“Please send me the details, and I will send an away team to investigate immediately.”
“Thank you, Admiral. I speak for everyone on Earth when I say your continued help and protection of our planet is our greatest resource.”
“No thanks are necessary.”
“Let me know if there is anything else we can do,” the president said.
“I will,” Sysko said.
President Carver disappeared from the screen and the image was replaced by a view of the armada and the curve of the planet below.
Freda looked at Sysko as if for the first time and saw him in an entirely new light. She observed him as he organized an away team to go investigate the cyborg appearance in Slovenia. He then received updates from the rest of the armada. Now that her senses had been opened to their connection, all she could do was stand and watch him in awe. When he was finished, he turned to her and apologized for taking so long.
“Let's take a tour of the ship now, shall we?” he said, offering her his arm.
As she took his arm they left the bridge and took an elevator that he called an anti-grav lift down to the residential deck where he had his quarters. He explained all of this to her as they traveled, and she had to wonder why he was taking her to his quarters. She was nervous and excited at the same time and wasn't sure which emotion to pay more attention to. Sysko slid his hand over a control panel and his door swished open to reveal a well-appointed cabin with couches, tables, chairs, and a view of space. He invited her inside and she walked across the room to stand near the window that looked out at space.
“El’ara, please turn on music,” he said.
“What would you like to listen to today, Admiral?” the female voice asked him.
“I would like to hear the popular Earth music of today,” he said.
“Yes, Admiral,” the voice said.
The music began to play; it was a top-forty hit that was currently popular with kids on Earth.
“Is that artificial intelligence?” she asked as he moved across the room to press buttons on device on the counter.
“Yes, it is,” he said as a dish of food appeared out of the device he was fiddling with.
Freda watched in amazement as he produced an entire lunch for them and carried it over to her on a tray. He set the tray on a table and they sat together.
“I'm writing my doctoral dissertation on artificial intelligence,” she said.
“I know,” he said. “I've looked into it.”
“Have you been cyber stalking me?” she asked with a giggle as she took her first bite of the manufactured food.
“I've been stalking you in every way,” he admitted.
She had to chuckle at his honesty as she ate the pepperoni pizza that he had created out of thin air.
“How did you make this food?” she asked.
“With a replicator. We’re getting shipments of fresh food from Earth, but I replicated a snack for you. It’s quicker than having something fresh brought up from the cafeteria. I want to show you the rest of the ship and you need a full stomach.”
“I've never eaten replicated food before,” she said. “It's not bad.”
“Tell me more about your dissertation,” he said.
Freda went on to tell him about her work with robots and artificial intelligence and how she hoped that it would have numerous applications across multiple sectors. She could tell he was impressed with her knowledge.
“Why don't you use more AI and robotics?” she asked.
“We have to be very careful with our application of robots and artificial intelligence because of the cyborg threat. If our systems get hacked, it could easily threaten our entire existence. The ship does not have an overall artificial intelligence. There are individual personalities onboard, but that’s it.”
“I would like to learn more about your systems,” she said.
“And I would like to show you how it all works.”
Chapter 15
Freda followed Sysko out of his cabin and they continued to the technical bay. Where the engineers were busy working on maintaining the ship systems. He introduced her to the ship’s AI supervisor, who then began to instruct Freda on the finer points of Draxos artificial intelligence.
“How do you keep the cyborgs from invading your AI,” she asked.
“We keep our systems separate. We have as little interconnection and networking as possible. Plus, we have encryption created by the greatest minds in the Draxos race. Our scientists have put their collective efforts toward it for the last five hundred cycles. Our firewalls are our greatest technological resource.”
“More than free energy or faster than light speed space travel?” she asked.
“When you are fighting a cyborg threat, firewalls are everything,” he said.
“Is there any way I can take this information back to Earth with me?” she asked.
“We’ve shared many of our security protocols with humans to protect their computer networks from the Archon. But the extent of our AI or firewall technology has not been approved for human use,” the technician told her.
“We can share it with Freda,” Sysko said. “I am approving her right now.”
“Really?” she said, her heart slamming in her chest with excitement. “Can I use it in my experiments?” she asked.
“You can, but you can't share it with anyone else without my approval,” he said seriously.
“I completely understand.”
The technician gave Freda a massive stack of paper that Sysko put into a bag and carried for her as they left the technology bay and went to the engine room. She chatted with the technicians there for quite some time before they continued to the cafeteria. The chef then prepared a fresh meal of the human delicacies from the latest shipment of supplies from earth.
Freda had never tasted a more delicious steak or better bottle of wine, not even at dinner the night before. When they were finished eating, they walked back to his cabin and sat together on the couch while she read through the advanced firewall schematics.
“This is absolutely fascinating,” she muttered to herself as she read through the stack of papers. “I could study this for the rest of my life.”
“I hope you will spend the next few hours with me instead.”
“Of course,” she said. “How rude of me.”
