Gorn but not Forgotten

Posted on Sat Feb 8th, 2025 @ 7:23pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,962 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Timeline: Past

The hum of the Pendragon’s engines was a steady, familiar background noise as Adrianna moved through the dimly lit corridors. Most of the crew were either asleep or preoccupied, and she had long since memorised the ship’s blind spots.

She slipped into her small quarters, locking the door behind her before activating the secure portable comm unit. The screen flickered to life, revealing her handler– a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and a no-nonsense expression.

“Reggimi,” he greeted, using her cover name, his voice low, “Change of plans.”

Adrianna’s stomach tightened, wondering if this would be the moment she was pulled off of Vance's case because Fleet had found out that she was in love, “Go on.”

“I submitted your last report and your current run got flagged because of the client,” her handler leaned forward slightly, “Xra’kot has been classified as a high-level threat. His operations have become too disruptive, and Starfleet Intelligence has issued new directives.”

Adrianna inhaled slowly. It wasn’t entirely surprising– Xra’kot had made his fortune off weapons smuggling and bloodshed. He was a famous warlord and they were living in times of war. But for Starfleet to intervene at this level meant his reach had grown too dangerous to ignore. She nodded, understanding that there was a change, “What’s my role?”

“You’ll be in the perfect position to ‘neutralise’ the threat,” her handler confirmed, “If you can create an opportunity, ensure he can no longer operate.”

A silence stretched between them.

Adrianna had yet to handle anything like this. Sure, she'd killed a person or two, but it was in self defence– this was an assassination request. This wasn’t just another mission. This was happening inside her cover, with no Starfleet backup, no clean exit strategy. Equally, she knew from the academy that it was a rarity Starfleet green-lit assassinations or taking missions within missions. She broke the silence with a breath, “Acknowledged.”

Her handler studied her, “I trust your judgement. If it can’t be done cleanly, get out. But if the opportunity is there, take it. This could save a number of lives and prevent all out war.”

Adrianna gave a sharp nod.

The screen went dark.

For a long moment, she sat still, staring at her reflection in the blackened screen. Then she stood, adjusted her expression into something neutral, and slipped back out into the halls of the Pendragon.

***

Vance had been late.

It wasn’t intentional– Starfleet patrols had forced them to take a longer route, but Xra’kot didn’t care for excuses. The Gorn warlord had made that very clear when they arrived.

“Payment is docked for the inconvenience, Adams,” Xra’kot hissed. Then, after a slow, assessing look at Adrianna, he added, “And you will leave your translator with me. No charge.”

“For what purpose,” Vance demanded, feeling his blood boil, “she wasn’t part of the deal.”

Xra’kot’s scaled lips curled into a smirk, “Neither was your delay. For the record, she's far too small for me. I need a translator and she'll do nicely. Plus, I want to make you wait for something you want, as you made me wait for something I need.”

Adrianna spoke before Vance could push it further, “I’ll do it.”

“Adri!” Vance turned sharply, his jaw tightening, but Adrianna didn’t meet his gaze, her eyes remained fixed on Xra’kot.

Xra’kot exhaled a pleased hiss, “Three days. Then we are even. Be patient, captain. If you grow impatient, I'll kill her.”

Vance hated it. But if they walked away now, they lost everything. Xra’kot was the man that would kill them all without mercy, or not pay. He forced himself to nod, “Fine.”

Vance put a hand on Adrianna's shoulder and whispered, “stay safe. Check in daily. If something goes wrong or you don't feel safe– call us and we'll come and get you. Any means necessary.”

***

Adrianna checked in on the first day. Short and professional. Enough to confirm she was alive without embarrassing Vance with flirtatious comments or anything.

Then, silence.

No check-in on the second day. No response.

Vance’s gut twisted.

Lutz, ever the cynic, leaned back in his chair, “Maybe she just forgot.”

Vance shot him a glare, “She wouldn’t.”

“She’s just a translator, Vance,” Lutz reminded him. “She knows how to handle herself, but she’s not–”

“She’s smart,” Vance cut in, “Smart enough to know how dangerous this is. She's making sure we all get paid.”

Lutz sighed, “So what do we do?”

Vance hesitated. In truth he wasn't sure. As he was about to respond the entire station shook, a loud bang tearing through the corridors right down to the dock they were on.

The pair exchanged a knowing look.

“Fire up the engines,” Vance commanded, “I'm going to search for Adrianna.”


***

Vance moved through the smoke-filled corridors of Xra’kot’s stronghold, his pulse hammering. He was worried for Adrianna. He loved her and this would kill him if he lost her. He brought out the best in her. He led with his phaser, calling out her name, a scarf around his mouth to try and help save his lungs from the smoke. The fortress was in chaos– alarms blaring, bodies littering the halls, and the stench of burning metal and flesh thick in the air.

Then he saw her.

Adrianna.

She was sprinting towards him, scrambling around a corner as she nearly slipped, her dark clothes streaked with blood. Not hers– Gorn blood. It clung to her skin, staining her hands, smeared across her jaw. Her breathing was ragged, but her eyes were sharp, focused.

