First Solo Run [Part 2]

Posted on Tue Mar 11th, 2025 @ 8:07am by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

2,029 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Timeline: Past

The Pendragon cruised smoothly through the quiet of space, its engines thrumming steadily as Vance guided it back toward Freecloud after a job well done. The run itself had taken the best part of a day, so didn't give them too long– but it was enough. Adrianna sat beside him, her boots propped up on the console as she gazed out at the stars. They’d spent the past few hours talking, laughing, and falling into the easy rhythm that seemed to come naturally when they were together.

But now, the air had grown quiet, and Vance couldn’t help but glance her way. She seemed pensive, her brow furrowed slightly, but there was no trace of the hesitation or guardedness she usually carried. Instead, there was something else– something softer. “You’re unusually quiet,” Vance said, leaning back in his seat.

Adrianna smirked faintly, her gaze still on the stars, “don’t get used to it.”

He chuckled, “I wouldn’t dream of it. What’s on your mind?”

She was quiet for a moment before she finally spoke, her voice steady but thoughtful. “I– I did something whilst I was away.”

Vance raised an eyebrow, intrigued, “oh?”

“Look, I told you that I was on Earth running errands, trying to get StarFleet off my back. It wasn’t actually the case though. After a week, they didn’t care. I should have been on a ship back here, but instead, I went back to Italy,” she nodded, her expression softening, “I managed to see my mother.”

That caught him off guard, and he straightened in his seat, “You did? Adrianna, that’s…” He trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence without sounding patronising.

Adrianna remembered that she'd told him that her family had disowned her for working with mercenaries. It was a lie to maintain why she was so guarded about her past, but what she had to say was far from a lie. She turned to face him, her lips curving into a small, proud smile. “It wasn’t easy, but I did it. I've not seen her in person since I left for Freecloud. I walked into her kitchen like nothing had changed.

Vance’s chest tightened, his admiration for her growing tenfold, “What did she say?”

“She asked a lot of questions,” Adrianna said with a quiet laugh, leaning back in her seat, “About where I’ve been, what I’ve been doing, whether I've found anyone yet– I obviously said yes.”

Vance blinked, surprised, “Me?”

Her smile grew, her eyes shining with a mixture of pride and vulnerability, her cheeks blushed a little, “I told her about you in some communications over the past few months– about the Pendragon and the crew too– not just you… about how, for the first time in years– well, I feel like I’ve landed on my feet. Like I’ve found a family out here– a home.”

He swallowed hard, his throat tightening at her words, “and what did she think?”

“She still doesn’t approve of my job but she said I sounded happy,” Adrianna replied, her voice softening, her cheeks burning, “happier than I’ve sounded in a long time, apparently.”

Vance let out a slow breath, his gaze fixed on her, “you are happy, right?”

She met his eyes, her smile unwavering. She frowned for a moment as if he'd asked the dumbest question in the known universes. She then chuckled softly, “si, of course. I am happy. This ship, the crew, you… you’ve given me something I didn’t think I’d find.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, so he settled for reaching over and taking her hand, “as long as I am captain of this ship, you’ve always got a home here, Adrianna. With us. With me.”

Her grip tightened slightly, her smile turning mischievous, “don’t get too sentimental on me, Capitano.”

He chuckled, the weight of the moment easing, “I may be an idiot, but you struggle to keep conversations meaningful just as much as I do.”

“And yet, you keep me around.”

“For good reason,” he said, his voice low but warm.

Adrianna didn’t reply, but the look she gave him said everything she didn’t. And as the Pendragon continued its journey home, the silence between them was comfortable, filled with the quiet understanding that they’d found something rare– something worth holding onto.

Vance leaned back in his chair as he glanced over at Adrianna, a teasing smile tugging at his lips, “you know, if your family disowned you for working with mercenaries like me, imagine how they’d react if you married one.”

Adrianna turned to him, her eyes narrowing playfully, “merde, so we’re back to that, are we?”

He grinned, leaning forward slightly, “I stand by what I said on day one. You’re going to be my wife one day. Am I wrong? We’re on the same ship, working together, flirting, getting along outside of work too… sounds like fate to me.”

“Fate,” she repeated, rolling her eyes with a smirk, “pretty sure it’s more like bad luck, though I am unsure who for.”

“Bad luck?” Vance clutched his chest dramatically, “you wound me, Adrianna. I prefer to think of it as destiny.”

Adrianna laughed, shaking her head, “destiny, sure. If by destiny you mean you’re just too stubborn to let the joke die or that you are too stubborn to hire someone else. Ah, wait, no, is Destiny Lutz’s name when he's performing? He was the one that technically brought me in for an interview.”

“The next time you decide to play hero, I'm telling him that you said that,” he said with a mischievous grin, leaning back again, though there was a warmth in his voice that went beyond the teasing as he followed it up with, “besides, you’ve kept the joke alive just as much as I have.”

