Space Dragon
Brides of Draxos 2
What’s a logical human scientist to do when an alien dragon shifter claims she’s his fated mate?
MIT robotics student Freda Hayes is forced to abandon her research when the Archon Empire’s cyborgs attack earth. With her little sister Lottie, she takes refuge in a secluded cabin.
News that the dragon shifters of Draxos have defended the planet from the cyborgs leaves Lottie the Draxos' biggest fan -- and Freda skeptical. When Admiral Sysko D’Fray, leader of the Draxos army, lands right outside her cabin, she’s downright suspicious.
Sysko has been defending the galaxy from the Archon for decades. But he has another, even more, urgent battle to fight: the one to save his people from extinction. And human DNA, which includes a rare recessive gene making them compatible with Draxos, is the key to their survival.
Freda isn’t just any human; the curvy scientist is Sysko’s fated mate. She wants nothing to do with him, despite his efforts to learn all he can about human courtship rituals. But Sysko is in thrall. He must mate -- or die.
Freda is desperately trying to finish her dissertation while mourning for her parents, who haven’t been since the Archon attack. She doesn’t have time to be wooed by an alien who wants to turn her into a dragon … no matter how attractive he is.
Can Sysko overcome his mate’s resistance and prove his love is real, or will the Draxos/human breeding program fail before it’s begun? And even if it succeeds, are the cyborgs truly neutralized?
MIT robotics student Freda Hayes is forced to abandon her research when the Archon Empire’s cyborgs attack earth. With her little sister Lottie, she takes refuge in a secluded cabin.
News that the dragon shifters of Draxos have defended the planet from the cyborgs leaves Lottie the Draxos' biggest fan -- and Freda skeptical. When Admiral Sysko D’Fray, leader of the Draxos army, lands right outside her cabin, she’s downright suspicious.
Sysko has been defending the galaxy from the Archon for decades. But he has another, even more, urgent battle to fight: the one to save his people from extinction. And human DNA, which includes a rare recessive gene making them compatible with Draxos, is the key to their survival.
Freda isn’t just any human; the curvy scientist is Sysko’s fated mate. She wants nothing to do with him, despite his efforts to learn all he can about human courtship rituals. But Sysko is in thrall. He must mate -- or die.
Freda is desperately trying to finish her dissertation while mourning for her parents, who haven’t been since the Archon attack. She doesn’t have time to be wooed by an alien who wants to turn her into a dragon … no matter how attractive he is.
Can Sysko overcome his mate’s resistance and prove his love is real, or will the Draxos/human breeding program fail before it’s begun? And even if it succeeds, are the cyborgs truly neutralized?
Chapter 1
Freda Hayes ran out of the robotics department of MIT into the central courtyard and stared up at the sky. A booming voice rattled the windows of the building behind her and vibrated through the concrete. Above, in the sky, the holographic face of a beautiful human woman stretched.
“Greetings people of Earth,” the voice said. “We are the Archon Empire. Your species will be added to our cybernetic collective. Resistance is futile. You have twenty-four hours to comply.”
As the voice faded into the wind and the face dissipated into nothingness, Freda stared in disbelief, her jaw hanging open. The students and professors standing in the courtyard were equally shocked. No one spoke. Someone began to cry.
Freda stumbled back, her hand on her thundering heart. This couldn’t be happening. Earth had yet to make contact with any alien species. And this was how it happened? All Freda’s dreams of a Star Trek like future burned up like an exploding supernova inside her mind. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe it was a big conspiracy. She wasn’t beyond considering the possibility that it was a foreign government. Or even her own.
All these thoughts ran through her mind as she ran back to her laboratory inside the Robotics Department. “Cybernetic collective” they’d called themselves. She found Professor Higgins huddled under a lab table, clutching a robotic claw in his arms like a security blanket.
“This is a big joke, isn’t it?” Freda asked, trying to make sense of the crushing blow of what appeared to be an alien invasion.
“Stanford is behind this. I’m sure of it,” Professor Higgins said, finally climbing out from under the table.
“Yeah, Stanford. That must be it,” Freda said, reaching out to help her elderly professor up off the floor.
“What other explanation can there be?” he said in a shaky voice.
“That we’re being invaded by cyborgs?” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“That is a distinct possibility,” Professor Higgins said. “I don’t know of anyone with that level of holographic technology.”
“To ensure your compliance, we will give you a demonstration of our power,” the booming voice said outside.
“Oh crap,” Freda said, just as a sonic boom vibrated throughout the entire world.
The windows shuddered under the pressure of the boom. Computer parts flew from shelves and shattered on the floor. Freda and Professor Higgins dove under the lab table, covering their faces.
When she stood and looked out the window, she saw a mushroom cloud in the distance billowing into the sky. It was to the south, probably New York City judging from the direction. Then she stopped to think. Her parents were in NYC.
“No,” she gasped.
“Well, that definitely wasn’t Stanford.”
Freda looked at her terrified professor and rubbed his back affectionately. His blue eyes were wide and half-crazed. White hair stuck out in all directions around his wrinkled face, and he twisted his torso back and forth while holding himself around the waist. He was losing it. She was losing it too, but she didn’t have time to have a breakdown. Her sister Lottie was back at her apartment, having come to Boston to visit and tour colleges.
“This is bad, Professor. Really bad.”
“It’s okay. I’ll call campus maintenance to clean up the mess,” he said, absently.
“You do that, Dr. Higgins. I have to get back to my apartment to check on my sister.”
