"487 hours until arrival."

"326 hours until arrival."

"248 hours until arrival."

"100 hours until arrival."

Deimos double checked the data feed, satisfied at the sight of full oxygen and tanks and fuel. He had never been on such a long trip before, so he couldn't help but double check everything often. The Andromeda was holding up well, he was very proud of his ship and the work he had put into it.

Satisfied with what he saw, the human floated away from the navigation console, spun around towards the tube that led out of the bridge, and floated downwards. He landed on his feet in the spinning chamber, and decided to check on his passengers.

The hatch was still open on purpose, so the duo could come and go without struggling against the heavy door. As he got closer, he caught the sound of sniffling coming from the open door. With worry clawing at his chest, he quickly moved to poke his head inside the room.

Inside he found that the twins had pushed their beds together, the blankets strewn about. In the middle of the pile of blankets, the two Padlantians were hugging each other. Lozo was holding his sister tightly, and their heads were pressed together as tears fell down their cheeks.

A protective feeling washed over him again, and he quickly moved into the room. "Lala, Lozo?" He whispered in the darkened room, both of them quickly jerking their heads up to look at him. "Is everything okay?"

Lala quickly rubbed the tears off her face, pulled her knees up to her chest, and hid her face. Lozo lowered his head, his hands squeezed into fists as he tried to calm his shaking. Neither of them answered his question.

Deimos frowned, even more concerned now. He made his way into the room, and sat down across from them, just at the edge of the bed. "Do you want to talk about it?" He gently probed.

Neither responded right away, and he assumed that they might not speak at all. After a few minutes, it was Lozo that finally broke the silence. He let out a choked sob, lifted his head, and those yellow eyes were full of fear as they stared at the human.

"D-Deimos…" Lozo hiccuped and scrubbed at his eyes frantically. "Wh- What if Papa forgot about us?!"

"What?!" The red eyed human glanced between the twins in confusion. "Where is this coming from?"

Lala squeezed the fabric of her dress. "W-we've been gone for so long. We were seven when we were taken! What if… What if he doesn't care about us anymore?!"

Lozo let out another gut-wrenching sob. "What if Papa hates us for leaving?! What if we land and- and- and nobody is waiting for us?!"

"No! No." Deimos moved forward, scooping both the twins into his arms. He held them tight as they sobbed against his chest. "You two are the most amazing kids that I know. Even after everything you've been through, neither of you lost your way. You're strong, kind, intelligent, and a million other things!"

"R-really?" Lozo squeaked, suddenly sounding much younger.

The human nodded firmly. "Yes. And I know your Papa is waiting for us, he will be there when we land and give you guys a great big hug!" He hugged them tighter to further his point, drawing a small giggle from them. "Because he loves you so, so much."

Lala sniffled slightly, rubbing her nose with her arm. "Papa does love us a lot… He wouldn't have forgotten us." She softly confirmed, more to herself and her brother than to Deimos.

Lozo nodded in agreement with her sister as he allowed himself to smile. "Yeah… Deimos is right, I bet he's waiting for us right now!"

"Exactly!" Deimos eagerly agreed, relieved to see the smiles on their faces. "And if he's waiting for you, then we don't want to disappoint him!"

The twins let out eager noises of agreement, their tears starting to dry. They looked much more relaxed now that their worries had been eased, and they all sat in a comfortable silence for a long time.

This time, it was Lala who broke it. She glanced up at the human, her yellow eyes curious. "Deimos? I know you don't really remember, but…" She hesitated for a second. "Do you think anyone is waiting for you on Earth?"

Deimos's eyes widened, startled by the innocent question. He bit his lip as he tried to grasp at anything in his head that could give him even the slightest answer to the question, anything that could remind him what he left behind on Earth. But, like every other time he tried, he found nothing.

"I… don't know…" Deimos softly whispered. He turned his gaze towards the twins and gave a small smile. "But… I like to hope that one day, I'll get to go there myself and find out."

Truthfully, Deimos had no idea if he'd ever get that chance. His lack of memories meant he had no idea how technologically advanced his home planet was when he left, nor how long it might be until they made contact with the Galactic System.

