Threat of Freecloud Justice

Posted on Sat Mar 1st, 2025 @ 7:22pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,804 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Timeline: Past

Adrianna stepped out of her safehouse into the humid night air, the neon glow of Freecloud casting long shadows across the alley. She’d known Lutz would come eventually– it was only a matter of time. Sure enough, the moment she rounded the corner, he was there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, waiting for her.

She sighed, “if you’re here to lecture me, don’t bother.”

Lutz pushed off the wall, shaking his head. “Not a lecture. Just a question,” he met her gaze, expression unreadable, “have you told him yet?”

Adrianna’s stomach twisted, but she kept her face neutral, “no.”

Lutz let out a heavy breath, running a hand down his face, “Dammit, Reggimi.”

“I told you to keep your mouth shut,” she reminded him, her voice low, dangerous.

Lutz scoffed, stepping closer, “and I have. But how long do you think you can keep this up? You know it’s gonna come out eventually.”

Adrianna held her ground, chin lifting defiantly, “that’s my problem, not yours.”

Lutz studied her for a long moment before shaking his head. “You think I want to be in the middle of this? You think I want to be burdened with this knowledge?” he muttered, “Vance is my best friend, Adrianna. He’s already been through enough because of the likes of your kind–”

“Madonna, Lutz! You don’t think I know that?” she cut in sharply, “you don’t think I see the way he looks at me, like I’m the only thing keeping him grounded? You don’t think I know what it’s going to do to him when– not if– when he finds out I’ve been lying this whole time?” Her voice wavered, the weight of it pressing against her chest.

Lutz exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck, “then why the hell haven’t you told him?”

“The truth?” Adrianna swallowed hard, “because I’m scared.”

Lutz frowned, “of what? That he’ll leave?”

She let out a humourless laugh, “no. That he’ll hate me.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The sounds of Freecloud buzzed around them– music, voices, the occasional shout from a nearby club– but all Adrianna could hear was the pounding of her own heart.

Lutz sighed again, softer this time, “look, I know what it’s like to make bad choices for the right reasons.” His jaw tightened, “I know what it’s like to live with them, too.”

Adrianna’s eyes darkened, “You mean like selling Vance out for extra credits? Not only to StarFleet might I add.”

Lutz flinched.

She stepped closer, voice barely above a whisper, “don’t forget, Lutz– I let you walk away from that.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed, “Yeah, you did.”

“So don’t push me on this,” she warned, “I’ll tell him when I’m ready.”

Lutz held her gaze for a long moment, then finally sighed, stepping back, surrendering to her threat. He couldn't lose Vance, “just… just don’t wait too long.”

Adrianna didn’t respond.

She just turned to continue walking away. Adrianna had barely taken a step away when Lutz’s voice rang out, sharp and accusing.

"I know where he went."

She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to turn around, "what?"

Lutz stepped closer, his expression twisted in something between contempt and fury, "Vance. I know what he’s doing."

Adrianna’s pulse quickened, but she kept her voice steady, "he told me he had errands to run on Earth."

Lutz let out a bitter laugh, "Yeah? He tell you those errands included picking up his mother’s ring? That he’s planning to propose?"

The words struck like a physical blow. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"That’s right," Lutz went on, voice dripping with resentment, "he’s throwing everything into setting up some picture-perfect life for the two of you. He called in a favour or two, he's got a place lined up– he's quitting this life. Quitting. And, because that still isn’t enough for him, he’s planning one last job– just the two of you. No backup. No crew. Just him, trying to make sure you have everything you could possibly need in life."

Adrianna’s hands curled into fists, "Lutz–"

"He’s going to get himself killed, Reggimi!" Lutz snapped, stepping into her space, "and it’s because of you. Because he’s so goddamn blinded by whatever hold you have over him that he’s willing to risk everything! His blood will be on your hands and I will drag you back to Freecloud if he does die, and I will seek real justice."

Her patience snapped like a frayed wire, and she screamed, "you think I don’t know that?!"

Lutz faltered at her sudden outburst, but Adrianna didn’t stop.

"I know he’s going to propose! I know he’s trying to get me out of this smuggling life– hell, I’ve always known! I just didn't know when."

Her voice wavered, her chest rising and falling with barely contained emotion, "but this wasn't meant to happen!"

Lutz scoffed, "No? What, you just accidentally led him on?"