Vance’s stomach lurched, “Adrianna, what the hell happened?”

She barely slowed, grabbing his wrist as she passed, “Merda! No time! We need to go! Go! Go! Move!”

He almost toppled over at her suddenly yanking him, but followed without hesitation, matching her pace as they wove through the labyrinth of corridors. “Adrianna–” he tried to coax as they ran towards the ship.

“Later!” she snapped, shooting him a quick glare.

Vance ground his teeth but pushed down the questions. Now wasn’t the time.

The stronghold trembled as another explosion went off somewhere deeper inside. They both stumbled, but Vance reached out and grabbed her before she toppled completely, pulling her to her feet by the back of her shirt. Once righted, they both ran at full speed and they didn’t stop until they reached the docking bay, the Pendragon looming ahead. Lutz was already in the pilot’s seat, engines hot, ready for takeoff.

Only when the ship’s doors slammed shut behind them did Vance grab Adrianna’s arm, spinning her to face him, “Now tell me what the hell happened.”

She was breathing hard, struggling to catch her breath, her hands bracing against her knees. “Xra’kot– he–” she swallowed, shaking her head, trying to think of a good cover that would satisfy, but her mind struggled to focus, “I don’t know what set him off, but he snapped. Merda, he just snapped. And then there was an explosion– engineering.”

Vance’s jaw clenched.

Adrianna straightened, rolling her shoulder as if testing for injuries. “After he snapped, he came at me out of nowhere. I fought back, got in a few good hits, but–” She gestured to the blood on her, “he wasn’t happy about it.”

Vance looked her over. There were bruises forming along her collarbone, a fresh cut on her arm. “And now?” he asked, voice low.

Her lips pressed into a tight line, “Now he’s incazzato– really angry. And he’s coming. He thinks this was our doing. But I didn't do anything– I swear. It was all ok– the translation was easy enough. I don't know enough about engineering other than part names– Madonna, Vance, you have to believe me.”

Vance didn’t hesitate. He turned on his heel, storming towards the bridge.

“Lutz!” he barked, “Get us the hell out of here.”

The Pendragon roared to life, shooting into warp just as the station’s security scrambled to react. Only when the streaks of stars filled the viewport did Vance turn back to Adrianna.

Her shoulders were squared, her expression composed. But something in her eyes– just for a second– looked distant. Vance exhaled sharply. She was omitting something. “Start talking,” he ordered in an almost growl.

She lifted her chin, “I already did.”

His jaw twitched. He didn’t believe her. Not entirely.

But they were alive. And, for now, that would have to be enough.

***

Adrianna sat on the edge of her bunk, rolling her aching shoulder with a quiet wince. Her bruises were already darkening, a mottled patchwork of pain across her olive skin. Xra’kot had fought like a feral beast, and she had barely made it out had it not been for the charges she set, finally blowing a few minutes too late.

The Pendragon was quiet now. Vance had pressed for answers, but she’d stuck to her story, and eventually, he let it drop– for now, assuming it was a form of mental block from having seen so much death and destruction.

She took a breath, her fingers moving stiffly as she activated her secure comm link. The screen flickered to life, her handler’s expression unreadable as he took her in. “Reggimi,” he paused, “You look like hell.”

She huffed a mirthless laugh, “si, I feel like it too.”

His expression sharpened, but he was curious, “The mission?”

Her jaw tensed, as the words slipped from her lips like a bad taste, “Failed.”

Silence.

Then, he nodded slowly taking a moment to put the pieces together– how she looked, the background of the call and the fact she'd failed. Buying time to come to a conclusion he asked, “Xra’kot is still standing.”

Adrianna flexed her bruised fingers before reaching into her jacket. She pulled out a slim data pad and a small recording device, holding them up to the screen, “Si, but I do have the war plans.”

Her handler’s expression didn’t change, but something in his posture shifted. He was far from disappointed in her– it would have been a suicide mission at best, but at least she'd managed to sort the next best thing.

She set the devices down beginning to upload the files. “Xra’kot’s been preparing for something big– an expansion, a full-scale power grab. I managed to secure as much information as I could before things went to hell when I realised that I couldn't merely kill him without killing myself,” She sighed, shaking her head, “I couldn’t finish the job, but this? This I am sure will help. The stronghold– I set charges in the engineering bay of the station. That will buy Fleet a bit of time to do something with the information.”

Her handler studied her carefully, trying to work out if she was ok, “I’ll have them analysed. Good work,” he paused, “and your cover?”

“Intact. Vance doesn’t suspect a thing.”

“Data received,” He nodded, “Rest up. You’ll be contacted with your next steps. I'll try and find a way for you to have a break, ok? Think you could use some R&R. You've earned it.”

The screen went black.

Adrianna took a slow, grounding breath, leaning back against the wall. The bruises throbbed, the weight of the mission pressing heavy on her chest.

She had survived. Barely.

But now, Xra’kot wanted revenge and thought it was all Vance. This put him at risk. And the war she had glimpsed in those stolen plans?

It was only just beginning.

 

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