The shuttle banked smoothly as Luca adjusted their approach vector, the Genesis Platform growing larger in the viewport. After five months away, the massive orbital station felt both familiar and foreign. Home, but not quite.

  "Bay Twelve," Zoe said, reading the navigation display. "Jetbridge extended and waiting."

  Through the viewport, the docking bay looked empty except for the extended jetbridge, a pressurized tunnel reaching out like an arm to pull them in. The positioning jets fired in short bursts as he brought them into alignment.

  "Anyone else nervous?" Danny asked from his wheelchair. Pixel pressed against his leg, her bioluminescent patterns shifting with agitation.

  "Just you," Ryan said.

  Chris leaned back in his seat, forcing a grin. "What, you guys didn't bring your plasma weapons?"

  The joke fell flat. Luca wanted to punch him. But also himself. Should we have?

  The positioning jets fired one final time, and the shuttle shuddered as it locked into place against the jetbridge seal. Through the viewport, Luca could see the airlock mechanism engaging, forming an airtight seal between their shuttle and the Genesis Shipyard.

  "Well," Zoe cleared her throat as she powered down the flight systems. "Here we go."

  They gathered at the airlock, straightening out their dress uniforms, navy blue with the Triumph Initiative insignia on the shoulder, pressed and clean since they first used them months ago. Luca straightened his collar one last time, then hit the release.

  The airlock opened to reveal a white contamination seal stretched across the entire jetbridge.

  "You've got to be kidding me," Ryan muttered.

  Beyond the barrier, the jetbridge ended in what could only be described as a decontamination tent. Bulky white protective suits moved inside, technicians preparing equipment. The tunnel itself was lined with UV lights and what looked like chemical spray nozzles.

  "Captain Rossi," a voice crackled over a speaker mounted above the seal. "Welcome home. Please proceed through the tunnel to the decon station. You'll find clean clothes and changing areas on the other side."

  Luca glanced back at his team. They were all dressed up, ready to see family, ready to be home. Instead they were walking into what looked like a biohazard response.

  "This is some bullshit," Zoe said, but she was already moving forward.

  The seal parted as they approached, and they filed into the tunnel one by one. The UV lights bathed them in harsh blue-white as they walked, and automated sprayers lightly misted them with something that smelled faintly of disinfectant, drying almost instantly on contact. Pixel growled low in her throat, pressing close to Zoe's legs.

  "It's okay girl," Zoe murmured, one hand on the nixocatus's head. "Just a bath."

  The tunnel ended at the tent, where two technicians in full hazmat suits waited. Behind them, Luca could see a row of lockers and curtained-off changing areas.

  "One at a time through medical scanning," one of the technicians said, voice muffled by the suit. "Then you can change out of your dress uniforms. Fresh clothes in the lockers; your sizes should be correct."

  "What about Pixel?" Zoe asked immediately, hand still on the alien creature's head.

  The technicians exchanged a look. "The... animal will need to go through the scanners as well. We have a larger pod that should accommodate her."

  "She's not an animal," Danny said quietly. "She's crew."

  "Of course," the technician said after a pause. "My apologies. The crew member will be scanned as well."

  They processed through the medical pods one by one. Luca went first, stripping down in one of the curtained areas and pulling on the loose white decon clothes that felt more like hospital scrubs than anything else. The medical pod was cramped and cold, sensors humming as they swept over every inch of his body. When he finally stepped out, a technician reviewed the results on a tablet, nodded once, and gestured him toward the far end of the tent.

  "You're clear, Captain. You can get dressed again on the other side."

  The others followed, starting with Emily, then Zoe with Pixel, then the rest of the team. Each scan took what felt like forever. Luca stood in his decon clothes, watching through the transparent sections of the tent as Genesis's normal bustle continued in the corridors beyond. Shuttles were coming and going, and adventurers in armor.

  And then he saw him.

  Commander Athan Rossi stood beyond the final decon checkpoint, hands clasped behind his back. His father looked older than he remembered, with new lines around his eyes and more gray in his close-cropped hair. The Genesis Shipyard command uniform fit him perfectly.

  But it was the way Athan was looking through him, as if seeing someone else entirely, that made Luca's chest tighten.

