After his meeting with the President of the United States, Sysko retired to his chambers to read over the files his science officer had sent him about the mating rituals of humans. He sat before his holographic computer dashboard and slid his finger up the screen, reading articles and browsing pictures of human dating in action.

He came to understand that humans did not have fated mates. Most known species had some form of a perfect match. Not all were as strict about perfect mating as the Draxos. Only fated mates could produce dragon hatchlings. But humans have no instinct whatsoever of who to mate with.

Sysko was saddened by this news and crossed his arms with a scowl for several long moments. When he finally decided that his mate was lucky to have found him, he continued with his research. He learned that human females respond well to things like flowers and chocolates, dates that included eating, and physical activities where there was plenty of personal interaction.

Sysko took notes on the types of dates that human females found most pleasing and created a checklist of the optimal sequence of events. He planned to perform them for his bride as soon as possible. He knew it was nighttime where she lived on Earth so he decided he would commence his new version of the mating ritual in the morning.

After an evening meal of synthesized food, he retired. When he awoke the next morning, he made his way to the bridge to greet his officers. He went through the systems checks and asked for reports from the rest of his crew. The Armada was running smoothly. The information exchanged with the humans was proving to be helpful. The humans were now supplying the Armada with as much fresh food and water as they required. After a lengthy screening process, the supplies from Earth had started to come in handy.

He reminded himself that he should get a freshly cooked morning meal from the Earth supplies to get a taste of what their fresh food was like. He wanted to know everything he could about his mate’s home world so he could woo her and gain her trust. His own thrall was activated and if she denied him, then his fate would be death.

The admiral of the Draxos Armada could not be struck dead by his own thrall. He had all the information he needed to commence his bride's transformation. But the most important ingredient was still missing. Her cooperation. He grumbled to himself as he left the bridge, feeling his thrall gain control of his emotions.

He went to the cafeteria and ordered a fresh Earth breakfast of chicken eggs and pork bacon. After the delicious meal he made his way to his private speeder and flew to Earth. Before going to his mate's house, he landed his speeder on the outskirts of town and made his way into a shopping mall.

He had plenty of Earth currency and an idea of the current human fashions. Armed with this information, he made his way into the shopping mall and bought himself a new suit with shirt and tie and a pair of shoes. It wasn't too different from the way professionals dressed back on Draxos so he was not unsatisfied with his purchase. He then went to the nearest car dealership and bought himself a convertible Porsche. Apparently, these types of cars were impressive to the human ladies. From the car dealership, he drove to the florist and bought two dozen red roses that were full of fragrance and just opening out of the bud. With his provisions in order, Sysko made his way to his mate’s abode. He drove up in front of the cabin and found that she was packing her things into the trunk of her car. Freda and her sister Lottie looked up at him as he parked. Freda slammed the trunk as he climbed out of the front seat of his new car.

“Oh no, you did not,” Freda said, shaking her head as he approached her with the two dozen roses.

She looked beautiful. Her petite form was curved in the most pleasing manner and her long brown hair hung down her back, nearly to her plump behind. Her big brown eyes were full of fire and passion and a deep intellect and sensitivity that he longed to see more of. He thrust his arm out, presenting her with the flowers.

“Freda Hayes,” he said solemnly. “I would like to ask your permission to court you.”

“What the hell?” Freda said.

“I'm asking your permission to court you,” he repeated, as if she hadn't heard him.

She let out a long, groaning sigh, her arms crossed, her eyes gazed down at the ground. She kicked a rock across the driveway and then looked up at him. Her mouth dropped open as if she didn't know what to say.

“Look at the flowers he brought you,” Lottie interjected, reaching out to take the roses. “They smell gorgeous.”

Lottie shoved the flowers into Freda's hands. Freda grumbled as she accepted them. But when the fragrance hit her nose, she let out a sigh of pleasure and her shoulders relaxed.

“Fine, all right,” she finally said. “I'm not making any promises and I am not agreeing to let you transform me into a dragon. I never signed up for that. Let's get that straight. But I will take your roses. And…I’ll let you court me. Whatever that means.”

“But Freda, think about it. If he turns you into a dragon. I get two million dollars and you get to be a dragon,” Lottie reasoned.

