Calling Home

Posted on Thu Sep 26th, 2024 @ 8:21pm by Lieutenant JG Melinda Sommers & Lieutenant Commander Hiro Sommers-Yoshida

983 words; about a 5 minute read

ON:

Delta shift was active and Hiro found himself sitting alone in the dimly lit Captain’s quarters aboard the Copernicus, his thoughts weighed down by the unsettling subspace message he had received earlier from Jean Batiste. With a heavy sigh, he reached for the console on the desk and contacted Melinda, making sure the subspace connection was secure. He stared at the screen while he waited anxiously for her to answer.

It didn't take long for the call to connect and grey eyes stared back at him. Melinda smiled as she searched his face. "What's wrong?" She asked, having no trouble reading her husband's face without even having the ability to actually read him at this distance.

“Melinda,..remember I told you about my parents and that they died in a Transporter accident?” Hiro started and looked at the beautiful eyes of his wife. “And that my father was a Terraformer?”

Melinda nodded slowly, a worried frown starting to crease her brow. "I remember," she said, giving him all the room and time he seemed to need. "You seem troubled about something. Are you saying that it wasn't an accident?"

“I didn’t know you could still read me at this distance.” Hiro said slightly surprised. “Are my emotions that strong?” Until now he’d always thought he was pretty good in hiding his emotions.

"I can't read you at this distance," she confirmed, "but I know you and your whole bearing is one of being troubled. She cast him an encouraging smile. "Go on... what's troubling you? Whatever it is, I'm here for you."

“Jean Batiste contacted me. Remember him? He’s the one who I studied with years ago on the Academy to specialize in Operations. He’s now Chief of Operations on the USS Veritas.” It had been a long time since both Officers had talked to each other. Too long actually. “Anyway, he told me they found new information about my father. Information that was stored in one of the computer cores on a derelict Romulan ship.”

"How does that make you feel?" She asked, "and why would information be on a Romulan ship?" She could see it troubled him, but she didn't know why it could be a number of reasons why it would be there and they didn't all have to be bad ones.

Hiro didn’t respond right away. He understood why she asked the questions she did, but he couldn’t answer them. “Melinda, the retrieved records show that my father wasn’t a Terraformer. He was a Starfleet Intelligence Officer.” He hoped this would give Melinda an idea of what this would mean.

"Maybe you should talk to my brother," Melinda suggested quietly, "he knows what it's like to go undercover and what strains it can put on family. Including our parents." She paused, smiling lovingly at him. "The question is, does it make a difference to you, what profession he held? Does it change how you feel about him? He's still your dad, no matter what, right?"

“Of course he’s still my father. Only, all of my life I’ve been told he’s a Terraformer working on distant worlds and now computer records from a Romulan ship say he was in fact an Intelligence operative. And I know there’s more but Jean didn’t want to say more over subspace. Something isn’t right. I can feel it.”

"Then you should go and check it out," Melinda suggested supportively, "if you can. I wish I was there with you to help but know that you'll have my support. Nothing worse than not knowing who your parent was." She had lived through a period where her brother was obsessed with this even though that had been brief because her parents had always been very open about it. "If you need anything let me know?"

“Yes, of course I will. If I know anything more I’ll let you know.” Hiro looked at his wife with loving eyes. “Is everything alright?How are Rowan and Miri doing?”

"They're missing their daddy," Melinda smiled, "especially Miri. She's a right daddy's girl and I think she might be an engineer too. She keeps taking things apart and then tries to put it back together. You may have to educate her when you get back." Her smile widened, knowing that the father daughter bond ran much deeper than blood. "I'm meeting Lhaes later, see if he and his children are settling in in the colony. Want me to pass anything along?"

Hiro chuckled.“She’s growing up. Well, if she’s that interested then I can bring along some harmless things from Engineering and show it to her. And say hi to Lhaes from me. Maybe we can visit him together later when I’m back again.”

"I think she's going to love that," Melinda smiled in clear approval of that suggestion. "And I'll set up something, you should be back in a week or so right?" She really wasn't sure when he'd be back.

“A week, week and a half if all goes as planned. It may sound long, but I’ll be back before you know it.” Hiro winked at his wife. “Promise.”

"I'll hold you to that," Melinda smiled, "we'll hold a grand family dinner when you get back. But you need to come back." She gestured at the screen. "Go, do whatever you need to do, and come home." Her smile turned into a mischievous smirk "because I'd hate to have to come to you instead."

“That won’t be necessary.” Hiro chuckled softly. “I’ll come home as soon as we completed this mission. I sure don’t want to be late for that grand family dinner.”

Tag?

Lieutenant Commander Hiro Sommer-Yoshida
Chief Operations Officer
Currently commanding USS Copernicus

Lieutenant Melinda Sommers-Yoshida
Botanist/herbal shop owner
pnpc Peter

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