An Unexpected Find

Posted on Sat Feb 15th, 2025 @ 11:51pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

2,953 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Timeline: Past

The Pendragon's engines hummed softly as Adrianna moved through the dim corridors of the stolen freighter. The crew had been hard at work stripping the ship for parts, their voices echoing faintly through the bulkheads. After their recent double-cross, the mood was tense but focused– every scrap they could salvage meant the difference between survival and actually getting home to Freecloud.

Adrianna wiped sweat from her brow and crouched to examine a set of smuggler’s hatches along the lower deck. The freighter’s design was familiar to her, and she knew these hidden compartments often contained something valuable– or incriminating. She pried one open, expecting to find contraband or maybe some stolen supplies.

Instead, she froze.

Huddled inside the cramped space were half a dozen children, their wide, terrified eyes reflecting the dim light of her torch. They clung to one another, filthy and trembling, their faces streaked with grime and tears. For a moment, Adrianna could only stare, her mind reeling. These children were not like the crew they'd stolen the freighter from, which meant that the freighter had been smuggling orphans or worse.

One of the children– a boy who couldn’t have been older than sixteen– shifted slightly, shielding the others as though expecting her to lash out. Her heart twisted at the sight.

“It’s all right,” she said softly, switching to Italian instinctively before correcting herself to Standard, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

The boy didn’t move, but a girl behind him whispered something in a language Adrianna that Adrianna struggled to make out. She could tell from their expressions that trust was in short supply.

She slowly set down her torch, letting its beam illuminate the small hatch without blinding them, and crouched lower to seem less threatening. “You don’t have to stay there. The ship’s crew are gone. You don't need to hide anymore. We’ll help.”

The boy’s eyes narrowed, his thin frame trembling with both fear and defiance. “You’re not like them?” he rasped, his voice raw, perhaps from crying– or screaming.

Adrianna shook her head firmly, her voice calm, low and honest, “no. I’m not like them. You’re safe now. I promise.”

She reached out her hand but didn’t force the gesture, waiting instead for the boy to decide. He hesitated for what felt like an eternity before placing his small, dirty hand in hers. Adrianna offered a smile and helped him and the other children out, before the boy started making gestures down the hall. Before long, all of the hatches opened, children pouring out. There must have been at least twenty. The oldest was probably around sixteen, the youngest was maybe four, but she stood taking in the scene with her jaw slack.

“I’ve found something. I need some help,” Adrianna called over her shoulder, her voice steady but urgent. As footsteps hurried towards her, she gently helped the children out of the hatches, one by one. The oldest of the children helped the younger ones. Each of them looked at her with a mix of fear and hope that made her stomach knot. Adrianna was already calculating how to care for them. They weren’t cargo to be traded, and they weren’t leverage to be used. As far as she was concerned, they were her responsibility now.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, and Adrianna glanced over her shoulder just as Vance and Lutz appeared. Lutz, still gripping a hydrospanner from the salvage effort, raised an eyebrow as he took in the scene. Vance, hands resting loosely on his hips, frowned deeply, his gaze flicking between the frightened children and Adrianna.

“What the hell is this?” Lutz asked, his voice gruff as he gestured towards the kids.

“They were hiding in the smuggler’s hatches,” Adrianna replied, her tone clipped. She stood protectively in front of the children, daring either man to suggest anything other than helping them.

Lutz sighed and shook his head, “Great. Just what we needed– extra mouths to feed. What are we supposed to do with them, Reggimi?”

Adrianna shot him a glare, “you think that I planned for this? Madonna, they’re children, Lutz, not cargo or an abandoned puppy. We can’t just leave them here.”

“Didn’t say we should,” Lutz muttered, but he stepped back, clearly unwilling to take charge of the situation.

Vance folded his arms and tilted his head, his expression unreadable. “How many are there?” he asked quietly.

Adrianna was silent for a moment. She turned around slowly, doing a final headcount and then replied, “twenty three. They seem terrified and look hungry. Who knows how long they’ve been stuck in those hatches and what they've been through.”

Vance rubbed a hand over his face, letting out a long breath. For a moment, it looked like he was going to argue– his usual instinct when Adrianna challenged him– but instead, he nodded, his jaw tight.

“This isn’t our problem,” Lutz said, breaking the tense silence, “We’re not exactly equipped for… charity cases. No offence, but–”

“None taken,” Adrianna interrupted coldly, “but I don’t care. We’re not abandoning them.”

Vance cut off whatever retort Lutz had brewing with a sharp gesture. “Enough,” he turned to Adrianna, his gaze hard but not unkind, “You know what this means, right? If we keep them, they’ll slow us down. If we hand them off to anyone in this sector, there’s no guarantee they’ll be safe.”

Adrianna stood her ground, meeting his eyes before letting the reluctant words fall from her lips, “then we call Starfleet.”

