A Deal with Satan Herself

Posted on Mon Feb 3rd, 2025 @ 9:18pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,332 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Past

For a long, painful moment, neither of them spoke. Then, in a low, measured voice, Lutz said, "Step outside. Now."

It wasn’t a request.

Adrianna swallowed hard, her pulse racing as she cast one last glance at Vance. He was still dead to the world, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing just feet away.

Squaring her shoulders, she silently made her way to the door, feeling Lutz’s presence like a shadow at her back. The moment the door slid shut behind them, he turned on her, pinning her with his forearm over her throat.

"Start talking," he ordered, voice low but firm, "And don’t even think about lying to me.”

Adrianna exhaled sharply, forcing herself to meet Lutz’s gaze. His face was carved from stone, unreadable save for the glint of something sharp in his eyes– anger, suspicion, maybe even betrayal.

"I already said everything," she gasped, keeping her voice low, controlled where she could, "You heard it."

"I want to hear it from you," his jaw tightened as did the hold on her throat, "No half-truths. No riddles. Say it straight."

She tapped his arm, needing to breathe, as she desperately managed to say, "I’m Starfleet Intelligence. I was sent to investigate Vance."

Lutz let out a slow, measured breath through his nose. The fingers of his free hand twitched at his side, like he was resisting the urge to do something– lash out, maybe, or pace like a caged animal.

"Since the beginning?" he asked.

Adrianna looked confused but nodded, "Since the beginning."

Lutz swore under his breath. "Gawd," he muttered, running a hand over his face as he released her, letting her gasp and catch her breath, "and all this time, you’ve just been playing him?"

Something sharp twisted in her chest. "No," she said quickly, firmly. "It was real. Somewhere along the way, it stopped being a mission and started being–" She broke off, shaking her head, "I never meant for this to happen, Lutz, but it did."

Lutz scoffed, "and what? You were just going to keep lying? Keep stringing him along until your mission was done?"

Adrianna flinched, "I was– I am– trying to find a way to make this work. Without hurting him."

"Without hurting him?" Lutz’s voice dropped, low and dangerous. He took a step closer, forcing her to tilt her chin up to hold his gaze, "He’s planning to retire for you. He thinks you’re someone he can build a life with. Meanwhile, you’ve been carrying a Starfleet badge this whole time. You think that’s not gonna hurt him?"

She swallowed against the lump in her throat. "You don't think I don't know that?" she admitted, voice barely above a whisper, "I know."

Lutz stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "You have no idea what he’s been through," he muttered, "What will this do to him."

Adrianna clenched her jaw. "I do know," she insisted, "that’s why I haven’t told him. Because the moment I do, everything falls apart. I'm going to lose him and I don't think I'll forgive myself."

Lutz studied her, searching her face for something– deception, doubt, an escape route. Whatever he found there made his mouth press into a thin line. "You’re right about one thing," he said finally, resigning a little, "he won’t remember this conversation." His gaze darkened. "But I will."

Adrianna’s stomach twisted. "What happens now?" she asked quietly.

Lutz let out a slow breath, his expression unreadable. "That depends," he said, "on whether you’re really in this for him… or if you’re just waiting for the right moment to stab him in the back like his sister."

His meaning was clear. He wasn’t going to tell Vance– yet. But he was watching her now. Closely.

Adrianna nodded slowly, accepting the unspoken threat for what it was. "I won’t hurt him, Lutz," she said, voice steady, "Not if I can help it."

Lutz studied her for a long moment, then gave a short, mirthless laugh. "For both your sakes," he muttered, "I hope that’s true. You have a week to tell him the truth or leave for good.”

Then, without another word, he turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Adrianna standing alone, the weight of her confession settling heavily on her shoulders.

Adrianna watched Lutz turn, watched the way his shoulders tensed as if he was preparing to carry the weight of what he’d just learned. She let him take a few steps before she spoke– calm, quiet, but laced with the kind of certainty that made men pause.

"You tell him about me, and I’ll tell him about you."

Lutz stopped.

Slowly, he turned back to face her, his expression schooled into something carefully neutral. But she saw it– the flicker of unease in his eyes, the way his fingers flexed at his sides.

She stepped closer, tilting her head slightly. "You think I’m the only Starfleet problem here?" she murmured, her voice smooth, dangerous, "You think I haven’t noticed you slipping away for private comms lately? Always so careful, so precise– never from the same location twice, never too long at a time. But you made a mistake, Lutz. You used a relay I had access to."

Lutz’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t speak.

"I wasn’t sure at first," she continued, circling him like a predator sizing up its prey, something sociopathic in her eyes and demeanour. She wasn't a fan of blackmail, but she couldn't risk her mission for Lutz– for Vance, sure but not Lutz, "Could’ve been business, could’ve been something personal. But then I dug a little deeper. And guess what I found?" She gave him a small, knowing smile, "You've been talking to Starfleet, feeding them information"

His eyes flickered, just for a second. His stern gaze faltered.

"Don’t bother denying it," she said before he could even try, "I’ve been at this a long time, Lutz. I know what a snitch looks like and I know how quickly a snitch gets turned into a corpse if the wrong person finds out."

“Even I didn't jeopardise his actual business– only once. I merely observed and reported; all I did was report on the persons we were in business with and the deals made. Your mistake was when you started leaking intel to my handler's best friend,” She let the words sink in before delivering the final blow. "Imagine how your best friend, Vance, would feel if he found out that the past four runs, when Starfleet showed up and searched us, taking our loot– it was because of you leaking flight plans and manifests, all to be a well paid snitch for Fleet."

That got him. His nostrils flared, his fingers curling into fists, "You wouldn’t."

She arched a brow, "Wouldn’t I?"

For a long, heavy moment, silence stretched between them. Then Lutz exhaled slowly, running a hand over his face.

"What do you want?" he asked, voice tight.

Adrianna smiled, all slow and sharp. "Simple," she said, "You keep your mouth shut about me, and I keep mine shut about you."

Lutz let out a mirthless chuckle, shaking his head. "Shit. I knew there was something about you," he sighed, then met her gaze, something reluctant but resigned in his expression, "Fine. You’ve got yourself a deal, Regimmi… Baciami."

She inclined her head, "Good choice, cucciolo."

He hesitated for a fraction of a second, then stepped past her, muttering under his breath as he disappeared down the corridor.

Adrianna exhaled, steadying herself before slipping back into the room where Vance still slept soundly, blissfully unaware of the storm raging just outside his door.

She had bought herself time.

Now she just had to figure out what to do with it.

 

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