The Great Santucci

Posted on Mon Aug 24th, 2026 @ 2:30am by Lieutenant Zachary Addams & Lieutenant JG Grace MacKenzie 'Sabre'

2,510 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Kintsugi
Location: Holodeck

They'd taken time to get out of the water and dry themselves before Zach said, "computer, access my personal database. Access file "F-and-F-Three" and set us alone in the center ring, no net setup.

The beach disappeared and was replaced with a large open circle, a layer of dirt and straw underneath them. Beyond the ring they stood in were bleachers and a large tent ballooning over the entire area. Zed and Grace were standing below a tall ladder going up a pole towards a set of trapezes and the smell of popcorn and cotton candy was in the air.

"Welcome to the Farris and Fairway Intergalactic Circus," he said, quietly. "This is where I spent a large portion of my life." He looked around quietly. "This is where I stopped being Zach and became Zed." He wished he could've plucked a coin from the air, and had to settle for asking the holodeck to produce one, which he promptly made disappear. "This is where I learned every trick I know."

Grace spun in place as she took in the big top around them, instantly spotting the ladder and almost keening for the height advantage. “This is how you were raised?” She asked him, “Ah couldn’t imagine bein’ someone performin’ in here, Ah’ve always been an outdoorsy type of girl, though Ah’ll admit that the arenas Ah did the rodeo in were a mix..” She turned to him again, “Was it fun growin’ up like this?”

“Truthfully? I didn’t ‘grow up’ like this, per se,” Zed said. “I told you about what happened to me on Vulcan’s Forge. The aftermath, however, was…rough.”

He walked over to one of the stadium seats surrounding the ring and sat down. “I came home from the hospital, and I didn’t know who or what I was. Was I Zach? Was I some Vulcan wearing Zach’s face? Was who I was even still there? I couldn’t even properly feel the fear and discomfort I knew I felt because of my governor always being on. I couldn’t sleep, I barely ate. I felt like a stranger in my own home.”

He sighed and rubbed his face. “I tried for weeks, I truly did. I tried to make it work. I’d tell myself I loved my family and they were patient with me, but then I would question who I even was, and who I was to them, and them to me. Hell, just looking in the mirror made my skin crawl.” He swallowed. “The only logical solution I could come up with at the time was to get away. Leave Zach’s life behind, start fresh, figure myself out, then maybe go home when I was ready.”

He looked at her. “One of the ironic twists of fate was that the meld had spiked my intellect and my focus. I was already tall, but now I sounded mature. I could pass for an older teenager traveling alone. So, I forged identification files, packed a small Vulcan travel bag, and set out with barely a credit to my name to go find myself. Stupid? Yes. But at the time, it felt like my only option.”

“So, there I was, sitting on a Vulcan transport headed for Aldus Prime,” he said. “I didn’t really have a plan, and that was painfully apparent when I stepped into the colony and realized I had no idea where to go next. That’s when I saw it: the big top.” He looked up at the canvas roof above them and smiled. “At first, it was just a place to sit down, swipe some food, maybe, and see a show. I didn’t really intend to join up.”

Grace's hand came up to cover her mouth halfway through and she reached out to give him a hug as she listened to him, "Ah didn't have any idea that it had been that bad for you... Ah wish Ah'd known you back then, Ah coulda helped, but that would have been impossible anyways." She knew she wasn't making sense, "Ah went to see a circus once back a long time ago and it was entertainin', but what made you join it?"

He pulled her to him, holding her close as she hugged him. "The same thing that always upheaves my life," he said with a humorless chuckle. "A girl."

The first thought that went through her head was that she, too, had caused an upheaval in his life, then the jealousy that someone else had him as a boyfriend before she did, but then that it was almost inevitable in any case. "Should Ah be worried that she's gonna come back and take you away?"

"If by 'take me away' you mean 'bury me in a shallow grave' then perhaps," he joked. "She was part of the trapeze troupe. She was nearly two years older than me, or at least than my real age. I still don't know what possessed me, but after the circus was closing for the day, I walked to the manager's office, and told him my name was Zed and I wanted to work for the circus."

"Ah can only imagine that they looked at you standin' there and laughed." Grace chuckled, "Ah mean, how many people just go up and say they wanna join the circus, it's the punchline to a bad joke." Still, she wanted to listen closely.

"Yeah. At first he was ready to toss me out on my ear," Zed said. "It took the better part of two hours of discussion to convince him I was willing to do whatever it took. He let me sleep in a spare stall, next to their sehlat. I had hot meals, but backbreaking work. I cleaned up after everyone, I learned to fix the machinery when it broke down, and now and then I had to put on clown makeup and take a few hits to the face. Basically, whatever crap job they could put me through, I did it. If that was the price of being there, I was willing to pay it. And in a way, it was what I needed. It kept me focused, and gave me purpose."

"But you were only a kid, really, even if they didn't know it," she objected.

"But I wasn't," Zed said. "I was cold, logical, and mature. I didn't act like a kid." He sighed. "The governor started to wear off, as promised. I started to feel again. Those around me assumed it was the 'new guy' thawing out and I started making friends. Sara barely gave me a glance, but I didn't let that bother me. But then, once again, my life took a turn. The show had a resident magician, and he told me he was looking for an apprentice. It would involve hours upon hours of practice and study, but if I was willing, he'd teach me. I accepted."

"Which was what got you into the whole magic side of things." Grace confirmed. "Who was he, though?"

