And that's how I defeated the cyborg armada,” Freda said to the dissertation board at MIT.

The faculty sitting at the table across from her applauded and stood as she gripped her notecards. Freda's cheeks grew hot at their applause and she fidgeted in her space. It wasn't common for the dissertation committee to applaud a candidate.

“Congratulations, Dr. Hayes,” the new head of her department said, stepping forward to shake her hand.

“Thank you, Professor,” she said, a swell of pride growing in her chest. She’d finally done it, she’d gained her PhD in robotics and now had the privilege of calling herself Dr. Hayes.

She and Sysko took the convertible on a long drive down to Charlotte with Violet in the backseat. The rest of the androids were happily playing on the ship while they traveled to Freda’s parents’ house to say goodbye. The retired admiral from Draxos had arrived to take over Sysko's post, and the six potential human brides were already aboard the ship.

“I'm so happy, Sysko,” she said. “Everything is just as it should be.”

“Did you ever doubt it?” Sysko asked.

“There were many times when I did,” she admitted.

“That's only natural,” Sysko said, patting her thigh.

They parked in front of her parents’ house and climbed out of the car to meet her family as they hurried out onto the front porch.

“Congratulations, sweetie,” Mia said, wrapping her in her arms.

The approval of her parents probably meant more to her than the PhD. Isaac shook her hand and patted her back as she walked inside, holding her mom’s hand. Lottie stood from the couch, watching another Draxos documentary on television in between bites of cereal.

“I hear you're a full doctor now,” Lottie said. “Congratulations. You deserve it.”

“Thanks, Lottie,” Freda said. “That means a lot to me.

“I'm sorry I've been so difficult since the attack,” Lottie admitted. “It's been rough for me to get used to the idea of living in a galactic society. After mom and dad disappeared, I had to hold onto something.”

“We've been discussing this quite a bit,” her mother said.

“They’ve convinced me that I should stay on Earth and go to college, at least for a few years before running off to get my blood tested and becoming a bride of the Draxos.”

“That is wise,” Sysko said. “Your education will carry you a long way in your life. Helping you understand who you are and what you stand for. There's no reason to rush into mating and motherhood. There's plenty of time for that.”

“Thanks, Sysko, but I haven’t changed my mind completely. I still want to travel through the stars and see Draxos and find a dragon mate of my own.”

“All in due time,” Isaac said.

“But enough about me. Today is Freda's day. I made you a cake”

They all went into the dining room and Lottie's cake sat on the dining room table. It was a little bit lopsided and the icing had melted a bit on the top, but the letters read, “Congratulations to the best sister in the world,” in yellow icing between mismatched birthday candles. Lottie lit the candles as soon as everyone gathered around the table. Her family sang “For she’s a jolly good fellow,” and laughed when it was done. Freda, who couldn't help herself, leaned in and blew out the candles. It wasn't her birthday, but she felt like she deserved to make a wish. She wished for her family to be happy. Her mom, her dad, Lottie, her and Sysko and their thirteen little android children. It was all she wanted now that she had accomplished her life dream of getting a PhD from MIT.

“What'd you wish for?” her mother asked.

“You can't share wishes or they don't come true. But, the thing is, I think it already has.”

The family walked into the living room where a Christmas tree was decorated and all kinds of presents were packed underneath. They opened the presents, laughed and smiled, and thanked each other as the gifts were unwrapped.

Freda's mother and father had bought presents for all of their little android grandchildren. Tiny knit scarves, bottles of high octane oil, and the latest video games that the androids seemed to enjoy when they got the chance to play. For Freda and Sysko, they gave them care packages of delicacies from Earth to take with them on their journey. Sysko and Freda had brought her family all wrist coms and nanotech clothing. They were thrilled to have the latest Draxos technology that nobody else on Earth got to try yet.

“We will be leaving three of the droids here on Earth. Six will stay in the armada and the other three will return to Draxos with us,” Freda said. “I do hope that they will come and visit you from time to time, while we’re away.”

“We absolutely want them to come visit. I wish they were here now.”

“We didn't want to bring all thirteen to Christmas because we thought it would be overwhelming. They do get rambunctious all together,” Freda said.

“We are going to miss you so much, Freda.”

“You will have to come visit as soon as you can. The trip back from Draxos to Earth is open since we have discovered this region,” Sysko said.

“Will you come home when your children are born?” Mia asked.

“We haven't decided, but Sysko needs to come back to the armada to take over his post,” Freda said.

“If I had my way, I would leave Freda on Draxos with my family to be tended to during her pregnancy and the birth of our first clutch,” Sysko said. “We’ll be leaving this system as soon as I return. There are many more cyborgs in the galaxy.”

“Like he said,” Freda said. “We still haven't decided.”

When Christmas dinner was eaten and the presents unwrapped, Sysko and Freda climbed on board his speeder, leaving the convertible with her parents as they prepared to embark on their new life.

Back on the Black Phantom, the retired admiral was getting updates from the crew on how to run everything. The six new brides were getting settled in. Freda met with them briefly and ensured them that her own transformation had gone well.

She could see the fear in their faces. The girls all came from many different walks of life, but most of them had signed up for the money to help their families. One wanted nothing more than to travel through space. Another had signed up to get out of a minor prison sentence. They were all nice girls, and Freda was sure that they would make excellent brides for some lucky Draxos males. The next day, they boarded a fast-moving passenger speeder and started the journey back to Draxos.