  He'd been standing here for twenty minutes, watching through the decon tent's transparent walls as his son and his crew went through the medical scans. The whole quarantine protocol felt like overkill, but Athan was Commander, and he had to set the example.

  Even if every second of delay made his chest ache.

  Luca stepped out of the final changing area, back in his dress uniform, and stopped when he saw Athan waiting. For a moment, neither of them moved. Five months. His son had been gone for five months, four light-years away in a system humanity had barely begun to understand, in a ship that had nearly been sabotaged into a fireball.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  And he'd brought his crew back whole.

  Athan's hands unclenched from behind his back. Protocol could go to hell.

  He walked forward and pulled Luca into a hug. "Welcome home, son," Athan managed, his voice rough.

  Luca hugged him back, and Athan felt the tension drain from his oldest boy's shoulders. Not Captain Rossi anymore. Just Luca, his son.

  When they finally pulled apart, Athan had to look away for a moment, blinking hard. Maddie's eyes stared back at him from Luca's face, with the same intensity. Every time he looked at their oldest son, he saw her staring back.

  "You did good," Athan said, clearing his throat. "Real good. Brought your crew back safe, completed the survey, and from what I'm seeing—" He gestured out the viewport. "—you brought back more than anyone expected."

  "I had a lot of help," Luca said.

  "You always were modest." Athan managed a small smile. "Your brothers are going to lose their minds when they see you. And Karen's been pacing the command module for the last hour."

  The rest of the crew emerged from the changing rooms, back in their uniforms. Athan nodded to each of them. Emily Berrow with her sharp intelligence and unwavering support of Luca, Zoe Woods carrying the legacy of her twin brother in every competent action, the rest of the team that had become legends in five short months.

  And the alien creature padding at Zoe's heels, bioluminescent patterns flickering as it studied Athan with unsettling intelligence.

  "That's Pixel," Luca said, following Athan's gaze. "She's... with us now."

  "So I gathered," Athan said dryly. "Medical cleared her?"

  "Clean as the rest of us," Zoe said firmly. "She's crew, Commander."

  Athan studied the nixocatus. In another life, he might have ordered her quarantined or studied or sent back to wherever it came from.

  But he looked at the way Pixel stayed close to Danny's wheelchair and at the protective posture she held near Zoe.

  "Alright," Athan said. "But she stays close to your team. Earth isn't ready for... her."

  "Understood," Zoe said.

  Athan turned back to Luca, and his expression softened again. "I hope you're hungry. We've got lunch waiting for you."

  The decon tent had one final checkpoint, where they were cleared and allowed to pass through into Genesis proper. Luca fell into step beside his father as they walked through the corridors, Emily at his other side, the rest of the team following close behind.

  Security flanked them, Genesis guards in full armor. The looks they gave the team ranged from awe to wariness, and Luca realized with a start that they were famous now. The crew that went to Alpha Centauri and came back. The ones who'd done the impossible.

  "The security's not for you," Athan said quietly, noticing Luca's glance. "It's for everyone else. Word got out that you were arriving today."

  "Fantastic," Luca muttered.

  Emily's hand found his, her fingers warm and steady. He squeezed back, grateful.

  They passed through the main corridor into Genesis's Command section, the massive amphitheater-style bridge visible through reinforced windows. Dozens of tactical stations and holographic displays showing the asteroid belt's traffic patterns, illustrating the work of running humanity's largest shipyard.

  Beyond the bridge, Athan led them down a side corridor and through a security checkpoint that scanned his biometrics before clearing the heavy blast doors. The corridor beyond was quieter and more refined, where Genesis's senior staff worked and met.

  "Conference room's just ahead," Athan said.

  The doors opened, and Luca stopped.

  The conference room had been transformed. Tables laden with food stretched along one wall, fresh bread, salads that actually looked fresh, and burgers with actual meat inside. And there, in the center, was a massive dish of fettuccine alfredo that made Luca's mouth water.

  But it was the people gathered around those tables that made his throat tighten.