Sysko could see the wheels turning in his mate's head as she considered both the money and the dragon aspect. He hoped that these things would be encouraging for her and she would finally agree to cooperate to the mating ritual and transformation. Not only did he want his breeding program to work, he wanted her. More than anything he had ever wanted.

He had never experienced such a burning need. Though he was a mature dragon and knew full well what the thrall would do to his being, he was still unprepared for this kindled desire. Now that he stood before this beautiful, curvy little female with her impressive will and fiery soul, he was so full of lust that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hide it in his new suit from the big and tall store.

“Freda, I want only to please you,” he declared in a gravelly voice. “You have my eternal loyalty and my unending worship.”

“Now you're just going too far,” Freda said.

“I apologize. But you must understand what happens to a Draxos when he finds his fated one. A Draxos male goes into a hyper-aggressive state known as the thrall until he is able to claim his fated mate. I understand that humans have no such instinct to mate with their one true love. So, I understand that you cannot accept my admiration. Something else you should know is that if I do not consummate the claiming of my bride then I will die of my thrall.”

“You will die if I don't fuck you?” Freda said cocking her hip and tilting her head to the side. She pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows. “I've heard that one before.”

“Freda, he's telling the truth. I've been researching the Draxos since he rescued us from the cyborgs. There have been occurrences over the last five hundred years where the fated mates were not able to perform the claiming. You know what happened? Both of them died. Freda, do you want to die?”

“I'm not gonna die. I don’t feel anything for him. That’s all his problem.”

“So, you're saying that you want him to die? You understand that Admiral Sysko D’fray is the leader of the Draxos Armada?” Lottie asked. “Sometimes I really wonder about you. You're supposed to be the smart one, but you're acting so dumb right now.”

“I don’t need this,” Freda said, shoving the roses into her sister Lottie's hand and marching up the stairs and slamming the cabin door.

“Sorry,” Lottie said.

“It's quite all right, Lottie. Freda is under a great deal of stress. I understand that she is in a program at a very competitive institute on Earth. My sister is also a scientist. She is in genetics and is the one who discovered the connection between the Draxos and humans in the first place. She's also been instrumental in developing the transformation ritual for humans.”

“I bet Freda would love to know that.” Lottie said.

“She's studying robotics, correct?” Sysko asked.

“Yep,” Lottie said. “Some advanced artificial intelligence robotics thing. I don't really understand it. But Freda is really into that stuff, so good for her.”

Freda emerged from the cabin several moments later with a bag on her back and her car keys her hand.

“We're leaving now Lottie,” Freda said. “We're going back to Boston. Where there is tons of paperwork to fill out about mom and dad. We have to plan the funeral and there is just way too much to deal with. I've already missed an entire week of school, so could you please just get in the car. I'm sure that Admiral Sysko can track me down and find me in Boston.”

“She gets grumpy when she misses school,” Lottie said.

Freda slammed the driver’s side door and turned the key in the ignition. The car gave off a sputtering sound and did not start the way that Sysko's car did. Lottie gave him a look of shock. Freda grumbled loudly in the front seat. She tried turning the key again, but it gave the same sputtering response. Freda got out of the car and lifted the hood, checking the engine. She then slammed the hood down several moments later.

“Of course, it's a cracked engine head,” Freda said, growling and pacing over the gravel driveway. “That's going to cost two grand. And who knows how long it'll take to fix. Now I have to call a tow truck to tow us back to Boston. How much is that gonna cost me?”

“I can take you back to Boston. My luxury sports car is brand-new,” Sysko said, sweeping his hand over his new Porsche.

Freda looked up at him like he was a lunatic, her mouth dropping open and her eyes going wide.

“Can we, Freda, can we?” Lottie asked, jumping up and down and clapping her hands.

“Oh my God,” Freda said. “Fine, I'll let you drive us back. I have three hundred dollars in my bank account right now. I'm a graduate student, not a millionaire. My parents just died. Now I have to take care of my little sister, and I’ve got a dragon admiral wanting to mate with me. How will I ever finish my dissertation now?”

“Geez Freda, just get in the car,” Lottie said.