There's a good chance I may never get the chance to see my home planet. After all, some planets never contact. He thought, sadness clawing at his heart. He forced himself to shake off this feeling. No! Don't think about that right now, this isn't about me. This is about Padlantis, and them.

He looked at the excited twins, and felt his resolve strengthen. This trip is about Lala and Lozo. So I'll focus on making sure they get the homecoming they deserve.

"99 hours until arrival."


Padlantis was a beautiful planet, Deimos could tell that even when they were staring at it from space. It was a beautiful blue colour, with a few patches of green scattered on the planet's surface and five moons that circled it.

"Our home is a water planet!" Lala had told him once. "We don't have a lot of land, but it's okay! We don't mind all the water. Lots of our homes are kind of underwater anyways so we're used to it!"

He wasn't worried about the water, if his ship could keep in oxygen in space it could handle sitting in the water. He looked at the screen by his seat where a message was displayed, a helpful guide from the Galactic System that showed people arriving where to land. (It was common for newly contacted planets to have a specific landing spot, that way citizens would know where to look for their returning family members.)

Slowly, the Andromeda lowered towards the planet. As they entered the atmosphere, Deimos could see dozens of scattered ships below them, all different styles from different planets. He was a little surprised by the amount, and felt a slight anger overcome him. This is how many people were taken unfairly from their planet…

Lala and Lozo eagerly ran to the bridge windows, stumbling slightly as gravity returned to the ship. They pressed their faces against the glass as they bounced up and down excitedly.

"Do you see Papa yet?" Lala asked her brother.

Lozo seemed to press himself further against the glass, if that were possible, and shook his head. "I can't tell… We're still too high up!"

They squirmed impatiently as the ship slowly lowered into the water. Deimos did his best to get through what he had to do quickly, making sure the ship would be powered down and that they could exit safely. The entire time he worked he could feel their yellow eyes watching him hopefully.

After what felt like an eternity (but was really around a minute) he confirmed that the ship had settled in the shallow water. With a confident nod, he climbed out of his seat and glanced at the two. "Well? Are you ready to get off the ship?"

"YES!" Lala and Lozo cheered at the same time. They ran for the ladder, only to momentarily forget they were no longer in space and tried to jump down the long tube.

Deimos cried out and lunged forward, his hands swirling with a red aura as he used his powers to catch the twins before they could tumble down the metal tube. "Be careful!" He scolded as he set them down. "Gravity, it's a thing, remember?"

The twins' cheeks turned a dark purple as they blushed in embarrassment. But they quickly recovered and scrambled back towards the tube, this time remembering to use the ladder to get down.

"Stars above…" Deimos muttered as he followed quickly behind them. I wonder what age humans get gray hairs, because if I have some after this trip I know who caused it.

The trio made their way into the flight deck, which gave them a good view of all the commotion around them. There were Padlantians walking around the ships. Some of them were embracing others who had come off ships, while others were glancing around searching for their own family.

"There's so many people…" Lozo whispered nervously. "How are we supposed to find him?"

Lala seemed to have a solution. She cupped her hands around her mouth, took a deep breath, and yelled,"PAPA! LALA AND LOZO ARE BACK!"

Several people below them flinched and glanced at the child, but settled down quickly and went about their business. They waited for a few moments, but nobody came.

"Well, this landing place is pretty big." Deimos gave them both a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Let's get off the ship and look around for him, okay?"

Using his powers, he floated them down to the ground. They landed in knee-deep water (waist deep for the twins) that was comfortably warm. Deimos couldn't help his slight discomfort as the mud squished between his toes and soaked his clothes, but Lala and Lozo both looked relieved at the familiar feeling of their planet's watery landscape.

They began to trek around the ships. Every now and then the twins would call out for their father, but they'd never get a response. They circled dozens of ships as the two suns rose higher in the blue sky, but the only response they gained was the sound of other Padlantians reuniting with their loved ones.

Without a hint of a response, the twins started to grow more hopeless. Their calls became weaker, and their determined steps started to slow down. Lala was the first to stop, with Lozo slowing to a stop when he realized his sister wasn't following him.