"It started as a job!" she shouted. The confession felt like ripping something out of herself, but also it felt good to actually set the record straight, "but it stopped being one, Lutz! Somewhere along the way, I stopped pretending. I fell for him!"

Lutz’s glare remained ice-cold, "convenient."

"It’s real!" she shot back, her voice cracking with emotion, "for me, it’s real! And that scares the merde out of me, because I know if I tell him the truth, he’s going to hate me. And I–"

She sucked in a shaky breath, her eyes burning, "I’d rather lie for the rest of my life and stay by his side than to see him look at me like I mean nothing to him."

Lutz was silent. His expression didn’t soften, but for a flicker of a moment, there was something else in his eyes– something that wasn’t hatred.

Adrianna inhaled sharply, forcing herself to rein it all back in. "You can hate me all you want, Lutz," she muttered, "but think for one cazzo di minute that I don’t love him." Adrianna let out a noise of frustration, somewhere between a growl and a scream, before turning to walk away.

Lutz stood there, watching her go, jaw clenched so tight it ached. He wanted to stay angry– wanted to keep blaming her for the mess Vance had thrown himself into. But her words echoed in his head, raw and unfiltered.

‘For me, it’s real.’

‘I’d rather lie for the rest of my life and stay by his side than see him look at me like I mean nothing.’

Lutz exhaled sharply through his nose, raking a hand through his hair. "Damn it," he muttered. Adrianna had made it a few steps before he called out, his voice lower but still edged with frustration, "Reggimi."

She stopped but didn’t turn. He could see the way her shoulders tensed, like she was bracing for another verbal hit. Lutz sighed, stepping towards her. "Do you love him?" his voice had lost its previous bite, but it was still firm, "like– actually love him?"

She turned slowly, her dark eyes locking onto his, guarded but no longer full of fire. "Si. Yes," she said, the words quiet but absolute, "I love him."

Lutz studied her, searching for any hint of a lie, any hesitation. But there was none. Just exhaustion, fear, and something deeper– something he’d only ever seen when Vance talked about her.

His stomach twisted.

Crap.

Lutz ran a hand down his face, exhaling sharply. Everything in him still wanted to hate her, to shove all the blame on her shoulders and walk away. But looking at her now– really looking– he saw the truth. She loved Vance. That didn’t make him hate her less, but it made it harder to dismiss her as just another StarFleet liar.

Still, it didn’t change what needed to be said.

He took a step closer, lowering his voice, "if you love him– really love him– let him go."

Adrianna’s brow furrowed, her lips parting slightly about to protest.

Lutz pressed on, his tone urgent, "he deserves better, Reggimi. Better than a life of looking over his shoulder; better than whatever game you’re playing. He deserves a chance to walk away from all this with his head still on his shoulders."

She swallowed hard, but he wasn’t finished.

"You know it. You know what this world does to people; you know it doesn't let people like him– like you– walk away cleanly," his voice dropped to something darker, something almost pleading, "you want to stay by his side? You want to keep him close? Then let him go before this life chews him up and spits him out as nothing but a body to be buried."

Adrianna shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "I–"

"No!" Lutz snapped, and for the first time, his anger cracked into something raw, "you don’t get to hesitate! If you keep him in this life, you’ll get him killed. And if that happens–" he leaned in, his voice dropping to a dangerous hush, his face barely millimetres from hers, in such a threatening manner, "I will personally ensure that Freecloud-styled justice is carried out."

She stiffened and shoved him, trying to get him out of her personal space, but he didn’t back away.

"You know what that means," he said, every word weighted with cold finality, "I’ll even be the damn executioner. And I won’t hesitate."

Adrianna inhaled sharply, her gaze locked onto his. Fear didn’t flicker across her face– she wasn’t afraid of his threat but she looked hurt, like he’d just driven a knife straight through her ribs.

Lutz clenched his jaw, spitting, "Let. Him. Go."

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

Then, finally, Adrianna lowered her gaze, backing down a little. Her shoulders trembled just slightly before she squared them again, masking the pain. "I hear you," she murmured, vaffanculo.”

Lutz studied her one last time, then scoffed under his breath and turned away. "Mark my words, his blood will be on your hands," he muttered, shaking his head as he walked off.

Adrianna didn’t move.

Didn’t breathe.

Because the worst part was– she knew he was right on every count. The real question was how could she convince Vance to even consider backing down from a crazy mission. She couldn't. Instead, she'd just have to keep him safe.

 

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