She sat the papers down on the table and turned to Sysko, resting her arm on the back of the couch as she faced him. He was devastatingly handsome, from his piercing black eyes to his star-spangled skin and impressively muscled physique. He inched closer to her on the couch and slid his hand over hers. The feeling of his touch sent a wave of desire through her body and she slid closer to him until they were sitting with their thighs brushed up against each other. He leaned in, cupping her face in his hand as he looked deep into her eyes.
“I have never seen a more beautiful creature, my dear mate,” he growled in a low voice.
She gasped as his lips brushed ever so softly over her mouth. Sysko gathered her in his arms, and she groaned when their kiss deepened, his tongue sliding through her lips. All at once, she was straddling his lap with the feeling of his massive hardness between her legs. She couldn't believe the width or the length of his member. It made her moan as he gripped her hips and pulled her down onto his hard mass.
He kissed her repeatedly and deeply until she had to pull away to gasp for air. As she stared up at the ceiling, trying to catch her breath and slow down her racing heart, he rained kisses over her neck and chest and caressed her breasts in his hands. She cupped his face and looked into his eyes, knowing that the connection between them was real. Everything that he had said about the thrall was true, and she could no longer deny it. Something deep inside her growled as it came awake. She kissed him hard, tasting his breath on her lips as they touched and held each other on the couch.
He slid his hands up and down her back and over her behind, gripping her hips as he pushed up against her. The sensation o
f his mighty phallus pulsing against her aroused core was too much to bear. She felt her entire body alight with desire and she couldn't control her need anymore.
“Is this okay?”
“Yes,” she gasped. “It's good.”
Sysko lifted her up and carried her across the room through a sliding door into a bedroom where he laid her on a pillowed bed. He slowly climbed on top of her, holding himself over her body. Kissing her gently on the lips, cheeks and neck, he caressed her breasts and his kisses ran lower down her body. He lifted her shirt and kissed her stomach. Slowly, he unbuckled her pants and slipped his fingers into the waistband.
“And this?” he asked, tugging at her pants and pulling them halfway down her hips.
“Uh huh,” she said breathlessly, looking into his starry eyes.
He pulled her pants all the way off her body and slid her shirt up over her head, leaving her in her bra and panties. She'd worn the black lace set that she had bought the last time she’d had one of her rare girly moments a few months ago. She was glad she had as she watched him looking at her. He pulled at the front of her bra, trying to figure out how to get it off. She sat up slightly and unhooked the back with a giggle. It popped off and fell away from her chest.
He gazed at her breasts with awe and growled as he leaned forward, cupping them and kissing them greedily. His mouth sucked her nipples and nibbled at them, one after the other, before he sank between her knees and pulled down her panties.
“Your pussy is beautiful,” he growled. “I want to devour it.”
He dove into her core and licked up the slit, utterly and thoroughly until he focused on her wet, hard mound. His strong tongue flicked her clit in just the right way to drive her insane. She ran her fingers through his hair and gripped, feeling herself quickly approach orgasm.
His tongue wagged back and forth, up and down, and around and around, giving her just the right sensation. She leaned back and stared at the ceiling, groaning with her release. The orgasm came like a flood that gushed from between her legs and clenched her entire body with pleasure. As her channel throbbed, he slid his finger inside her and pressed against her g-spot to push her climax even higher.
She cried out, lying flat against the bed as he gave her orgasm after orgasm with his tongue and fingers. She glanced up at him as his clothing deconstructed. He stood above her with his massive rod erect and pointing toward the ceiling. She bit her lip, thinking he would try to put that huge dick inside her. She couldn't imagine how it could possibly fit. He was twice the size of the average human male, and she hadn't had sex in three years. But, in the heat of the moment, she was willing to try.
Instead of burying himself in her pussy, he began to stroke his cock as he fingered her with his other hand. She was plastered to the bed as her pussy clenched around his fingers. He growled and gritted his teeth as he thrust his hand up and down on his dick. With an animalistic groan his semen shot from his huge rod and sprayed across her tanned skin. She orgasmed as it landed on her stomach and chest, the sight and the feeling of it so erotic, she couldn't even understand why.
She mewled as he withdrew from her and began to spread the semen over her skin. He lapped it up with his palm, spreading it over her stomach, breasts, and lips. Her tongue flicked out to lap up the taste of his seed and her eyes rolled back in her head. It was spicy and sweet and somehow, she couldn't get enough of it. It was as if the taste of him made her hungrier than before. She drew up on her elbow and looked at him as he sat beside her on the bed.
“What was all that about?” she asked, finally coming to her senses.
“I have been courting you as a human, but now we have begun the Draxos transformation ritual.”
“You mean you’re activating my recessive dragonoid gene with your semen?” she said, the awareness finally dawning on her.
She caressed his arm with her hand and looked into his eyes as he gazed down at her. He kissed her softly on the lips and whispered in her ear.
“I should have been clearer. But my thrall. I couldn’t stop. My dragon refused to be held back. Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, kissing his earlobe. “I want this. I want you. No more holding back.”