She tilted her head, her smile softening just slightly, “madonna, it’s good to have something to fall back on. Keeps things interesting.”

“Interesting is one word for it,” he said, his tone quieter now, “but if we’re being honest– I wouldn’t mind proving the joke right one day– maybe one day soon.”

Adrianna’s smile faltered for a brief moment, her eyes searching his, as if trying to decide how serious he was. Thinking he was still joking, she teased back, “merde– you really don’t give up, do you?”

“Not when it comes to you,” he admitted, his voice steady but soft.

She leaned back in her seat, shaking her head as if to brush off the moment, but the faint blush in her cheeks gave her away, “if– and I mean if– if that’s the case, you’d better start planning something spectacular. I will not settle for half-measures, Capitano.”

He grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Spectacular, huh? How about this– when the time comes, I’ll top even your wildest expectations. Fireworks, a gun salute– maybe even a smuggling run that gets you your ring. But for now, you’re stuck with me just as I am.”

“Lucky me,” she quipped, though the warmth in her voice betrayed her teasing tone, “buy no explosives though– no fireworks– I still have nightmares about that cazzo di glitter bomb.”

Vance chuckled in response, knowing what she meant.

“Well,” Adrianna said, breaking the silence, “if you’re so confident, maybe you should start with keeping the ship in one piece on this run. We are still a few hours from home, and I know much can go wrong. Then we’ll talk about the rest.”

“Deal,” Vance said, grinning, “but don’t think this conversation’s over. One day, Adrianna, you’ll see– I’m always right about these things.”

She laughed, shaking her head as she turned back toward the stars, “we’ll see, Capitano. We’ll see.”

Vance’s grin softened as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. His gaze didn’t waver from Adrianna, and when he spoke, his tone was steady and sincere, low and meaningful, “you know I’m not joking, right? I’m serious, Adrianna. I’ve been thinking about it– marrying you, I mean.”

Adrianna blinked, caught off guard by the abrupt shift in tone. Her teasing smile faltered, and she searched his face for any hint of mischief, but all she found was quiet determination. “You’re– you're serious?” she asked softly.

“Dead serious,” Vance replied, his voice low but firm, “I’ve been carrying this ‘joke’ for so long it doesn’t feel like a joke anymore. And honestly, I don’t want it to be. I want you. Not just on this ship, not just as part of my crew– but as my partner in crime and life partner. My wife.”

Adrianna stared at him, her heart racing. She hadn’t expected him to actually say it out loud, not like this. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond but then a smile broke across her face– soft, genuine, and filled with warmth. “Merde, you really are stubborn, aren’t you?” she murmured, her voice trembling slightly with emotion, giving away her true feelings.

“Only when the reward is worth it,” he said, his lips quirking into a small smile, “and, by any god that exists, you’re worth it, Adrianna. Always have been.”

Her chest swelled with a mix of joy and relief, but also a pang of guilt. She glanced down at her hands, fiddling with a loose thread on her sleeve as she tried to gather her thoughts. Could he really love her if he knew the truth? Could she let herself believe in this moment, knowing what she was hiding?

Finally, she looked back up at him, her eyes glistening. “You know, I told my mum about you specifically,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Vance’s brows lifted in surprise, “You did?”

She nodded, her smile growing, “si. I– I might have also told her that I was thinking about leaving my old life behind completely and only working for the one mercenary– you. Or maybe even it just being us somewhere– no jobs. That I wanted to be with you.”

His breath caught, and for a moment, he couldn’t find the words, “Adri…”

“I didn’t know how to say it before,” she continued, her cheeks flushing slightly, “but being with you, being on this ship– it just feels right. Like I’ve finally found where I belong. I wanted her to know that. And now, with you saying that–”

Vance reached out, taking her hand in his. His thumb brushed gently over her knuckles as he stared at her, his heart full. “You don’t know how much that means to me,” he said quietly, “having you here… it’s everything, Adrianna. You’re everything.”

She squeezed his hand, her smile bright and unwavering, “well, you’d better make good on that promise of something spectacular, Capitano, because if I’m staying here with you, you’d better make it worth it. Hell hath no fury like an Italian mother– and I would not put it past my mother to hunt you down.”

He chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief, “you’ve got it, Reggimi. Spectacular, guaranteed. But I’m warning you now– if I’m lucky enough to marry you, I’m not letting you out of my sight again– no more heroics on your part.”

“I think I can live with that,” she said, her voice soft.

For the first time in weeks, everything felt like it was falling into place. Adrianna still couldn’t shake the weight of her secret, but for now, she let herself believe in this– believe in him. And as they sat there, hands entwined and hearts full, both of them knew this wasn’t just another fleeting moment. This was the start of something lasting– something they’d both been waiting for, whether they’d realised it or not.

 

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