Country roads take me home
Posted on Sun May 25th, 2025 @ 8:09am by Lieutenant JG Melinda Sommers & Commander Hiro Sommers-Yoshida
1,432 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Episode 9: Across Time
Location: Yoshida Sommers quarters
"Daddy!!!!!!"
Two voices shouted in chorus as the man of the house walked in. Two pairs of outstretched hands, vying for attention.
From a small distance away, Melinda watched the pair with a smile, though her brow was creased in a worry as she watched her husband even more closely than she did the children. All the same, she was glad he'd come home safe and without injury. "Welcome home," she said softly, not even bothering to try and be heard over the children's cries for attention.
Hiro barely had time to step through the door before two small bodies collided with his legs. He let out a breathless chuckle, crouching down to wrap Miri and Rowan in a tight embrace. “Hey, you two,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to each of their heads.
Then his gaze lifted to Melinda. For a moment, all the exhaustion, all the tension from Lethe, melted away. He reached for her, his hand lingering against hers. “I’m home,” he said, the weight of those words settling deep.
She took his hand and drew him closer, kissing him before resting her head against his chest. "You're home," she echoed as she circled his arms around him. "You're safe, your crew is safe. Do you want to talk about what happened?" She knew senior officers couldn't always discuss what happened, but she also knew that a partner was a logical outlet.
Hiro exhaled slowly, resting his chin atop her head as he held her close. “Not yet,” he admitted, his voice quieter now that the initial rush of homecoming had settled. “It was… close. Too close.” His grip on her tightened for a brief second before he loosened it, shaking his head as if to clear the thought.
Then, with a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, he added, “Right now, I just want this. You, the children… being here.”
"That's Starfleet live," she answered casually, "there's going to be close calls. I've had a few myself before I met you. I was pregnant with Rowan at the time, though I didn't know I was until I was told. Oddly enough, I wasn't even showing."
Vying for attention, Miri tugged at his arm and held up hers in request to be picked up. "I'm glad you're home daddy," she said as soon as he complied, "can I see your ship? Mommy said it is a small ship, but it's fast. And that she's beautiful, but mommy hasn't seen it so how does she know?"
Melinda chuckled. "Give daddy a moment love, he just got here. Maybe we can all see the ship in a few days?"
Hiro lifted Miri into his arms, pressing a kiss to her temple. “She is fast, and she is beautiful,” he confirmed with a small smile. “And your mommy just knows these things. She’s very wise.” He shot Melinda a knowing look before his expression turned thoughtful. “But…”
His gaze flicked between his wife and children before he continued. “There’s been a few changes since this morning. One of them is that the Copernicus won’t be my ship anymore. Starfleet assigned a new vessel to the station, and I’ll be commanding that one instead.”
"Which vessel then?" Melinda asked, "and why?"
"A bigger ship?" Rowan asked eagerly, "faster than the old one?" He beamed at his father. "Mommy always knows things... but sometimes I do too I don't know how I know but I do." The boy shared his mother's telepathic nature but was only just discovering it. Unlike his little sister, who was only aware of people's feelings.
Hiro held Miri a little closer as he met Melinda’s gaze. “The new ship arrived only last evening. It’s the USS Magawa, a Pathfinder-class vessel. It’s only the second ship of its class, and it’s still in the testing phase. Admiral Kew Nora brought her in personally, and she’s been assigned to Deep Space 21 for further shakedown and testing in the Briar Patch.”
He paused, his expression softening. “The Admiral offered me command of the station as well, which means I’ll be leading both the Magawa and the operations on the station. A lot of responsibility, but I think we’re ready for it. It’ll be an exciting challenge.”
Hiro smiled at Rowan, crouching down so they were eye-to-eye. “Yep, the Magawa is bigger and faster. It’s designed to go on long adventures and handle tough missions. And you’re right, sometimes you just know things. I think you’ll really like the ship when you see it. It’s going to be our new home away from home, and I’m sure you’ll find all kinds of cool things to discover on board.” He ruffled Rowan’s hair again with a grin. “Maybe you’ll even help me figure out some of the ship’s secrets. How about that?”
The boy's eyes lit up as he cast his mother an imploring look. "Can I? Pleeeeaaaase?"
"Me too!" Miri chimed in, feeling a little forgotten.
Melinda smiled at their excitement. "Why not," she consented, leaning in to kiss her husband, earning an 'ewww gross' response from Rowan. "You've earned this, we both know you worked very hard and it's paid off. I'm not keen on moving back and forth between ship and station but obviously I'll go with you when the ship heads out."
Hiro hadn’t really considered that part, shuttling between the station and the ship. It wasn’t a long trip, but doing it over and over could get old fast, especially with the kids. He could already imagine the hassle of packing things up, settling in, only to do it all over again sometime later..
Letting out a thoughtful breath, he nodded. “Yeah, moving back and forth is not ideal. That could get tiring quickly.” He met her gaze, his tone understanding. “I’d love to have you with me, but I get it if you don’t want to come along every time the Magawa heads out. We’ll figure out a balance that works.”
He shifted his hold on Miri, giving Rowan a small grin. “But when you do come, I think these two are going to have the best time exploring.”
"We could permanently move to the ship and only stay on the station in the event we can't travel with you." Melinda suggested, "and like you said there is a lot to learn for them out there." She grinned at him. "And plenty of flora to discover for me."
Hiro chuckled softly, his eyes warming as he looked at her. “That actually makes a lot of sense. The Magawa has more than enough space, and the labs are state-of-the-art. You would probably end up taking over the science bay if I let you.”
His smile grew. “And you’re right. There’s a whole universe out there for them to explore, to learn from. It’s not a bad way to grow up. Seeing new places, learning new things together as a family.”
He leaned in to kiss her forehead. “Looks like we’re all going to be on a new kind of adventure.”
Rowan beamed up at his father. "A star trek," he said, "can I see your ship now? Pleeeeaaaase?”
With a laugh, he tousled Rowan’s hair again. “A star trek, huh?” He glanced at the chrono. “Not right now, buddy. It’s been a long day, and I haven’t even changed out of my uniform yet.”
He shifted Miri gently in his arms and looked back at Melinda with a tired but contented smile. “But tomorrow, after breakfast? We’ll go aboard together. I’ll show you the Bridge, Main Engineering, maybe I’ll even let you sit in the Captain’s chair.”
He winked at Rowan. “Just don’t tell Starfleet.”
"Yay!" The boy cheered.
"Right. Now off to bed Rowan...be good and daddy will tuck you in." She held out her arms. "I'll take care of Miri."
Hiro gently handed Miri over with a grateful smile, then turned to Rowan with a mock-serious look. “You heard your mother—off to bed, cadet. That’s an order.”
But his voice softened as he placed a hand on Rowan’s back and guided him toward his room. “Come on, let’s get you tucked in. Big day tomorrow. You’ve got a starship to inspect.”
Commander Hiro Sommers-Yoshida
CO Deep Space 21
Lieutenant Melinda Sommers-Yoshida
Biologist DS21
pnpc Peter
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