  It was a crowd, Athan's senior staff mixed with family. Karen Stevens stood at the far end with her husband, Michael, and Marisol Vintar in her UER dress uniform beside them. His brothers Matteo and Alessio leaned against the wall near the food, grinning up at him. Zoe's rather large family filled half the room, her father standing quiet and proud. Chris's parents, Ryan's sister, others scattered throughout.

  Not everyone was here, though. Luca noticed the absences immediately. Joey and Danny's family... Emily's. The ones who weren't here because they couldn't be, or wouldn't be.

  Emily's hand tightened in his, and he squeezed back. I've got you.

  "Welcome home, kids," Karen said, and her voice cracked.

  The formality broke like a dam. Matteo pushed off the wall and crossed the room in three strides, grabbing Luca in a bear hug that lifted him off his feet.

  "You absolute madman," Matteo said, his voice rough. "Five months. FIVE MONTHS. Do you know what it's been like waiting for Karen to share updates and not knowing if you were alive or dead?"

  "Probably about the same as it was sending them," Luca managed, returning the hug.

  Alessio was next, both of them piling on until Luca couldn't breathe, couldn't think, could only hold onto his brothers and feel the relief washing off them in waves.

  When they finally let go, Luca turned to find Emily wrapped in Zoe's mother's arms, the older woman whispering something Luca couldn't hear. Chris was being smothered by his mother while Ryan was deep in conversation with his sister, Joey was standing near Danny's wheelchair, slightly apart but smiling as the others celebrated.

  Athan appeared at Luca's shoulder. "Bourbon," he said. "The good stuff."

  Luca took it gratefully, the warmth spreading through his chest. "Thanks."

  They stood together in comfortable silence, watching the reunion unfold. The room filled with laughter, with stories, with the kind of noise that came from people who'd thought they might never see each other again.

  "You brought them back," Athan said quietly. "That's... that's what matters, Luca. You brought them all back."

  "We made it," Luca said simply.

  Athan nodded, took a drink from his own glass, and Luca saw his hand shake slightly before he steadied it.

  The room settled as people found seats and started filling plates. The smell of real food, actual fettuccine alfredo with garlic and cream, burgers and fresh bread that was still warm, made Luca's stomach growl audibly.

  "Go eat," Athan said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You've earned it."

  Luca moved toward the food, but not before his hand found Emily's again. They made their way to the tables together, filling plates while family and friends moved around them. The questions came fast. What was Alpha Centauri like? Did you really find life? How big is the ship? When can we see it?

  Luca deflected most of them with vague answers and promises to tell the full story later. Right now, he wanted to eat actual food and feel Emily's presence beside him, solid and real and home.

  They found seats at one of the tables, the rest of the team filtering in around them. Matteo sat across from Luca, with Alessio on his other side, both of them staring at their oldest brother like he might disappear if they looked away.

  The fettuccine Alfredo tasted exactly like Mom used to make; Dad must have made it. Luca closed his eyes for a moment.

  Emily leaned against his shoulder, her warmth grounding him. Across the table, his brothers were laughing at something Zoe had said. Around them, family and friends filled the space with the kind of noise that came from people who'd thought they might never see each other again.

  After an hour of food and wine and stories that couldn't possibly convey what they'd actually experienced, Karen stood at the head of the room and cleared her throat.

  The conversations died down.

  "I know you all just got home," Karen said, her voice carrying easily. "And I know you're tired, and you deserve to rest. "But," she pulled a tablet from her pocket and held it up with a glint in her eye, "we have a Charter to turn in, don't we?"

  The room went quiet for a beat, and then Ryan started laughing. Chris joined in, and soon the whole team was grinning.

  "You want us to go file paperwork," Luca said. "Right now."

  "Captain Rossi," Karen said formally, "you and your crew have been gone for five months on an Exploration Charter worth millions of credits. The IFC would very much like to get paid."

  Emily was shaking with silent laughter beside him. Even Athan was grinning.

  "Alright," Luca said, standing. His team rose with him, the movement automatic after five months of working together. "Let's go turn in our Charter."

  Karen's smile softened, and her eyes gleamed with something that might have been tears. "Welcome home, kids," she said again. "You did the impossible. Now let's make it official."

  The room erupted in cheers.

  "Alright," Karen said, straightening. "Let's go to your dad's office. Time to collect your pay."