academy drop out had become an unlikely captain. That last detail had been a complication no one foresaw.

The communicator crackled to life in her palm. Her handler, Starfleet Lieutenant Commander Navarro, did not waste time on pleasantries.

"Reggimi, your progress report is overdue," he said, his tone as crisp as ever, "it appears you've gotten… distracted."

Adrianna clenched her teeth, pushing back the surge of irritation. Her handler’s voice always had a way of cutting through her defenses, a constant reminder of the duty she owed to Starfleet– of why she was here. "I’m sending the latest files now, Navarro. Everything's on schedule. Further to a bet with Adams, I managed to find his hiding spots on the ship and retrieve one of his journals that indicates his next five jobs. I've made a copy and I will send it when I have the opportunity."

"You know that's not what I mean." His voice softened, yet it retained a hint of steel, "You’ve been spending more time with Adams than we discussed."

"I’m building rapport," she replied, trying to keep her voice even. "That’s what you told me to do. You said, and I quote, 'Get close, but not too close'."

"And have you done that, Reggimi?" Navarro pressed, "You’re supposed to be watching him, not… whatever it is you’re doing."

"With all due respect, Commander, I’m doing exactly what I was assigned to do. Getting close is the point," she argued, though she could feel her cheeks flush under the weight of her own words, "I can't do my job properly if I'm afraid to engage with him."

"Engage?" Navarro’s skepticism was apparent, "You’re going beyond engagement. My sources report that you’ve been seen alone with Adams far too frequently. And not just alone; you’ve been…” he paused, choosing his words with more precision. “Your… demeanor with him is unusual."

Her breath caught. She tried to steady herself, yet Navarro’s words struck deeper than she anticipated. It wasn't like Starfleet to meddle in field agents’ methods– not unless there was a damn good reason.

"Navarro," she started, keeping her tone controlled, "Vance– Adams is just a target to me. Nothing more. Either way– if I provide the information– good intel– what difference does it make?"

Navarro gave a low chuckle that betrayed none of the humor the sound would normally imply. "He’s not just a target to you, and we both know it. I've seen the pictures– seen the way you look at him. No-one is that good at acting or lying."

Adrianna bit her lip, the truth she couldn't deny rising to the surface. She'd known for weeks now that her relationship with Vance had blurred, crossing into an uncharted area of vulnerability. It had started innocently– she’d seen him as an almost-Starfleet soul who'd somehow lost his way, trapped in the orbit of a lucrative smuggling ring. The camaraderie was natural, even a bit therapeutic. After all, if anyone understood what it meant to straddle the lines between duty and desire, it was her. But then things had shifted. The stolen glances, the brief, knowing touches on her shoulder or fingers grazing with her hand, the quiet moments they shared between the chaos of ship life. They weren’t part of any mission– at least not any sanctioned by Starfleet.

Adrianna inhaled deeply, drawing herself up. "I have control over the situation. I can handle it."

Navarro’s silence hung heavy over the line before he spoke again, voice edged with the concern of someone who knew her too well, "You may think you can handle it, Adrianna, but emotional attachment– especially in a mission like this– could compromise the entire operation. It’s not just your life on the line. Remember that."

"I do remember," she whispered, more to herself than to him but the words sounded hollow, even to her own ears.

After a beat, Navarro's tone softened, almost as if he sensed her uncertainty, "This is dangerous ground, Adrianna. Vance Adams might be your target, but he's also a rogue and unpredictable in every way that matters. Starfleet trusted you with this because of your history, your level head. They need you, Adrianna– not someone losing focus over a man who's forgotten himself. He is a smuggler and he's managing to infiltrate Starfleet flight paths and go across borders undetected– we need this information so that we can start protecting ourselves and make the universes a safer place."

She wanted to snap back, deny what was so plainly visible to him. Yet, the weight of Navarro’s words anchored her, grounding her in a truth she didn't want to confront. "Is there anything else?" she managed, clinging to formality to ward off the rising emotions.

"Just remember why you’re there," he replied quietly. “That, and the fact that you’re replaceable if you compromise yourself. Think carefully about the steps you take with Adams.”

The line clicked off, but Navarro's words lingered. Adrianna stood there, alone in the corridor, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the communicator. His warning echoed, tightening around her like a hangman's noose. She knew he was right; she’d known it the moment she felt her heart skip in Vance’s presence, but Navarro didn’t understand– couldn’t understand– how that connection had snuck up on her, building like a slow, inevitableness.

With a frustrated sigh, she forced herself back toward the ship’s command deck. This was her mission, she reminded herself, not a personal affair. She’d dedicated years to honing her skills, her ability to push emotions aside for the sake of duty. There would be no giving in to weakness now.

And yet…

When she saw Vance standing in front of the captain's chair, his stance exuding the casual authority her defenses began to crumble. He looked up, his eyes meeting hers, and Adrianna felt her heart betray her resolve once more. He didn't smile, exactly, but the briefest flicker of warmth softened his expression. Only she ever saw him like this– unguarded, the walls he’d built around himself crumbling in her presence.

"Adrianna," he greeted her, his voice rough from too many sleepless nights, "I was starting to wonder if you’d gotten lost or gone mad from there being no other crew on board."

She gave a slight smile, covering the turmoil within her. "It takes more than a maze of corridors and eerie silence to lose me, amore mio."

He chuckled, low and genuine, and she felt the warmth seep into her bones, "I’ll remember that. You’re proving to be quite resourceful. I appreciate you helping earlier."

The words were innocent enough, but the way he said them– his voice softening ever so slightly, his gaze lingering on her face– cut through her with an intimacy she hadn’t anticipated. She wanted to tell herself this was all an act, that he was merely a mission but the look in his eyes felt too real, too personal to ignore.

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to focus on the task at hand. "I was actually coming to go over the last drop’s details with you," she said, injecting a note of formality into her voice, hoping to draw a line between them.

But Vance’s brow furrowed, and he studied her, a glint of suspicion in his gaze. "Details we’ve gone over twice already," he noted, one corner of his mouth lifting in a half-smile, "You sure there’s nothing else?" He stepped over and placed a finger under her chin, encouraging her to look at him, “I know you said that you're missing home. Why don't I drop you off? Spend some time with your family and then come find me when you want another job– just stay in touch. I want to know that my future wife is safe.”

The question, innocent though it was, struck a nerve. Adrianna felt herself falter, and she cursed inwardly, furious at her own weakness. For a heartbeat, she felt the impulse to tell him everything– the mission, her orders, her fears. She imagined what it would feel like to unburden herself of the weight she’d been carrying, to let Vance see beyond the mask but she knew better than anyone that there could be no future here. Not with him. He would hate her if he knew.

Finally, she forced herself to shake her head, pushing the words back down where they belonged. "No," she replied, her voice steadier than she felt. "I'm fine. It has just been a long run. I could do with going back to my apartment on Freecloud and sleeping for a week."

Vance held her gaze a moment longer, as if sensing the turmoil behind her eyes but he said nothing, “you know that I'd do anything for you, Adri. Just don't shut me out.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead, “go get some sleep. We still have a few hours before we get to our last drop and then we'll be on our way home to Freecloud.”

As she turned to leave, her heart wrenched in her chest, a war raging within her. She was an agent, and he was her assignment, a man marked by Starfleet for monitoring and, if necessary, containment but he was also a man whose soul had touched hers in a way she hadn’t thought possible.

 

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