He gathered her in his arms and held her on his lap, kissing and caressing her body. After many moments of holding each other, he set her back down on the bed and stood. He turned to a drawer and pulled out a silver circlet that he offered her.
“This is a wrist com,” he said. “It will allow you access to some of our encrypted information. And you can use it to contact me at any time.”
He slid the wrist com over her hand and it tightened snugly around her wrist. He briefly showed her how to use it and she was amazed at the diversity of the technology.
“Oh, you can also use it to control nanotech clothing.”
He went to another drawer and pulled out a box. Inside was a mass of microscopic gray sand that he threw toward her naked body. The mass reconstituted into a simple dress that fit her curves perfectly.
“There are thousands of patterns that are stored in the wrist com. They will reconstitute around the shape of your body.”
“Thank you, Sysko,” she said, not knowing exactly what else to say.
She hadn't expected to make love to him on their date, or to receive such an amazing gift. But that's what had happened and she didn't regret it one bit. She did need to go home to check on Lottie.
Chapter 16
Freda entered her building as if walking on air. Turning back, she watched through the hazy windows as Sysko’s ship lifted off and flew up into space. She held the bag full of the firewall schematics to her chest as if she was holding a treasure. The silver wrist communication device gleamed on her hand as she walked up the three flights of stairs to her floor and slid her key into the lock.
When she got inside, she found Lottie sleeping on the pullout bed on the couch. Glad that she had the apartment to herself to reflect on the night’s events without Lottie's interjection, she tiptoed through the living room and into her bedroom. Slipping out of her shoes and transforming her new nanotech outfit into pajamas, she laid down on the bed in the dim lamplight and read through the stack of papers.
With every turn of the page, she became more excited by how she could use the Draxos technology in her own work. There were so many ways that she could expand and improve upon the technology of the Draxos with what she herself was inventing in the lab. Impatient to get back to work, she read all night until she finally passed out from exhaustion.
Freda woke early the next morning to the sound of her wrist com beeping. She flicked over the silver band the way that Sysko had shown her, to bring up the message.
“We have located your parents,” the message said in Sysko's voice. “Contact me as soon as you wake up.”
Her heart leapt into her throat as she jumped out of bed, sliding her finger over the holographic message to alert Sysko that she was up. She burst through the bedroom door into the living room to find Lottie still sleeping. It was barely light outside the window, but this information was too important to let her rest.
“Lottie!” she shouted. “Sysko found mom and dad. “I'm up, Sysko,” she said as his face appeared on her holographic screen. “What did you find?”
“Your parents have been located in Buffalo. They were outside radiation zone during the attack but were stuck in a building collapse. Your father has been in a coma ever since. Your mother suffered from amnesia and was kept in a group home nearby.”
“They're both alive?” Freda said with shock in her voice.
“They are.”
“We need to go see them now,” Lottie said.
“I will come take you to Buffalo,” he said.
“Sysko,” Freda gushed. “Thank you so much for this.”
“There is nothing else I would rather do than to make you happy.”
She flicked up the screen after they said goodbye and Lottie and Freda hugged each other, jumping up and down wi
th excitement. Lottie sobbed tears of joy into Freda’s shoulder as Freda patted her little sister on the back.
“I'm so relieved, Lottie.”
“So am I. I didn’t know what I would do if they were dead. Hey,” Lottie said, lifting Freda’s wrist up to eye level. “What's this?”
“Sysko gave me one of the Draxos communication devices. It's like the best cellphone ever.”
“Gosh, you get all of the nice prizes.”
“But you are going to get two million dollars.”
“Does that mean?” Lottie gasped.
“That I'm going to accept Sysko and let him transform me? Yes, it does.”
“Oh my gosh, I'm so happy for you,” Lottie squealed, jumping up and down.
“You just want the money,” Freda teased.
“This isn't about money,” Lottie objected. “It’s about helping the people who saved us to save themselves. It’s about you and Sysko finding love and happiness. He is a great man. Of all the guys that you could have ended up with, he is someone who really deserves you.”
“Awe, Lottie, that's so sweet of you,” Freda said, patting her little sister on the shoulder.
She wasn't expecting her sister to say something so kind and sincere. They hadn’t been getting along very well since the attack. They were both on edge and grieving the loss of their parents. But now everything was coming together, and they could finally relax and treat each other the way they always had.
Being so opposite, they had always had a bit of contention between them, but they had never bickered as much as they had since the cyborg invasion. It seemed like they were on opposite sides of some political argument and there was no bridge over the gap. But now that was all done, and it didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was that they were sisters and they supported each other. Lottie threw her arms around Freda and held her tight.
“Thank you for being such a great sister and taking care of me.”
“That’s what sisters are for.”
It wasn't long before Sysko arrived outside their building and they climbed into his ship to travel to Buffalo. Lottie couldn't stop talking about how amazing the ship was the entire time. When they settled over the parking lot at the hospital where their father was, Freda was tired of hearing about it. Lottie had been obsessed with Draxos since they had driven away the cyborgs so Freda really couldn't blame her for being excited. The Draxos ships were pretty awesome.
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