The journey to Draxos took several weeks, jumping from system to system, until they finally arrived at Draxos Prime, the original planet in the primary Draxos system. The brides were housed in special luxury apartments and were each quite happy with their accommodations. Sysko and Freda returned to his home moon of Arcadia.

“I can't wait to meet your sister,” Freda said, as they climbed into the bed they shared in a hotel suite near Arcadia Academy.

“She will be thrilled to meet you as well. Her new clutch just hatched and they have four girls and two boys. It is a grand accomplishment for the entire race.”

“Does that mean that the plague has been cured?”

“Four females in one clutch is the largest number of females born at any one time since before the plague,” Sysko said.

“Your sister has much to be proud of,” Freda observed.

“She is a great lady and a great mind. She reminds me a lot of you in many ways.”

“Except I don't think I could ever handle five male dragons.”

“I don't think that my sister believed she could handle five mates when she first found she had been mated with them either,” he said with a chuckle.

“I don't know many women who could,” she said. “Except maybe Lottie.” Freda chuckled.

“Your sister is just a child with stars in her eyes. When she grows up, she will understand more about the ways of the world.”

“I just hope that her enthusiasm doesn't get her into trouble,” Freda said.

“She will be all right. She has a lot of people behind her, who love her and who can give her the guidance she needs.

“I give thanks every day that my parents were found and they can now help my sister grow into adulthood. I don’t think I could have done it.”

“I don't doubt you would have been an excellent guardian for your sister. You took good care of her while they were gone.”

“I did my best, but I never could have replaced them,” Freda said. “I shudder to think of her left to her own devices.”

“We would have had to bring her with us to Draxos. I wouldn’t have expected you to leave your young sister behind.”

The next day Freda and Sysko prepared for the celebration party for the hatching of Joon’s first clutch. Freda was nervous to meet his family. She desperately hoped they liked her. She was a foreign woman from a completely different species and she feared that they may think her odd.

When they arrived at the gala, her heart leapt in her chest and she could barely gulp down the anxiety. But when the beautiful, blue skinned dragoness crossed the room and shook her hand, all Freda's worries evaporated.

Joon was gracious and kind and as smart as a whip. Later that evening, after the family had retired to Joon’s palace, they all got to meet the babies. Freda and Joon then had a long conversation about dragon gestation and childbirth.

“I just don't know if I can do it,” Freda said with a laugh. “Shifting into dragon form is one thing, but laying eggs?” She shook her head as Sysko chatted with his parents and several of Joon’s mates about the last battle.

“When it comes time, laying your eggs is the most natural thing in the world. You will have time to become used the idea when you take dragon form. Believe it or not, it's was a big change for me as well. I am a scientist and have spent most of my life in bipedal form. Unlike many more physically oriented dragons. I am highly cerebral and was always very attached to my bipedal mind. But during my time in gestation, I came into greater balance with my dragon. I am a better person for it.”

“I hope the same thing happens to me,” Freda said.

“Have you decided where you will be staying once Sysko returns to his post as Admiral of the Armada?”

“Sysko wants me to stay here in Draxos to be tended by his family. But I honestly can't imagine being separated from him.”

“Draxos males have become very protective of females since the plague,” Joon informed her. “But you have to stay strong. Just because the female births have been decreasing every year, doesn't mean that you should be confined from living your dreams.”

“Wise words from a wise woman,” Freda said.

“You will find your way, Freda,” Joon said. “My brother is a good man with a great deal of honor. He will not deny you your life or your choices.”

“I hope you're right,” Freda said.

Every time the discussion had come up, Sysko had grown quiet and broody, not wanting to talk about it any further. She knew he was worried about her. And his protective nature was on overdrive since the claiming.

After the visit with Joon and his family, they returned to Sysko’s home on Draxos Prime. It was a well-appointed home. Not nearly as large as Joon’s palace, but as a highly decorated military officer, he was afforded many luxuries, even if he was rarely home.

She walked through the big, airy space with a view of the Draxos Prime planes. The red sand stretched out under the brilliant blue sky as the water of the Red Sea lapped at the shores. Cactuses grew in abundance in the high desert and the wisps of their buoyant pollen danced on the warm breeze. It was a magical site and she knew it would inspire her every day that she lived here.

“You have a lovely home,” she said as she stood on a balcony with the warm air blowing up from the ocean.

“I will return to visit you often,” he said holding her close.

“I don't want that,” she said, steeling herself for a disagreement.

“You don't want me to visit you?”

“No, I don't. I want to go with you, Sysko. You have a beautiful home and a lovely family. They are wonderful people and I know that I will come to love them, but it is you I need to be with.”

“It is too risky to take you with me as we search the galaxy for the remaining cyborgs. If we can hit them at their home base, we may be able to eradicate them from the galaxy forever.”

“But I want to be with you at your most heroic moment.”

“I cannot risk your life,” he said.

“Why is it more of a risk for me than it is for you?” she asked.

“Because you must live. You must go on.”

“But I don't want to go on without you, Sysko. Please take me with you. Please don't leave me here alone.”

Sysko sighed heavily and gathered her into his arms, and she felt his heart beating fast against her cheek. She did not want to get in an argument, but she knew that this was the most important decision they would ever make. Being left at home while her man continued his mission, went against everything she stood for. Besides, Sysko hadn't been back to Draxos for a decade. Having him constantly come back here would distract him from his important work. The only answer was for them to remain together.

“What do I have to do to convince you?”

He cupped her cheek in his hand and tilted her face up to look at him.

“You don't have to say anything else, my beloved. I feel your need, deep in my heart, and I cannot deny you. I want to protect you, but I cannot betray your trust. If what you truly want and need more than anything, is to remain with me and to fight the cyborgs together, I will take you with me.”

“You will?” she said, growing relieved. “Thank you, Sysko,” she said, pulling him tight against her.

“Thank you for being so wise and brave, my darling,” he said.