Lutz scoffed, “Starfleet? Are you serious? You really think they’ll just thank us for this? They’ll start asking questions about the ship– about us.”

“They’ll help,” Adrianna said firmly, “We don’t have the resources to look after them properly and at least they will be safe. You know I’m right.”

Vance’s lips pressed into a thin line, the tension in his shoulders visible. He turned to look at the children again, his expression softening slightly. The smallest one, the boy who’d first taken Adrianna’s hand, was clinging to her leg now, his wide eyes fixed on Vance.

Finally, Vance sighed. “Fine. We call Starfleet but we do it carefully. If this blows back on us–”

“It won’t,” Adrianna cut in quickly, “We’ll handle it like we always do. They can't be mad at us helping rescue children, right?”

Vance didn’t look entirely convinced, but he nodded, “Lutz, get back to the bridge. Prep the comms, I'll be up in a minute. I need to figure out what to say.”

Lutz muttered something under his breath but obeyed, stalking off down the corridor. Adrianna watched him go before turning back to Vance. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

Vance shrugged, his expression unreadable again. “Don’t thank me yet. Let’s just hope they don’t ask too many awkward questions. I'm going to finish taking this place apart and fixing the Pendragon. Then I'll make the call, ok,” with that, he turned and followed Lutz, leaving Adrianna alone with the children once more.

As the last of the children were settled into some makeshift living quarters in the main cargo hold, Adrianna found Vance leaning against the bulkhead just outside, his arms crossed and his expression dark. He didn’t look up as she approached, but the tension in his shoulders told her he was still wrestling with the decision to call Starfleet. “They’ll be here within minutes if I call them,” Vance muttered, more to himself than to her, “and when they start poking around, it’s only a matter of time before they ask why a smuggling crew is playing good Samaritan.”

Adrianna hesitated, biting her lip before speaking, “It doesn’t have to come to that.”

Vance raised an eyebrow, finally meeting her gaze, “got a better plan, dove?”

She ignored the pet name that symbolised hope, brushing past him to lean against the opposite wall, “We don’t all need to be here when Starfleet arrives. I can stay behind– play the damsel in distress. No one’s looking for me– I've got no active warrants, and if I tell them that I was a stowaway, the ship got raises and I found the children abandoned on the freighter, they won’t have any reason to dig deeper. You and the crew can slip away before they get here.”

Vance stared at her, his jaw tightening, “You’re suggesting we just leave you here?”

“For now,” Adrianna said calmly, “I’ll rendezvous with you later. Find a way to get back on the Pendragon once this blows over.”

“No,” Vance said sharply, pushing off the bulkhead, “Absolutely not. You think they won’t check the freighter’s logs? Or wonder how and why you got on board? This isn’t some Federation transport– this is a smuggler’s ship, and you’re not exactly an unknown in certain circles. If someone puts two and two together–”

“They won’t,” she interrupted, “As far as Starfleet’s concerned, I’m just another civilian who got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Vance paced a few steps, running a hand through his hair, “this is a bad idea.”

“It’s the best option we’ve got,” Adrianna countered, “If we all stay, they’ll find something. But if I’m the only one here, it’ll look exactly like what I tell them it is– a escape gone right.”

He stopped pacing, turning to face her with a mixture of frustration and reluctant agreement in his eyes, “and what happens if they don’t buy your story? Or if they decide to arrest you for conspiracy while we’re light-years away?”

Adrianna shrugged, though her voice softened, “I’ll handle it. You know I can. Better me than all of us getting caught. Lutz is a wanted man, you're a wanted man, heaven forbid the wrap sheet on Cal and Tia.”

For a long moment, Vance said nothing. Then he swore under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck, “you’re too damn good at making me agree to stupid plans.”

“You did hire me as a translator and negotiator,” Adrianna smirked faintly, “is that a si– yes?”

“It’s a reluctant yes,” Vance muttered, “we’ll get the Pendragon out of here, but you’d better have a rock-solid story for when they start asking questions. And if anything goes wrong–”

“I’ll find a way back to you,” she finished, her voice steady, “promise.”

Vance didn’t respond, but the look he gave her was enough. Without another word, he turned and headed back to the bridge, leaving Adrianna to prepare for the role she would have to play.

The children were moved quietly and efficiently back aboard the freighter, Adrianna leading the way as she helped them settle into the safer, more spacious quarters there. The Pendragon’s crew worked with precision, keeping the operation quick to avoid detection. By the time the distress signal was sent, the freighter was prepped to look as unassuming as possible– just another abandoned ship floating in the void.

A reply came through within minutes. Starfleet confirmed their arrival in two hours. That left little time for goodbyes.

Adrianna stood near the freighter's airlock, double-checking the improvised arrangements for the children and finishing a final headcount when she heard Vance’s familiar footsteps behind her. She didn’t turn around until he stopped just a few paces away, his voice soft.

“Got a minute?”

