You're Still My Beautiful Daughter

Dozae-Rae roared out into the clear blue sky. At first, it was hard to tell who was approaching, but the unmistakable sound of jet engines caused tensions to rise. The dragon sprung up in a rage, standing like a beast protecting his territory, ready to strike two fighters as they shot past the mountain. Sam rushed to the God with arms flailing.

"Don't do it!" she shouted. "They're here for me!"

Dozae returned to his senses halfway off the platform and stopped, letting his plasma drain from his mouth like a mucus. 

"Such noisy bugs," he huffed. "But they can never kill me."

The Albatross approached slowly and carefully. They estimated the power of Dozae and were correct in being cautious, so the metal bird used the lower perch as a landing zone. This was enough to keep the God satisfied, and so curled up to cover his ears from the craft's engines.

"Are those your friends from the palace?" Vinisnu asked.

"I'm not sure," Sam replied. How did they find her? She wondered, but chances were a GPS tracker was somewhere in her clothes. They learned not to let her wander again. Smart men, but why now?

"Sam!" Reynolds shouted. "Are you alright!? It's me! Sam!"

"Dad!?"

It took more than a minute for them to meet as one strode down the stairs while the other hastily climbed up. There were no words between them, only the heavy pants and exasperated emotions clogging up their senses until finally, in front of the caretaker's home, Captain Reynolds finally embraced his daughter again, squeezing her as if a hundred embraces were due at once.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, her voice muffled through his uniform. "I'm sorry I ran away like that!"

"Don't be sorry," he replied. "I'm just happy you're okay." He patted her scarlet head. The stress had made him worse for wear, but his daughter looked just as bad. Burnt, cut, scratched, and disturbed, Sam had taken the brunt of this new world more than he had. He could only imagine the level of pain she had suffered because of him. "You're still my beautiful daughter."

"Thanks." She wiped her face. She could still see the swelling on her father's face, a testament to her handiwork. "I think you look good, too."

The two sat together for some time. It was long enough to talk through what happened and make their apologies, bring some form of closure.

"So she's gone for real, right?" Sam asked. "It wasn't a trick?"

"I haven't had time to either, but that doesn't mean we don't love her." Reynolds put a hand on her shoulder. "Syl wants you to keep living, Sam, and so do I. That's why I'm focused right now."

"Sam! Who's the old man!?" Vinisnu shouted from up the staircase, curious but respecting his distance. 

Reynolds looked back and burst out laughing. He couldn't help it. His first sight of a new alien humanoid, and the kid looked like he belonged on a beach with a surfboard and trunks.

"Are you the one that's been taking care of my girl?" Reynolds asked. "What's your name?"

Sam blushed. "That's Vinisnu. Vinisnu Vinisoya. He's my...friend."

"Really? Hmmm. He does look friendly."

Vinisnu came down to approach the tall Earthling, posturing himself to be just as tall, at least tail-wise. "That's right! Sam is my best friend. I saved her from worms and foxes and lots of things!"

Reynolds stared at the boy, not to analyze his bravado because he assumed that was an act. He was looking higher than that. "That dragon up there isn't a pet, is it?"

"He's a God."

Close enough. "Then please keep taking care of my daughter. She means everything to me."

"What do you mean? Sam asked. "Weren't you here to take me home?"

Reynolds stood. "I want to, Sam. I really do, but things have changed. I need you to stay on the surface for a little while longer."

"What're you going to do?"

He looked at his own hands. "I'm...not very strong. I don't like fighting. I can't even hold a gun." His eyes turned to the dawn sky, eyeing something just out of sight. "But I have to fight, and I have the Betelgeuse as my weapon. There's a jammer at the end of the solar system. If we can reach it, we can save Pandema."

"Okay, but that doesn't mean you have to fight, right?"

"That's the thing." He scratched his head. "We thought there was only one EVO vessel in the system, but there's actually two."

"Two?" Sam and Snu looked at each other. Snu didn't think that was unusual, but Sam was chalk white.

"They think they're being sneaky, but we know they're trailing the Betelgeuse. Still, there's no way we can outrun it, not with the Betelgeuse's engines. If we're going to win, I have to throw everything at them, so I can't have you on the ship. If you're there with me, I'll hesitate."

Sam reeled back. It was as if she was talking to a completely different person. Even if the gestures and the emotions were the same as before, she had never felt this sense of conviction from her father before. His heart was set, and Sam had to accept that. That meant she had to make sure he stuck to it.

"I'm not going anywhere without Snu," Sam said, grabbing him. "If we're going anywhere, it's together."

Vinisnu smiled. "We're gonna go save the world! So if you wanna stay here, you're more than welcome to."

Reynolds shook his head, knowing he had to stop her somehow, but the boy made him smile. "I'm glad you came to this world, Sam."

"Sir," the Albatross pilot emerged from the rear hatch. "We have bogies approaching."

"Right." A twinge of fear flashed across his face. "We'll draw them off. You stay safe in the mountains."

"Wait!" She grabbed his hand, wanting to say something, but she reprioritized her thoughts. "Did you bring any water? Or a gun?"

Reynolds returned to the ship and pulled out a couple of combat packs with full gear and everything. They even received rifles and ammo.

"Take this radio too. Use this frequency to contact our ground team. They'll come for you."

Sam put on the armor in seconds. "Thanks, Dad."

Reynolds kissed her forehead. "Everything'll be alright. I love you."

And with a push, Reynolds rushed back into the Albatross. The ramp closed the second he stepped aboard and they were off the ground in an instant, diving into the mountains below. For a minute, Sam watched him become a dot in the background before a turn obscured him from vision, and then he was gone.

"Hey, are you alright?" Snu asked.

"I...think that was the last time I'll ever see him." Sam was hit with a flash of deja vu.

Snu turned away, looking back up the path. "You'll see him again. I'll make sure of it."