Zed gave a small chuckle. "His name, at least as far as I ever knew, was The Great Santucci. True to his word, it was a grueling. I slept three to four hours. I studied math, physics, speech lessons, body language, psychology, and more. I also had to practice all of his tricks, and learn to be his assistant. And, on top of that, I had to keep up with my regular duties. I would have something in my ear reading me textbooks while I performed or shoveled or took care of Pi'kan-bu." He glanced at her. "That was the sehlat." He took a long breath. "And somehow, in all of that, I found strength to try and punch out a spectator." He laughed to himself.

"And that couldn't have ended up well." Grace found a spot to sit and did so, "Ah've never seen a sehlat, by the way, so Ah have no idea what they look like."

"Computer," Zed said, "one sehlat, middle aged, light brown coloring." The large bear-like creature appeared sitting in the center of the ring. "They look fierce, but they can be very sweet when you get to know them," he said. "And taking a swing at a spectator wasn't all bad. I got Sara's attention." He looked up the ladder to the high wire. "She taught me a lot about facing my fears. Had me swinging back and forth up there and I just prayed I wouldn't fall." He shook off a shiver. "But Santucci was the main part of my day. He taught me almost all his tricks, and I developed a few new ones."

Grace slid over on the bench to keep Zed between her and the sehlat, just in case. "You're afraid of heights?" she asked him, catching the hesitation. "Ah could um... No, that'd be a bad idea at the moment." She glanced down at the ground, "So you're a whiz at magic tricks? Ah know Ah've seen a few of them at least, but you must have been really good at it."

"I wasn't in the beginning," Zed said, putting an arm around her and holding her close. "Practice was pretty much the rest of my free time. I studied, I practiced, I worked, I performed, I practiced more. Only social life I had was the times I could interact with my fellow performers."

"That sounds like it could have gotten borin' really fast." Grace had to say, "Not much of a life, really."

Zed shrugged. "It wasn't a bad life, just a busy one. But the busy stopped me from dwelling on the problems that sent me out there. It let me just...be. I started to discover who I was and what I was capable of." He got quiet for a moment, looking backwards to that time. "Santucci was a good mentor," he said. "He was strict, but he was patient, and he was wise. I learned a lot from him. I wish my parents could have met him. I wish I could thank him for everything he did for me."

Grace breathed in at that and didn't let it out for several seconds, the way his words sounded made it sound like... "Why didn't he? He didn't... Die or anything', did he?"

Zed took a breath. "I have absolutely no idea," he said. "I woke up one morning and he was sitting at his desk. He rarely used a computer, but he was working on something and finished when I walked into the room. We went through the lessons I'd been working on and practiced a few small tricks to warm up as we usually did. We went to the dining car for breakfast, and I went to go eat with Sara, but he stopped me and told me to sit with him. He told me he was proud of me, and asked if I felt I was ready to take over for him. I was stunned. I asked if he was really planning on retiring. He looked old, but I didn't think he was that old."

He stood up and walked back to the floor, hands in his pockets, looking around. "I told him I wasn't sure. He told me to make something on the table disappear before the end of our meal. If I could do that without him noticing, I would take over the name and his role in the show."

Grace's gaze was rapt on him in anticipation, "And did you?"

Zed smiled. "I had gotten the salt and pepper shakers, my fork, his knife and the butter dish away before he realized." He shrugged. "He laughed and said I was ready. I don't know if I'd seen him laugh like that before. He seemed truly happy." He let out a breath. "We did the normal show. The crowd was loving every moment of it. And then, he announced it was time for his farewell, and I set up The Antallagē."

"Antallagē" She repeated, the word sounding much different with her Texan accent, "What does that mean?"

"It's ancient Greek. It means 'exchange.' He would put me in a tall black box, then stand on a platform with a black curtain. He'd lift the curtain up and down, letting the audience see him, each time, then he'd say some magic words, and lift the curtain high, then let it fall, and when it fell, I'd be standing there ready to take a bow." He swallowed. "Then I would open the box, and he would step out of after, as if we had transported to each other's locations. It brought he house down."

"How does that work?" Grace asked, before shaking her head, "Nevermind, that's not important, but it sounds like this time it was a bit different?"

"The curtain fell and I stood there, basking in the applause," he said, "and then I went to open the box....and it was empty." He shook his head. "He actually disappeared. I never saw him again. After that day, I was The Great Santucci, and Sara became my assistant. It was that way until I had to leave."

"That just sounds... So sad." Grace said, getting up and walking to him before giving him a hug, "Ah'm sorry that it ended that way, he sounds like he was a really good man and all. Hopefully Sara was at least a good assistant for you?"

"She was," he said, softly, hugging her back. "Although we only did a few shows together before I had to leave. She was a natural performer, but I never got to teach her any of the complicated tricks. That's why I took everything with me. Until I pass it on, I'm still The Great Santucci, but more importantly, in private, I'm still Zed."

"If you wanna keep it a secret, Ah won't tell anyone, Ah promise." Grace said solemnly, "Did you and she ever? You know, get together? Not that it's any of my business, Ah know that, just like Ah know Ah wouldn't have to tell you about any boyfriends Ah had before, maybe Ah should just shut up."

He led her back to the stands and sat down in a seat, pulling her onto his lap and resting his hands on her hips. "I appreciate your discretion, and I trust you to keep my secrets," he said. "And for the record: she's a part of my past," he said. "Right now, I want to focus on the future." He leaned forward and kissed Grace softly, hoping he'd sufficiently healed the mood enough to earn it.

There was a flutter in her stomach as her arms went around his neck and she kissed him back. He was indeed an excellent boyfriend. She'd become a good girlfriend, she really would.

A post by:

Zachary Addams
Chief Engineer
USS Tokyo

and

Grace MacKenzie
Fighter Pilot
USS Tokyo

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