MEMORY 2/3: When you Bluff for your life...

Posted on Sat Nov 16th, 2024 @ 9:41pm by Lieutenant JG Zai & Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami
Edited on on Sat Nov 16th, 2024 @ 9:42pm

1,085 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: somewhere out in space
Timeline: Past

ON:

Vance smiled darkly. "Dor! Our friends down there..."

"Are following."

"Alpha Centori move 3"

The ship grew quiet almost silent for the beeping.

"Did I stutter?"

They seemed to move unfrozen from their shock. "Boss.."

Vance turned his gaze on the Andorian who backed up. He held his hands out and then looked at Adrianna. "Well shit." He said.

Adrianna raised a brow, "you told me to get the diamond. You never specified. They were both in the same box. Did I not pick up the right one?" Adrianna knew she'd picked up the correct one. What she didn't know was what the other one was worth, she just hoped it would get the crew away from her for a little while as she almost messed up a few days previous. She needed to get rid of the scent of not being one of them.

It was Val the crew mother, as they called her, that walked to Adrianna. "He hon come with me let's get you into dry clothing." She hurried the woman off the bridge. "Let's get out before Alpha Centori 3 is... in place." She sighed. "Damned last time he used that move almost got us all on Starfleet's shit list."

Adrianna stood up and went to follow but hesitated. "Vance, what's going on?" She knew that he would need to change too-- he was soaked.

He said nothing. Val steered her out. "Honey, can I be frank with you?"

Ade followed her out, but kept looking back to the deck. She nodded, "si, what's wrong."

"Captain Adams is...all business. But he cares for us all and protects us. He thinks seven moves ahead. Trust me I saw the panic when you were down there and the fact that he's resorting to...this move tell us more then anything. He only used this once and that was when Starfleet was responsible for the death of his sister." She sighed. As they passed she saw Dor walking their way. "Ready?"

"Val is he serious?"

She gave a nod. "You know he is."

Dor sighed. "Lady you're going to get us all in a Starfleet Brig." He turned and walked away.

Adrianna looked confused. She quickly left to go into her quarters, hearing the warning and making a mental note about his sister. She got dressed, putting on a thicker jumper. She then grabbed a towel and walked back onto the flight deck. She handed Vance the towel and lowered her voice, just for his ears, "Vance, what's going on?"

He looked up at her. "Justice. My name was not traceable on this the only way that the people you met would know I'm part of this was if someone told them. Not my crew. Starfleet. This was a set up." He grinned. "I should have known better then to trust them." He stood and raised his voice. "All crew to mess one. Stay there until you are called. Seal off process alpha one."

The crew stood and headed out. Val who'd come back grabbed Adrianna’s hand. "Let's go we can watch from the mess."

"I'm not leaving," she snatched her hand away from Val, "Vance-- Amore mio, please." Ade had been the one to tip of Starfleet, but she wasn't about to tell him that, certainly not with an audience.

"Adrianna go. Now!" He said in a voice that brokered for no argument. "Get all the Gen bots prepared. Adrianna is new so she needs one we have ten minutes." He opened a channel to the people that they had just escaped. "This is Captain Vance Adams. My ship is stationary and I'm unarmed. You can scan me when you come into range. My crew is not on ship I have vented them all into space. You can verify that by scanning the area around the ship for DNA matter. I will give you back what we took and a little extra for your troubles that will make you the talk of the town." He shut off coms and turned. "Dor get everyone into the cloaked part of the mess and get those gene-bots out. NOW!"

Val and Dor dragged Adrianna to the mess kicking and screaming where the Vulcan in charge of Medical took a small blood bio sample and injected into a small bot.

Val pointed at the window as the bots scattered. "And it begins."

Adrianna snatched her arms away the second that she got opportunity. She rubbed her arms where they had carried her and glared at them both. She watched carefully and could feel a level of uncertainty rise up in her. Her DNA was the one thing that could link her back to Starfleet if someone tried hard enough. She looked at Val and lowered her voice, "I was just doing my job-- I didn't mean for death or brig. What's going on?"

Val gestured to the screen. There was Vance seated in the Captain's chair. "He's about to get revenge for those who hurt you."

Two ships zoomed into view one the ship of those chasing him and another a small Starfleet Cruiser.

They watched as Vance moved his hands over the chair panel and the big screen split into two.

"Good morning All!... or evening, or afternoon, whatever time your ship is on."

"That's the meaning of...."

Vance stood up and held up his hand. "Well now. I want you both to use your ships and scan my ship and then the surrounding area."

He saw the Starfleet office pale. "Bio signs."

"That's right. I vented my entire crew, including the Starfleet spy."

"Merde," she let the words fall from her lips. Adrianna was going to be reprimanded for this, no doubt, "someone needs to stop him. Nothing happened -- I'm fine. I jumped onto the ocean from the cliff. I would have been fine if I had just been a bit quicker in swimming. I'm not worth innocent lives. Gawd, I'm not a fan of Romulans or Fleet, but this seems excessive." She grabbed a Pad and started messaging Vance in a way that she knew would pop up on his screen for his eyes only: "Don't do anything stupid, amore mio. I'm fine. I went into the water on my own accord. I'm not hurt. I should have been swimming a little quicker. No-one deserves to die today. Do not risk us all for revenge for something that never happened. Please. Your crew is terrified."



To Be Continued...

 

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