Homesick - Part IV

Posted on Sun Dec 1st, 2024 @ 11:32pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami & Lieutenant JG Zai

1,275 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Adrianna and Vance's Quarters | USS Arcadia

ON:

"Visitation rights?" She asked before she figured out what he meant, "oh gawd. Well, you are more than welcome to it."

He laughed. "Now then when we head to Earth...do you mind if I stop and see my sister's grave?"

"I need to head that way anyway to resign contracts for those that look after the place. I also need to head to my place in Rome and yours in Alaska. I kept the place, rented it to my brother."

"Let him keep using it." He sighed. "I wish Ari was here. It's times like this I miss her more then I can explain."

"I'm sorry, Vance, I was thinking perhaps we could pay her homage by having some orchids at the wedding," Adrianna looked down at her food, the same look she'd given him multiple times whenever she had tried to tell him who she was but failed. "He's moving out-- moving to a base with his wife. Starfleet want him to oversee his Comms tech being installed."

"Ah well then we'll find someone to move in." He sighed. "I'd love purple orchids at the wedding. Something small so that at least in spirit she can be a part of the wedding." He winced. "Gawd... I wish I had told her how much she meant to me."

"Vance--" she paused, unable to tell him. She found something though, "she will always be alive for as long as you tell her stories."

He sighed. "Actually today is the anniversary of her Epic temper tantrum. Gods the last year before we met the Fleeter that killed her. I remember I grounded her for a month. A month! That girl and you would have gotten along just fine the girl had no impulse control. Do you know that she saved the entire Dragon crew?"

Adrianna smiled and nodded, encouraging him to continue, "tell me."

"Well we had a deal with the Orions and it kind of backfired one me. Ari saw it would warned me but no I did it my way and we were all captured." He shook his head. "She got herself captured and somehow convinced half the Orion women there to revolt and they pretty much busted us out destroyed the Orion ship and got the cargo we were sent to get." He let out an angry huff. "She drove the ship, she, drove, the, ship! My ship. A crew of Orion women and kept us in cargo for three days to teach us a lesson. I was so angry at her and so worried at what could have happened....I couldn't speak."

Adrianna chuckled, "seems like you and her are alike-- reckless, but tactically brilliant. She learned from the best. Gawd though-- Orion women-- bet you boys on the ship struggled with that."

"That's why she kept us in cargo." He sighed. "I swear that girl..." He laughed. "I grounded her for a month after. She wasn't allowed to set foot outside her quarters." He paused.

"Say there was a sealed room on the Pen...you didn't go in there by chance did you?"

"Remember when I stole your shirt," she smirked, "I went through the whole ship when I did it. I was looking for intel."

"Did you save any of Ari's stuff. That room was sealed since she died..."

Adrianna shifted uncomfortably, "kind of."

He looked at her. "Kind of?"

"When you put me back on the ship, without you, I was in desperation mode," she sighed, "my cover had been blown and I couldn't guarantee that your 'friends' waiting for me didn't know and equally, how they would react."

She ran her fingers through her hair, "I wiped that place so there was no trace of me left. I packed a duffle, destroyed a lot, then I packed a duffle of your most prized possessions. Of which, I took what I thought was the most important from that room. If it could fit in a duffle, I took it. I was then intercepted by the USS September."

She took a breath, "anything I had, is at your place with your sister's grave. I reached out to Lutz not long after. He had taken command of the Pendragon. Long story short, he gave me everything he still had when I-- I went on one last mission that he was involved with. It was the majority of your stuff and Ari's but-- the ship got raided just after I was picked up by fleet and before it reached where it was destined to go. So a little was missing. I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "It's okay, another life. I knew I couldn't hold on to her stuff forever." He sighed.

"When we visit the grave, you can see what I managed to save," she offered reaching over, "I got as much as I could, and took what I thought was most important. I made a judgement call in a split second."

He smiled. "Listen I totally understand. I'm just glad you were able to get away." And he genuinely was.

She smiled back, "what happened-- after you saved me, I mean?"

"I wound up as part of a Klingon Sandwich....it was interesting. Took a trip to Kronos....wasn't much fun." He sighed. "They interrogated me a while with their usual hospitality and I remember I stole a ship got away and then I met up with an old friend. Krisal from the Deltan home world....then it's all fuzzy"

Adrianna nodded, "I'm sorry. It never should have happened. I should have told you everything before the job started. We could have run-- I had the funds. We didn't need one last job. We still don't, technically."

Vance reached over. "Adrianna," he started rarely using her name. "Listen to me. You have nothing to apologize for. Nothing. What happened, happened my main goal was making sure you were alright. I would die for you a thousand times. I knew you were fleet and I didn't care. My goal was to protect you. It was my selfishness that put you in danger I wanted you near me. I should have handled the mission myself with a few crew but I brought you because I wanted you near. I put you in danger."

She smiled softly, not feeling quite as guilty, "we would have been fine if we had left sooner, or not gone back for drinks. And let's face it-- that bit was my fault. The Klingons are fun to drink with."

He laughed. "Only if I've taken an anti intoxicant."

She chuckled, "let's never drink with Klingons like that again."

He laughed. "I agree."

He groaned. "Adri you're going to hate me."

"Oh gawd, what now?" She chuckled.

"Do you mind if after dinner we just...go to bed. I'm beat."

"Why would I hate you for that," she looked confused.

"Cause we were supposed to watch your mom's video."

"I never said tonight," she chuckled, "frankly, I'm exhausted, amore mio."

He smiled. "Okay let's get dessert and then off to bed." He reached out taking her hand. "So this message system. I designed it so that it will send out a prompt to your family whenever you start Level 3 messages. once you are done it will store the holos as videos you can look back on and send to your private message line and your family will record 3 new ones so there will be a steady stream for when we're off the planet."

She smiled, "let's hope I do not get to level three. You are my home after all. I can hardly be properly homesick with you here."

OFF:

 

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