Who Says You Can't Go Home - Part 3

Posted on Mon 3rd Mar, 2025 @ 5:50pm by Captain Andrus Grax & Commander Mikaela Locke & Commander Paul Graves PsyD

1,425 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: From The Ashes
Location: Just Outside 109 / Docking Bay 89
Timeline: MD-01: 0900

Previously...

"Captain Grax, Commander Locke, please report to the bridge. We're coming up on Starbase One-Oh-Nine." Hannah Sawyer's voice echoed through the room.

Grax and Locke exchanged a brief glance before both rising from their seats, leaving their chess game unfinished. "On our way, lieutenant," Grax responded.

Both paused momentarily as they weighed the gravity of returning to a starbase that they knew would be both familiar and changed. Both breathed a heavy breath, looked at each other again, and then headed out towards the bridge.

And now...

"Report," Grax ordered as he strode on to the bridge of the Falcon and took the centre seat.

"We've dropped out of warp and are easing toward the station at impulse, sir," Hannah Sawyer reported from the forward ops & conn station. "We've requested permission to dock."

"Thank you, lieutenant," Grax replied, as he turned towards Mikaela Locke, who had settled at the station on his right. "Data secured?" he asked.

"Data is secured, sir," Locke replied without looking around from her monitors. "No one's getting any unauthorised eyes on it."

Grax nodded. "In that case..." He pressed a couple of controls on the small console embedded in the left-hand arm of his chair, which opened a ship-wide channel. "All hands," he began, "this is the captain. We are now approaching Starbase One-Oh-Nine, where we will dock and disembark. Our mission is officially over, and thus I am lifting 'Protocol Black' status. Feel free to let your friends and family know that you're home. Those of you with permanent postings on the station, Commander Locke will see to it that your service records continue uninterrupted - as far as I am concerned, you were never here. That said," he continued, allowing himself a small smile, "It's been an honour to serve with all of you; our mission has been a success, and I'm sure I will bump into some of you on the station. Grax out."

He closed the channel.

'I might bump into some of you on the station, assuming I'm staying on it...' he reflected to himself. In truth he still had no idea what the next couple of days would bring. His best hope for the immediate was that his quarters were still his and no one had ordered some nom-com to pack up his stuff and put it in storage while he was away.

"Docking control has cleared us," Sawyer's report pulled him back to the moment, "Docking port eighty-nine."

"Take us in, lieutenant," he said, calmly.

All eyes turned towards main viewing screen as the Defiant-class ship cleared the gigantic docking bay doors, designed to allow starships far bigger than the Falcon through their aperture. A few minutes later the ship had navigated its way through the spacedock and arrived at docking port eighty-nine.

The ship shuddered slightly, and the light sound of external machinery connecting itself to the bulkheads, was just about audible on the bridge.

"All moorings are secured," reported Sawyer.

"Very good," Grax said, rising from his seat. "Co-ordinate with engineering, make sure we're powered down. Make sure your final report is with me before you get swept back up in station ops."

"Of course, sir," Hannah Swayer turned deliberately to look at her captain, a deliberately saccharin-sweet smile on her face. "You're the boss, until you say otherwise."

Grax returned the smile and nodded, an unspoken acknowledgment of the amazing asset that Sawyer had been to the mission.

He looked at Locke and then around at the other members of the bridge crew. "Shall we?"

Without waiting for a response, he headed off the back of the bridge, toward the airlock, Locke and the rest of the bridge crew in tow. A few moments later, they had reached the airlock, where a few of the crew had already gathered, waiting for their captain to disembark at the head of them. Grax nodded in gratitude as he passed them, then paused, briefly, before straightening his uniform jacket and stepping into the airlock and out onto the dock of Starbase One-Oh-Nine.

Those who had come to greet the passengers disembarking from the Falcon were a very small group, as Grax had only just given his crew permission to inform their relatives they were home. Paul only knew to be there because he'd set his computer to alert him when the Falcon approached the station. He'd been awaiting the alert for 18 months.

At last, the light above the entrance to Airlock 89 came on, and a chime sounded. "USS Falcon arriving, gate 89. All personnel wishing to board, please wait until all passengers have disembarked before boarding. Thank you."

As far as Paul knew, no one was waiting to board. Falcon would likely remain docked for a few days for repair and resupply before heading out again on some other mission. Or this might be its permanent berth for a while; Commander Severide didn't (often) consult him on the movements of Intelligence Department ships.

After a few minutes, a humming sounded as the airlock cycled, and the white lights changed to green. Moments later, Paul saw Andrus Grax as he walked out, followed by the rest of his crew. Grax looked apprehensive but also interested as he stepped onto the deck. Paul met his gaze with a welcoming nod and then looked for Mikaela. And...there she was, all in one piece.

Home, at last, Paul thought as he moved toward Grax. At this moment, he was the only member of the command team present, and it wouldn't do to ignore the Falcon's CO. "Welcome home, Captain Grax," he said. "It's good to have you all back."

"Thank you, commander," Grax said, extending his hand. He was aware that Paul was likely there as much to see Mikaela as he was as an official representative of the station's command team but, given that he was the senior officer present, Grax felt that sticking to the formalities was the way to go. "Permission to come aboard?"

"Granted," Paul said and shook Grax's hand. "Besides, Mikaela would kill me if I didn't grant it," he added with a mischievous glance in her direction.

Grax smiled and also glanced in Mikaela's direction. "Well, you're not wrong," he said, releasing Paul's hand. "I'll let you two catch up," he continued, aware that Locke had been politely keeping station behind him, waiting for him to conclude the formalities. He stepped past Graves with a nod and, as he did so turned back to Locke to offer another half-nod and small smile that seemed to say, "I'll see you later."

Mikaela had been anticipating this moment ever since she had left the station but, now that it was finally here, she felt a sudden surge of panic. Had Paul come to meet her or had he been assigned to come and meet the ship? Did he still feel the same way about her, or had the time she had been away cause an inevitable wedge to form between them? She had so many questions, so many things she wanted to say and yet her mind suddenly seemed so overwhelmed that she felt completely unable to form a coherent sentence. "Hi." She eventually managed take a step toward him.

Paul beamed at her. "I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see you again. Welcome home, sweetheart." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

Mikaela Locke allowed herself to be drawn into his embrace. For so long she had questioned every aspect of what it would mean to return to One-Oh-Nine. Could she return to the life that she had left eighteen months ago? What would she do, given that it was almost certain she had been replaced in her role? Would Paul still want to be with her? Would he even be on the station at all? But, in this moment, all those questions seem to melt away as Paul wrapped his arms around her. While she knew that there were still questions to be answered, and wider issues to be resolved, they could wait for another time. Right now, she was simply content to be back with him. The anxiety left her and suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, she felt safer and more comfortable than she had felt in some time... Maybe ever.

She felt, at least, in this moment, home.

 

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