"Papa's not coming… Is he?" Lala whispered with her head down, the ripples in the water giving away her falling tears.

Lozo's eyes widened and began to water. "No… No he has to! He can't leave us, not when we're finally back!"

"Then why isn't he here?!" Lala sent a fierce glare to her brother. "If he really cared, then why isn't he here?!"

"Lala-"

The girl shook her head. "No, Lozo! I don't want to hear it! Face it, he's not here!"

Deimos was at a loss. He didn't know how to comfort the heartbroken child, especially after watching her snap at her beloved brother. His mind whirled as he tried to think of what to say. Just as he opened his mouth, the sound of a quiet gasp made him stop.

He turned his head, and found his glowing red eyes locking with yellow ones. It was a Padlantians man. He was tall, muscular, and had long purple hair that sank into the water below. He was wearing a black tunic with a long green skirt, and carrying a basket of large white vegetables, though his arms were now shaking. Their eyes only met for a moment before the yellow ones focused just behind Deimos, where the twins were standing, and became wet with tears.

It's him. Deimos realized in an instant. Somehow, he just knew this was who they had been looking for.

"Lala, Lozo." He said in a stern tone as he turned his head to face the twins.

The duo stopped arguing right away and followed his gaze as he looked back at the man in the distance. Lala gasped, while Lozo was stunned into silence.

For a long moment, nobody moved.

Then, with a wave of water, the basket of vegetables was dropped as the tearful man charged towards them. "LALA! LOZO!"

"PAPA!" The twins yelled back as they scrambled through the heavy water towards the approaching man.

They collided hard, but neither group cared. The twins clung to the man as hard as they could and burst into tears, while the man lifted them out of the water with his strong arms, and held them tight.

"Papa! Papa!"

"Papa!"

"My little flowers! My babies!" The man sobbed, pressing kisses into their hair. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Lala let out a blubbering sob and hugged him even tighter. "Papa! You're here, you're really here!"

"I knew it, I knew you would be!" Lozo declared, his voice bursting with happiness.

Deimos watched the reunion with a small smile, his eyes threatening to join the small family in crying. He idly wondered, not for the first time, if there was anyone on his own planet who would be waiting for him if Earth ever was contacted. I don't know… But I'd like to hope so.

Eventually the crying settled down a little, and the small family seemed to remember they were not alone. The man still held the twins close as he looked up towards Deimos. "And who might you be?"

"That's Deimos!" Lozo helpfully supplied. "He's our friend, and he brought us here with his ship so we could come home!"

Their father's yellow eyes widened, and then glee overtook his features. "I see." He smiled widely at the human, and held out his hand.

Expecting a handshake, Deimos reached out to take the hand. Instead, he let out an undignified squeak as he was pulled forward into the tight hug as well. He weakly squirmed for a moment, before accepting his fate.

"Thank you." The man whispered softly. "Deimos, you have no idea just how much this means to me, to have my little flowers back. Thank you so very much."

Deimos awkwardly nodded from his trapped position against the Padlantian's shoulder. Then, to his relief, the hug finally ended. He stepped back slightly to give the family some space again, only for Lala to grab his hand and pull him back while Lozo sent him a stern look.

"Papa, can Deimos stay with us tonight?" Lozo asked hopefully.

The man didn't hesitate. "Of course. It's the least I could do after what you've given me." He gave that kind smile once again. "Now, let's go home. I'm going to cook such a big 'welcome home' feast that you will all be full for ages!"


Lala and Lozo's father, whose name turned out to be Zolo, was not lying at all when he mentioned a welcome home feast. In fact, it turned out that was why he was late to find them. He had been gathering ingredients for several dishes in case his beloved children did in fact arrive from space.

He took them to a medium-sized village. Half of it was mostly submerged by water, with houses piled on top of each other and winding boardwalks connecting them as they rose and fell beneath the clear blue water. Coloured lights hung on strings across the roof, giving light to the village as the suns began to set.

Though it looked simple, Deimos could see how Padlantis had become contacted. Scattered about were items that reminded him of holoscreens, radios, and scanners they had on Iscarmilas. Zolo had explained to them that the bigger cities tended to have more tech, but it was slowly spreading to other places as well.