Adrianna nodded and stepped away from the makeshift bunks, following him into the corridor just out of earshot.

When they stopped, Vance hesitated, his hand twitching slightly before he reached out to brush a strand of hair from her face. “You’re sure about this?” he asked, his voice low and uncharacteristically tender, “it’s not too late to change the plan.”

“I’m sure,” Adrianna replied firmly, though her voice softened when she saw the worry etched into his features, “They’ll be fine once Starfleet gets here. So will I, amore mio.”

Vance searched her face, his jaw tight as if he were waging an internal battle. Finally, he sighed and stepped closer, resting his hands lightly on her arms, “you’re incredible, you know that? Brave, stubborn as hell, really crazy, but incredible.”

She smiled faintly, “you’d better be saying that because I’m about to risk my neck for this plan.”

“No, I mean it,” he said, his voice dipping into that familiar warmth she couldn’t help but fall for, “every time I think I’ve got you figured out, you go and do something that reminds me why I–” He stopped short, his words catching before he cleared his throat and tried again, “why I’d follow you into anything.”

Adrianna tilted her head, a small smirk playing on her lips, “that almost sounded like a confession.”

He rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his mouth, “don’t push your luck.”

They stood in silence for a moment before Vance glanced back towards the Pendragon’s docked position, “we are going to head straight to Freecloud. You’ll meet us there once Starfleet’s done playing hero, yeah?”

“Si,” she said softly.

He nodded, though he didn’t move, his hands lingering on her arms. After a moment, he chuckled, shaking his head, “You know, I’ve been thinking lately…”

“Merde, dangerous habit,” she teased.

“Shut up,” he shot back, grinning now, “I’ve been thinking that one day– maybe– not anytime soon, mind you, but one day, I wouldn’t mind…” He gestured vaguely, then nodded towards the children, “that.”

Adrianna blinked, caught off guard, “that?”

“Kids,” he said, shrugging as though it was no big deal, though his grin betrayed him. “Not twenty-odd– maybe two or three, and certainly not all at once, obviously. And not like this,” he added quickly, gesturing around them, “This is… not what I meant. But, you know… eventually.”

Adrianna raised an eyebrow, a laugh bubbling out of her despite the tension, “madonna, amore mio, you’re really picking now to have this conversation?”

“Yeah, well,” he said, his grin softening into something more genuine, “if I don’t say it now, I might never say it. So, yeah. One day. With you.”

She felt her throat tighten, but she managed to keep her voice steady, “I’ll hold you to that, Vance.”

He leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead before resting his against hers, “you’d better but for now… stay safe. And no heroics, alright? That’s my job.”

“I’ll be fine,” she whispered, “I always am.”

Vance’s hand moved up and lingered on her cheek, his thumb brushing gently against her skin as he stepped closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper, “you’ve got this. I know you do. But, for once, try not to make me worry too much, alright?”

Adrianna smiled faintly, the tension in her chest easing ever so slightly under his touch, “you? Worry? I thought you said that was my job.”

He chuckled softly, his other hand coming to rest on her waist, grounding her in the moment. “Guess you’ve rubbed off on me more than I care to admit,” his voice grew quieter, his gaze fixed on hers, “you’re going to come back to me. I know it, but just in case…”

Her breath hitched as he tilted his head, his face close enough now that she could feel the warmth radiating from him. For a moment, everything else– the children, the mission, even Starfleet’s impending arrival– faded away. She closed her eyes as his hand slid to the nape of her neck, drawing her closer.

But just as their lips were about to meet, a loud voice shattered the moment.

“Oi, hate to break up your little romance,” Lutz called from the end of the corridor, his boots echoing as he approached, “but Starfleet’s picking up speed. Sensors show they’ll be here a lot sooner than we thought. We’ve got to move now.”

Vance pulled back sharply, his jaw tightening as he cast a glare over his shoulder. “Of course they are,” he muttered, his voice filled with irritation.

“Clock’s ticking, Cap,” Lutz added with a smirk, clearly enjoying himself.

Vance turned back to Adrianna, the annoyance in his expression melting into something softer. His hand lingered on her arm for a moment longer, “guess we’ll have to finish this later.”

Adrianna smirked, though her heart ached at the abrupt end of their moment, “you’d better not make me wait too long.”

“I won’t,” he promised, his voice quiet but firm. He kissed her forehead again, his lips lingering for a few moments, “stay safe. I’ll see you on Freecloud.”

With that, he reluctantly stepped back, sparing one last look before he turned and strode after Lutz. The sound of the Pendragon’s airlock disengaging soon followed, leaving Adrianna standing alone in the quiet corridor, her heart still racing as the reality of the plan set in.

In truth, she knew she'd be fine. All she had to do was call her handler, or speak to the captain and she'd be free in hours. Getting back to Freecloud would be difficult, but her handler would find a way, no doubt. It also gave her opportunity to call home.

 

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