Freda glowered and swung open the front passenger door of Sysko's Porsche. She climbed in and shut the door behind her, sitting in the front seat with her arms crossed angrily over her chest while he and Lottie transferred the bags from the broken-down sedan into the trunk of his car.

Lottie climbed in the backseat, and Sysko sat in the front. Grinning over at Freda, he turned on the car and slid down the roof that settled behind the backseat.

“It's a convertible,” he said in a self-congratulatory tone.

“So? Good for you, bro,” Freda said, not looking at him.

“I heard that human females like convertible sports cars,” he said.

“Where are you getting your information?” Freda asked him as he backed up the human vehicle and turned around in the driveway.

“My science officer. He is one of the most intelligent men in the entire Draxos space navy.”

“Well, he may be one of the most intelligent men in the Draxos space navy, but he doesn't know anything about me.”

“Did you like the flowers?” Sysko asked.

“I did,” Lottie said.

“Who doesn't like flowers?” Freda asked.

“See? She did like them,” Lottie said from the backseat.

Sysko set his navigation for the city of Boston and began maneuvering through the concrete highways of Earth. Driving the vehicle was not unlike driving his speeder so he had no problem making his way to her city.

His mate was clearly distressed and he assumed that she was overwhelmed by all the pressure put upon her by her environment and current events. He couldn't blame her. Her parents were probably dead. She had a sister to take care of, a dissertation, and a mate who wanted to turn her into a dragon. He could understand why she might be a little miffed. He would try his hardest to alleviate the stress.

Sysko decided that the best course of action was showing gentleness to the little human female. As shapely as her petite form may be, she was not Draxos. His female required even more gentle handling than his own kind. Though his inner dragon raged in his mind to claim his mate as quickly as possible, Sysko knew that it would never work that way. He would have to take his time and court her like a gentleman in the way that human gentlemen courted human ladies.

He had been waiting many cycles for a mate of his own, and now his lovely Freda had arrived. He would wait as long it took to woo her, even if it killed him. He would not push her beyond her limits. Not if he could help it anyway. He pledged to try to retain control of himself in every moment.

As the miles ticked away, he could tell Freda was beginning to relax. After a while, they stopped for a bite to eat at what the girls called a “diner”. The three of them went inside and found a table. The girls both got turkey sandwiches and he got one as well. When the server brought their food, he was impressed with the crunchy lettuce, the savory turkey, and the sweet bread. Earth food wasn't too bad. After lunch, Freda became more lively and pleasant in the car. She turned one of the knobs on his dashboard and music poured out of the speakers.

“What is that?” he asked.

“It's the radio,” she said, flipping through the music channels at an alarming speed.

“Why don't you just pick something?” he asked.

She gave him a look that told him that she found him annoying so he shut his mouth. Finally, she chose something and a jarring cacophony of noise blared from the speakers. The “music” stirred up his emotions and slammed into his belly.

They made it into the city, not a moment too soon. He turned off the radio as he parked outside her building, not wanting to hear that noise again. He helped the girls carry their things into the apartment, and they set everything in the hall outside the door. Freda stopped there as Lottie went inside. Sysko kept expecting her to ask him in, but she continued to stand there with her arms crossed, blocking the door.

“Well, thanks for the ride,” she said. “I arranged for a tow truck. My car should be arriving by tomorrow.”

“You want me to leave, don't you?” he asked.

“Sorry you went out of your way like this.”

“My speeder can pick me up. But the question is, what should I do with my new car?” he asked her. She shrugged and started to turn to the door. “Oh yes, I can lend it to you because your car is broken.” He thrust the keys into her hands. He was still holding the flowers he'd carried up from the car and shoved those into her hands as well.

“You're lending me your brand-new sports car?”

“Of course, my dear. I don't need it. Now, I should be getting back to the ship. I will court you again tomorrow. When is a good time for you?”

“A good time for me? I have so much to catch up on.”

“Why don't you let me help you?” he asked. “I will come to you at the time of your customary evening meal.”

“You can just meet me here at six tomorrow. I'll see you then. Thanks for the ride.”

She disappeared behind the door and his heart sang with the triumph of pleasing her. He hadn’t expected to lend her his car, but fate had come into play and it all worked out perfectly. Sysko walked away, humming with satisfaction. He had accomplished more than he’d expected today.