He took them to a large house near the edge of the village. It was surrounded by leaves and crops growing from the water, and had several lights on. Inside the house, about halfway in, the house dipped down into the water.

There was also a staircase that led upward to a loft where three hammocks were. A large one, and two smaller ones. The smallers ones looked as though they were made of newer fabric, which led the twins father to admit that he had been keeping the house updated with what their ages would be, just in case they had ever come back.

Lala and Lozo were quick to drop their stuff by their hammocks, and change into the clothing their father had bought. Lala was now wearing a sleeveless lilac tunic with a long dark purple skirt, while Lozo had a short sleeved yellow tunic with a similar dark purple skirt.

Somehow, they managed to convince (force) Deimos to get involved in the dress-up. He found himself now sporting a sleeveless indigo tunic, and a floor-length purple skirt of his own. He was impressed by the fabric, the water seemed to mesh with it easily, which meant wearing the clothes felt much more comfortable.

The food was delicious. A mixture of seafood, vegetables, stew, and small, green square grain that was seasoned with a sweet, yet spicy sauce. As soon as the taste hit his tongue, he knew that Padlantis would be well known for their cuisine. Out of all the planets he had been on, admittedly not very many, Padlantis had the most delicious food.

While they ate, the twins told their father about their time out in space. They did their best to give him a detailed explanation about everything, from their abduction, to their time on Iscarmilas, to their arrival on their home planet.

Zolo listened intently, soaking in their every word. Deimos could tell that he didn't understand some of it (which led to the human gently interrupting the twins to explain some things in better detail), but he also could tell from the way he was smiling that it didn't matter to him. He was simply happy that he had his children back.

"It sounds like you two have had quite the adventure!" Zolo complimented them as he put more food on their plate. "And look at how much you've both grown! I'm so proud of you, I love you so very much!"

Lala and Lozo glowed brighter than the bright pink lights hanging from the ceiling at their father's praise, and eagerly devoured the added food.

Zolo then turned his yellow eyes to Deimos. "And you, not only did you bring my flowers back to me, but you helped care for them too."

"Oh it wasn't just me…" Deimos rubbed the back of his head, careful to not disturb the braids that Lala had done on the sides. "The shelter was where all of us who couldn't go back home stayed, so we did our best to look out for each other."

"But you still did," Zolo insisted. "Even though you didn't have to, and even though you were dealing with quite a bit of trouble on Iscarmilas already."

Deimos felt himself blush profusely at the mention of trouble, and once again wondered why Lala and Lozo felt the need to tell their father about the time he and several others had broken into and stolen data from a police station.

Zolo continued,"In my eyes, that is worth a lot. You are a kind person with a good soul, Deimos. Don't forget that, and don't let anyone tell you any different."

A strange feeling bubbled with the human, something that scratched at the back of his mind. Those words cut deep within him, as if it was the first time in his entire life that someone had genuinely seen him as someone with a good soul.

Deimos found himself smiling with pure happiness as he gave a determined nod. "I won't forget, I promise."


By the time the five moons rose into the sky, Lala and Lozo had fallen eagerly into their hammocks and were out in seconds. Despite a full stomach and sore limbs, Deimos couldn't seem to follow their lead.

Instead, he found himself settling on the boardwalk outside. The only sounds were the gentle lapping of water, and a croaking of some creatures in the legs dangled off the edge, his feet resting in the warm water as he stared up at the star filled sky.

Once again, he found that feeling returning to him. The longing, the despire, a need to spread his wings and fly. But those emotions were quickly overwhelmed by fear, uncertainty, and frustration.

The human let out a sad sigh as he raised his hands and allowed the gentle red aura to pour into them. The colour danced and swirled across his fingers as he watched, momentarily distracted from his thoughts by the gentle red glow.

He was pulled back to reality at the sound of footsteps behind him. He quickly tensed and glanced behind him, but relaxed at the sight of Zolo. The older man gave an apologetic smile, and then moved to sit beside the human.

"You seem to be thinking hard about something." The Padlantian observed.

