“We haven't advanced our AI technology in five hundred cycles,” Sysko said, shock in his eyes over the holographic screen.

“Are you concerned about bringing her aboard the ship?” Freda asked.

“I'm sure it will be fine. Did you install the firewalls?”

“That was one of the first things I upgraded,” Freda said.

“Okay, I’m on my way now.”

Freda said goodbye and slid off the hologram before continuing to get ready. She was giddy with excitement for both her new friend Violet and for her date. When Sysko finally arrived at her door, she picked up Violet and walked with her out to greet him.

“Hello, Admiral Sysko,” Violet said. “It is nice to meet you. I hear that you are my mother's boyfriend.”

“Mother?” Sysko asked with a chuckle.

“Yes,” Freda said. “We’re both very attached to each other.”

“That is an interesting turn of events,” Sysko said.

“I wasn't really expecting it myself,” Freda said. “But when Violet came online after the upgrade, it just felt right. Then I brought her home and gave her a name.”

“It is good to be out of the laboratory and with my mother and her new boyfriend,” Violet said.

Sysko looked at the robot skeptically and then back at Freda as they walked out the door of her apartment and boarded the speeder.

“I have never encountered such a creature,” Sysko admitted, settling behind the driver’s seat.

Freda couldn't believe that a spacefaring race who had traveled the galaxy, fighting a cybernetic enemy had never encountered an intelligent robot. But she could understand why most of the galaxy would be reluctant to experiment with artificial intelligence.

“I am one of the people on the leading edge of this technology.”

“That is very clear,” Sysko said.

“But Violet never could have been born without the information you gave me. So, in many ways, you are her father.”

“Father!” Violet said, rubbing her head against Sysko’s leg as he drove the speeder through space.

“I wasn't expecting to have a robot daughter, but since the Draxos are short on daughters, it is the best news I've had since I found my mate,” Sysko said, patting her head affectionately.

Violet beamed at Sysko and Freda. Freda felt a new sense of belonging with her mate and her creation. Heading toward the Black Phantom, they docked in the landing bay and exited the speeder. The crew looked at Violet skeptically, but she didn't say anything to them as they passed.

“I don't think they like me,” Violet said as she settled into the couch in Sysko's cabin.

“They’ve just never seen a robot before,” Sysko said.

“Violet, would you like to talk to El’ara, my cabin’s assistant?” he asked.

“I would like that,” Violet said.

“El’ara is in some ways your predecessor,” Sysko explained. “El’ara,” Sysko said, activating the cabin’s AI system. “I would like you to meet Violet. You two can talk while Freda and I spend some private time together.”

“It is nice to meet you,” El’ara said to Violet.

Violet telescoped her neck up and down in excitement. “It is nice to meet you too, El’ara.”

Sysko weaved his fingers through Freda's and led her to the bedroom and closed the door.

“I have something special to show you.”

They walked through the bedroom into another room with a deep pool in the floor and low romantic lighting. The room smelled of fragrant oils and perfumes. It was an intoxicating scent that filled Freda’s lungs with sensuality.

“I thought it would be a good time to move to the next part of the ritual. We have synthesized oils with my semen proteins in them to make the process easier. Would you like to take a bath with me?”

Freda giggled as she deactivated her nanotech outfit and stood naked in the warm tiled room. Sysko didn't hesitate. He deactivated his own nanotech uniform before he reached out to take her hand. They stepped into the warm water and it rose luxuriously around her legs until they were in the center of the pool. The water came all the way up to her breasts but only reached Sysko's waist so she had an excellent view of his tightly, muscled chest.

He lifted a bottle from the side of the pool and squirted the oil into his hand. The scent filled the air, and Freda took a deep breath. The fragrance was heavenly. It smelled like lemon blossoms and honeysuckle. He told her to duck in the water and when she emerged from the bath, he began to rub the oil into her shoulders.

He gave her a soft, sensuous massage that slowly turned into him fondling her breasts and running the oil down her stomach and between her legs. His hand was covered with oil as he began to stroke her core. She groaned and leaned against his chest as his fingers dipped inside her, coated in the special oils. She could feel the effect immediately as the oil touched her genitals.

Something came alive deep inside her that she couldn't quite explain. It was like a tiny roar of an infant dragon. But she couldn't quite place it or find it in the back of her mind. Sysko continued to rub her pussy with his long fingers as he cupped her neck with his hand. She groaned and sucked his finger into her mouth. He tapped on her clit, making her climax with agonizing force.

He turned her around and began to rub the oils on her behind, sinking his hand between the cleft in her ass. He dipped the tip of his fingers into her tight hole, and she gasped and bit his chest. With his other hand he pushed the oil into her pussy as he licked her nipples and sucked them deep into his mouth. With her body coated in the special oil, he fucked her with his fingers and made her come over and over again.

She grasped his thick cock with both hands and began to stroke. Growling into the top of her head, Sysko drew her to a stair at the edge of the pool. They sat together, their legs and hips submerged in the water, and the rest of them exposed to the steamy, warm air. She thrust her hands up and down on his cock as they kissed, deep and hungry. He continued to finger her pussy, forcing out climax after climax.

In a fit of passion, Freda leaned down and sucked the head of his cock into her mouth, using both of her hands to thrust up and down his length. He threaded his fingers through her hair and groaned. She could feel him holding himself back from thrusting deeper into her mouth. Growling, his cock thickened and he erupted inside her mouth.

His cum shot to the back of her throat, sweet and spicy and tasting just like her Sysko. Swallowing it down, she pulled back to gasped for air. The effect of his semen in her system was immediate. Her eyes widened and dilated, the colors becoming more vivid and the light becoming brighter. The small roar at the back of her mind grew louder and she could almost feel the tiny dragon inside her, cracking out of its long dormant shell.

“Oh my God,” she gasped, grasping her chest.

She could barely believe what was happening. But it was there. Deep inside her. A dragon was being born. The recessive gene had been activated, but it was still very new and young and immature. A tiny claw emerged from the shell, deep inside her mind, and a little face looked out from the crack.

“I can see it,” she whispered. “I can see my dragon!”

“It's working. Your dragon is awakening,”.

“Sysko, I'm afraid.”

“There's nothing to be afraid of, my dear.”

He pulled her into his arms and they held each other in the bath as the steam rose around them and the smell of the oil filled their lungs. The sound of the dragon inside her filled her heart and mind.

“I'm never going to be the same again, am I?” Freda asked.

“We are bringing out something that has always been inside of you.”

“Somehow I know it's true. It's like it's been there all along, silent and waiting for you to unlock it. It's who I really am. It's a part of me that I didn't even know existed. How can I ever thank you, Sysko?” she said, looking deep into the eyes. He cupped her face and kissed her forehead.

“You can thank me with your love,” he said. “I will worship you with mine.”

Just then, they heard a scratch on the door.

“Mother?” she heard Violet say from the other side of the sliding door. “I'm bored.”

Freda giggled as she rose from the bath.

“I'm coming, Violet,” she said. She dried off and so did Sysko and they reconstructed their clothes before joining Violet and El’ara in the living room.

“Did you enjoy your conversation with El’ara?” she asked Violet.

“Yes, but it isn't as interesting as talking to you,” Violet explained.

“I'm sorry for leaving you Violet,” Freda said, cuddling her robot dog daughter.

“I want to be with you and Daddy,” Violet said.

“We will all have dinner together now,” Sysko said, patting Violet’s head.

“Yay!” Violet said. “Dinner with Mommy and Daddy. Just what I always wanted.”