Sysko left Freda's apartment with a song in his heart and a smile on his lips. He was not unfamiliar with pleasures of the flesh, having visited the Galactic pleasure houses from time to time in his youth. But his kiss with Freda was beyond compare. Her soft lips. Her luscious curves and the thrill of her taste on his lips.

He couldn't calm himself down as he boarded his speeder and flew back to the Black Phantom. He was still bemused as he walked on the bridge and his officers stood in salute. Everyone sat as he took the captain’s chair and looked out at the little blue-green planet orbiting below.

His heart pounded in his chest, and he was driven to distraction by the urgency of his inner dragon. He had found his fated mate and he had kissed her. His inner dragon wanted nothing more than to return to the planet and claim her at once. But even if the little human agreed to the claiming, the process would be lengthy. She would need a great deal of preparation to make it work.

His sister Joon’s contribution to the discovery of the mating ritual could not be undervalued. However, they did not have absolute certainty the transformation was safe, even after dozens of simulations. The ritual was still untested in the flesh. The ancient reference had been found in a book of mythology, not a book of science. He hated the idea that his little mate would be the first to undergo the transformation in millions of years. What if he went too fast? What if he did something wrong? He rubbed his forehead with his hand.

“How was the date, Sir?” his science officer asked him.

“Beyond compare,” he said. “She has agreed to my continued courtship. We will tour the Black Phantom and she will learn the ins and outs of Draxos technology and culture. But that will not be for another twenty-four Earth hours,” he said.

“It sounds as if she's coming around,” his science officer said.

“She let me kiss her,” he said in a low tone. “It was the most magnificent thing to happen to me in my life.”

“Congratulations, Admiral. I must admit, I envy you.”

“Perhaps you will find your mate as well,” Sysko said.

He spent several hours getting updates from human dignitaries on the other side of the planet, then retired to his quarters to sleep. When he woke, he continued his work in engaging with humans and trading technology for their cooperation.

The Draxos were exceptionally careful with the technologies they exposed the human population to. First of all, the humans needed to protect their computer networks from the cyborgs, so the Draxos had helped upgrade the entire human network security. They also needed a clean and renewable source of energy, so that was the first thing that the Draxos decided to share with them. He wanted the humans to get used to the idea of renewable energy before they added anything else. That alone would send their entire socioeconomic system into disarray.

He only allowed the technology to be shared with a select few scientists across the world so the humans could slowly integrate it into their systems. Sysko would not allow the presence of the Draxos to interfere with the course of their lives in a negative way. He got updates from these scientists every day on their progress in interpreting and using the Draxos technology. The first prototypes for a free energy device were going to enter the main population within the year. Sysko and his team believed that this was soon enough. Technological advances could cripple a society if they happened too quickly. That was the last thing he wanted to happen to his new allies.

More women were volunteering to have their DNA tested for dragonoid genes, and little by little, the list of potential human mates was growing by the day. Many wanted the adventure, many more wanted the money for their families. But their motivations didn't matter so much as their willingness to travel to Draxos and be present at the tournament.

He had already decided he would accompany the first batch of females back to Draxos for the first tournament. However, he had no idea when that would be. In the meantime, he had his own thrall to worry about.

When the time to leave the ship to meet Freda arrived, he dressed in a human suit and left in his speeder. He arrived at her door with another bundle of flowers, this time a mixed bouquet of fragrant lilies. When he got there, he knocked on the door and her little sister Lottie opened it. His face dropped as he looked over Lottie's shoulder, not seeing Freda anywhere in sight.

“Where is she?” he asked.

“I think she’s still at school,” Lottie said.

“I will find her,” he said, swiping his finger over his wrist com.

The Draxos had linked their wrist coms into the cellular network on Earth and could make phone calls or send text messages the same way that humans did. He tried to contact her first by text as Lottie invited him into the apartment. He sat in one of the tiny human chairs, his knees sticking up awkwardly. Then he called her to no reply.

“Sometimes she gets distracted like this,” Lottie said. “She had a total change of heart last night, though. You should probably know that. Because she might tell you otherwise.”

“Freda is a challenging woman,” Sysko said.

“You can say that again. She's always so serious and so determined to achieve things. I think she should come down to Earth once in a while.”

“Your sister is a strong and brilliant woman. And she is my mate. I respect her and treasure everything about her.”

“Well, you should,” Lottie said, walking to the kitchen. “You want some water?”

“Sure, thank you,” Sysko said.

Lottie returned a moment later with a glass of ice water and handed it to Sysko. He drank it down and set the glass on the coffee table.

“She wants to finish her dissertation. I don't understand why, now that she has you as a mate. But that's Freda. She is the most stubborn person I've ever known.”

“Sometimes being stubborn is good,” Sysko said. “I'm stubborn myself. I haven't given up fighting the cyborgs. We have prevented a dozen species from being incorporated into the collective, and that is due to the stubbornness of myself and my crew.”

“Sounds like you and Freda are perfect for each other,” Lottie said, sitting on the couch across from him.

The door swung open behind him and he turned to look over his shoulder. It was his little mate Freda in a pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt, a heavy backpack slung over her shoulder. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she wore no makeup. She was the sight of perfection and a beauty to behold. He stood quickly, with the desire to pull her into his arms, but instead he stood back and gave her space.

“I know I'm late,” she said.

“That's quite all right,” Sysko said patiently.

“Just let me get changed,” she said.

Her frown turned into a smile as she passed him. He wanted to know what she was thinking. He wanted to know how to make her happy. He wanted to be the man of her dreams, and he was determined to win her trust and her affection. Knowing she’d had a change of heart last night filled him with hope as he watched her walk to the door at the end of the hall and close it behind her.

“She doesn't always look like that,” Lottie said, pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

“She looks beautiful,” Sysko said.

“They say love is blind,” Lottie said, chomping on Cheerios.

Sysko stood in the hallway waiting for Freda to emerge. When she did, she was wearing a pair of formfitting jeans, a black T-shirt and a pair of sneakers.

“I'm sorry, my outfit doesn't match yours, but my dress was the only fancy thing I had, and I didn't want to wear the same outfit two days in a row.”

“You look perfectly beautiful.”

“I left you money for pizza,” Freda said to Lottie. “You can’t just eat cereal for every meal.”

“You aren’t my mother,” Lottie said.

Freda groaned and rolled her eyes as she walked out the door with Sysko. She turned back and looked inside. “I want you in bed by eleven.”

She saw Lottie stick her tongue out at her out of the corner of her eye as she closed the front door.

“Have you heard anything about my parents?”

Sysko had had his information officer, searching for signs of her parents through every human database and system available. So far, they had not been able to locate them, but he didn't want to disappoint her right now.

“We are still searching, but we're hopeful,” he said.

“I don't know how to thank you,” she said.

“You can thank me when we find them.”

“They continued down the hall and out of the building to where Sysko’s ship was hovering above the parking lot. Her eyes widened at the sight of it and she stopped in her tracks.

“I've never ridden in a spaceship before.”