Deimos wondered if Zolo was good at reading people, or if he was becoming too easy to read after finally having some peace. Unsure of which, he decided to be honest. "I am… Well, it would be more accurate to say I have been thinking about it for a long time."

Zolo made a curious noise, but didn't respond further than that. His supportive presence gave the human the courage to continue speaking.

"I want to leave Iscarmilas." He softly admitted. "That's why I bought and repaired my ship, it has been my goal since before me and the others helped stop the corruption on the planet. But now, when I finally have the chance, I…" He frowned, and turned to look down at the water.

The Padlantian ran a hand through his long hair and hummed. "Ah, I think I understand. Leaving Iscarmilas, this was what drove you, was it not?"

"Sort of. I wanted to leave, but I knew I couldn't leave until I did something to stop the mistreatment of off-worlders there."

"And you did that."

"I did."

Zolo hummed again. "I see… You've achieved everything you wanted to, the goals you had in mind are all complete. So now that you have the freedom to do what you want, you don't know what you want."

Deimos found himself nodding. "There was always something to do, something to plan. Now I have nothing and- and if I leave, what am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing." Zolo easily declared.

The human frowned and scoffed. "You don't understand-"

"I think you're the one not understanding." Zolo sternly said, gaining the younger's attention again. "You, Deimos, seem to like a schedule, you like control and plans. But these also seem to stress you out. When you don't have one, you're lost."

Deimos stayed silent, ashamed that what the man had said was true.

Zolo wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "I understand more than you think. But sometimes, planning and controlling everything does not help. Sure, there are some things that will always need to be planned, but doing that with everything is not healthy. Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath, and focus on what's in front of you."

He turned his eyes towards the stars and smiled. "Now that I have Lala and Lozo back, I know that for sure. I will take life one day at a time, and make up for lost time. Every day will be an adventure, because I don't know what is going to happen. But that's what makes life exciting!"

Deimos found his red eyes following Zolo's to the sky. He took in the sky, but this time from a different perspective. Instead of trying to calculate his moves, the locations, and schedules he simply looked at the sky.

It was expansive, it was terrifying, it was beautiful… And it was all waiting to be explored. But if he was too focused on where to go next, how would he appreciate what he was seeing in the moment?

A weight lifted off his chest, his resolve strengthened, and he smiled. "Thank you, Zolo."


In the end, he had stayed for a week before deciding it was time to move on. He accepted gifts of clothes and food from Zolo, and tight hugs from the twins as they walked to his ship.

Lala fixed him with a stern gaze. "Visit as much as you can, okay?"

"And if you can't visit, call! Papa has that computer thing now, so it should work!" Lozo reminded him, as if he hadn't reminded him fifteen times already.

Deimos chuckled. "Alright, I will, I promise." He gave them both one last hug. "Take care of each other, and be good for your Papa."

"We will!" They quickly promised.

Zolo managed to also steal one last, strong hug. He gave the human a smile as he stepped back. "Bring back some amazing stories, and stay safe out there."

"I will." Deimos promised.

As he walked across the flight deck, he couldn't help but stop just before he reached the hangar. He raised one hand and gave a big wave. "Goodbye, you guys!"

"Make sure to visit!"

"See you again!"

"Goodbye, Deimos!"


In the space above Padlantis, the Andromeda floated gracefully through the stars. Deimos sat on the bridge, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he stared down at the hundreds of planets displayed on the navigation console.

There was no need for him to go back to Iscarmilas. When he called Belos and Franklin, they already knew exactly what he would say. Deimos had even brought all his stuff with him onto his ship, as if he had known what he was going to choose before he had even chosen.

With the advice of all his friends in mind, he reached out and tapped a random planet nearby. The route was confirmed, and the ship began to travel towards its next destination. With one last check on the data feeds, he floated his way towards the front windows of the ship. He rested his palm against the window, and marveled at the vast expanse in front of him once more.

Deimos had finally left Iscarmilas. He was off on his own unpredictable adventure, but he wasn't scared anymore. Even though he had no idea what would happen, he would appreciate every second of his journey, because that unpredictability was what made life so exciting.