Xavier's Angel

After several minutes of being submersed in the euphoria of being reunited with his deceased daughter, Xavier slowly began to realize she was nothing more than a phantom of his memory; by far the most vivid illusion to date. The man pulled away slightly from the mirage of his daughter, pausing to stare into her eyes. Her red hair flowed in the sea breeze, her eyes a deep blue, sparkled much the same as the water's surface did from the moonlight.

"It's ok Daddy..." The young girl smiled as her hand reached out to reassure of the kneeling officer. Xavier's eyes began to well up with tears as he nodded his head at the realization that she was really gone forever. As she caressed the side of his face she looked him in the eyes. "... I'm with Mommy now, she wants you to stop being so sad all the time."

He looked up, and stared at her as if something had snapped in his mind. In all the ordeals he had gone through since losing her, there was not one he would have wanted to put her through. Xavier's world may have fallen apart on that day, but he couldn't help but think now that maybe she was in a better place...

"Marina is safe..." The girl continued to radiate an aura of reassurance as the waves washed over her feet. The Schuzstaffel officer's face went from one of anguish to one of surprise as he looked up wide eyed at Ariel's ghost. How did she know of the young Schuzstaffel Captain? Was she watching over the young girl?

"Are you..." He paused as his daughter giggled and a wide grin spread across her face. It was at this point he noticed a pendant identical to Marina's across her neck as she began to fade away slowly. With each wave that retreated back into the ocean, her image grew fainter and fainter.

"Wait!" He stood up, stretching his hand out to try and keep her from disappearing once more.

"You need to be strong Daddy... For Marina... For us..." She was almost gone as she uttered these words, disappearing with the tide of the ocean, just out of her father's reach.

"I love you Daddy!" The words came on the wind as she disappeared into the water. Xavier had wade into the water til the waves came up to his knees. He stood their for several minutes as the words of his daughter echoed in his mind; was it time to really move on? How could he be any stronger?

But... Ariel...What do you want me to do?

After staring into moon's reflection off the water's surface, he turned and looked back at the pitiful site that was his Z'gok that laid, destroyed and battered on the sand...

I can't keep losing to that God forsaken Federation son of a bitch...