A Bad Day

Posted on Fri Nov 29th, 2024 @ 10:47pm by Lieutenant Fang Lee & Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,102 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Mess Hall | USS Arcadia
Timeline: Lunch Time - Current

ON:

Fang sat in the mess having lunch. If he were telling the truth he was tired. Between the scanning, the bridge duty, engineering, and a whole host of other things he was exhausted. He was barely standing upright. He didn't even notice Adrianna sit down.

"Fratello," she smiled, "with family, you should be honest. So I will be: you look like hell."

"God I feel like hell. Can you do me a favour?"

"That depends," she sipped her coffee before looking down at her food.

"On what?"

"The favour in question," she replied looking at him as if he'd said the dumbest thing ever, "I'm an ex intel op-- I never say si without knowing what I am agreeing to. The last time I did that, I quite literally ended up being trapped in a crate for almost a month."

"As fun as that sounds this one is easy. You and I go to airlock one and I hope in and you press vent. Simple." He sighed.

She looked like she was genuinely considering it, "I mean-- sure, but there are a number of people that would take great joy in doing it for free and I need karma to stay in my favour, so I'm willing to be charitable."

He smiled a little. "Yeah. Maybe I'll ask Sabastian. He'd do it in a heartbeat."

"Might as well go out making someone happy," she shrugged before testing her knowledge, "what's wrong, sad that the captain doesn't mirror your feelings?"

"What?" His ears flushed red. "There is nothing going on with me and the Captain."

"I have this dream where I play a game of high stakes poker with specific members of this crew..." She smirked, "I never said that there was something going on between you -- only that you had feelings. So now here lies the question... What happened?"

"Nothing happened. I'm just exhausted. Been trying to take as many shifts as possible." Technically a lie since they did kiss but the Captain hadn't mentioned anything since and Fang was too afraid he'd dreamed it all.

"I think I'll invite you to my imaginary poker game," she chuckled, shaking her head, "I may be an heiress, but I'd at least triple my net worth in a small game."

"There is nothing going on. Jeez." He looked around. "Let's not start rumors."

"I'll drop it, but you should know that you need to work on your poker face, especially when you are around him. It really was obvious," she simply replied, "so-- I don't suppose you will be free once this mission is done. Mamma wants to meet you in person, and you have our wedding to go to too."

He smiled. "I'll be there. Pending I survive I'll be there for sure." He sighed. "So how are all things Vance going?"

"Honestly?" She asked between bites, "it's like we picked up from where we left off-- but better. I don't know how to describe it, other than just feeling peace. Speaking of-- I know that you sent my brother the CCTV of Jason. You said that you wouldn't."

"Yeah well Jason deserves everything he got. He didn't learn from what he'd done. People like him and I...we deserve to be taken down a peg. Don't worry he's gonna learn."

She allowed the comparison to drop, she didn't want him to know that she knew. She shrugged, "the problem is that it triggered a chain of events that has meant Jason is currently living in hell because of a certain engineer that also got shown the videos. Be grateful that Vance is a changed man. The last man who went psycho on me got either blown to pieces or handed over to Klingons."

"They deserved it." He shrugged. "I'm glad things are working out with Vance. He seems like a nice guy."

Adrianna blushed a little, allowing her emotions of being a woman in love to show a little across her face. A soft smile gracing her lips as she looked down at her food, "he isn't just a nice guy. I think you'd appreciate his ingenuity and his protective instincts."

"That I can agree with. I heard our Thruster failed and he cobbled together a miracle...not that I approve of non standard items but hell he also got a rudimentary cloak for the shuttles that left as an Engineer I can appreciate it. As a Fleeter I'm dreading the paperwork."

She nodded, "he's on a lifetime contract-- fleet evidently feared him regaining his memories and going back to work as a smuggler. Man was--is a tactical genius. He'd give R&D a run for their money, but also be the reason to have additional clauses to the Geneva Convention or worse." She paused, "Starfleet needs to understand that if you put a man like him in his position, you aren't going to have Starfleet issue solutions."

"Yeah I gather that but it saved the ship and it will keep till we're back to base... and yes he's spooky good." Fang sighed. He tapped his finger on the table. "Damn, almost time for my meeting with Sabastian. An hour locked in a room with him. I'm a dead man."

"Offer him the venting thing that you requested of me," she shrugged, "he may be a happier man. That said, I'd like to point out that he loves Zai too much to actually do any permanent damage to you, fratello."

"I wish he would though, I pretty much deserve it. He's ... being too nice."

"He loves Zai," she replied, "whatever you did, or didn't do, you need to work out what you can do to make up for it. This is a great opportunity-- whilst he is blinded by love. He'd do anything for Zai-- that could mean find a way of forgiving you for being a cazzone."

He sighed. "Here is a question, how do you forgive someone that could have cost you your life." It wasn't meant to be answered, he couldn't forgive himself. "So...let's not spread rumors about the Captain and I. I'm ... not good enough for anyone let alone the CO." He stood. "I gotta run."

Adrianna pulled his arm, "listen to me. Your opinion of yourself is not great right now, but do not think for one minute that you aren't good enough for anyone-- that's not your decision. Either way-- I still value you. Not just as my XO but as a friend and brother." She released him.

He smiled a little. "Thanks..." He walked away still feeling deflated.

"Anytime, fratello mio."

OFF:

 

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