“Alright Freda, just make sure you’re here bright and early tomorrow morning. We have those new protocols to install.”
“Right. Bright and early. Got it.”
Professor Higgins wasn’t dealing with this very well. She hoped he’d pull himself out of his stupor fast enough to ensure his own survival. That is, if anyone survived this. She had to leave to check on her sister and find her parents.
“You’ll be okay, Professor. Why don’t you go home and make yourself some tea, and add a little bourbon to it? Everything will be fine in the morning.”
She patted his shoulder one last time, hating that she had to leave her mentor like this. He’d been the one to champion her all along. He’d been the one to encourage her to stick it out through her undergrad years, even with all the torment from her snobby classmates. He’d encouraged her to enter the PhD program and to excel to the point where she was today.
Her robotics experiments were not only going to ensure her doctorate but were also being considered for additional university funding. She owed Professor Higgins a great deal. But he was a grown man and her little sister was only seventeen and most likely terrified.
“Good thought, Freda. I should be going home,” he said, looking at his watch under the arm of his white lab coat.
“Take care of yourself, Professor. And thank you for everything,” she said, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek.
He looked at her with surprise and delight when she pulled away.
“Always such a thoughtful girl. Not everyone as smart as you is also as kind. You should go far, Freda.”
She gripped his arm one last time before leaving the lab and hurrying out into the parking lot.
His praise meant a great deal, especially now that the world was seemingly turned upside down. It’s during times like this that you find out what the people you know are really made of.
Freda jumped into her old sedan and rushed down the crowded streets to her apartment building. She didn’t have a lot of money as a PhD student, but she’d moved out of the dorms three years ago and into her own one-bedroom apartment.
She ran up three flights of stairs and burst through the door to find her sister Lottie huddled under the kitchen table. There were debris from every surface scattered over the floor.
“What’s happening!” Lottie screamed, her hands pressed over her ears.
Freda rushed to her little sister and wrapped her arms around her. She ran her hands down her hair and back, trying to comfort her.
“We’re being invaded by hostile alien cyborgs,” Freda said.
Lottie needed to understand the truth if they were going to make it through this. She sure as hell wasn’t going to be assimilated into their collective. She’d go down fighting for her life. And she needed Lottie to get her head straight and fight beside her. The Hayes girls were not weaklings.
“This can’t be happening,” Lottie whimpered.
“It’s happening.”
“They want to add us to their collective. What does that even mean?”
“They want to assimilate our organic life forms into their cybernetic collective. I’m guessing that would pretty much suck, so I’m going for option B. Fight to the death. Are you with me, Lottie?”
“I can’t fight alien cyborgs,” Lottie wailed. “I’m not strong like you, Freda.”
“Of course you are. Plus, fighting sometimes means running for your life, which is what I propose we do right now. Let’s pack some stuff and get the hell out of here.”
“Where are we going?”
“Away from population centers. Those are the first places they’ll bomb to force us to comply.”
“We can’t win,” Lottie moaned. “They have more advanced technology.”
“But this is our planet. We have the home team advantage.”
Freda’s words didn’t comfort Lottie, who remained under the table clutching Freda’s childhood teddy bear.
Chapter 2
Admiral Sysko D’fray stood at the helm of his mothership, the Black Phantom as he approached the small blue-green planet, orbited by the Archon fleet. The dragons of Draxos had been pursuing the Archon cyborgs across the galaxy for generations. He crossed his arms and frowned.
“Picking up signs of life on planet X2943,” his science officer commented.
“We knew they were after something,” Sysko said. Since the Archon Empire had cast a plague on their people five hundred cycles ago, the Draxos had been in a constant battle against their enemy. Once they’d recovered from the illness, his people had made it their priority to protect all other species in the galaxy from the cyborg threat. The more species the Archon assimilated into their collective, the less would remain as allies against the eventual demise of the Draxos.
“The Archon have already opened fire on the planet, engaging in their usual assimilation protocol,” his tactical officer informed him.
“Send out fighter jets,” Sysko ordered.
The first volley of jets flew out from the launch bay and charged through space toward the Archon fleet. The Archon ships were a chaotic mass of sharp points like cancer cells. His own streamlined triangular-shaped fighter jets gracefully turned and engaged the cyborgs.
“How far have they proceeded in their assimilation process,” Sysko asked his tactical officer.
“It appears they have released multiple short range, highly targeted hydrogen bombs in the most densely populated areas of the planet, but they have not taken control of the population yet.”
“Have they begun to assimilate the people?” Sysko asked.
“Physical contact remains limited,” his tactical officer informed him.
“Good,” Sysko said. “Then there's still hope for these people.”
Sysko's ships began to lose ground as the Archon ships sent out another volley of fighter jets.
“Launch the next volley,” Sysko said.
The next group of jets zoomed out to join the battle above the blue-green planet called Earth. Images of the comely human species flitted across the screen as a transmission from his science team came into view.
“I've uploaded images of the species in question, Admiral,” his science officer said. “These are the creatures we are defending.”
Sysko walked toward the screen and watched the images of the beautiful but small and delicate females of the human species. The females of his own kind had been hit the hardest by the plague. There were so few left that it was said there would be no more females within the next generation. His male desire rumbled at the sight of the tiny human women. He felt a pang of sadness for them that they had come from their limited technological advancement and perception of the galaxy to be awakened by the worst predators in the galaxy.
“We are uploading scans of their databases to understand them better,” his science officer offered.
In all his years of battling the Archon across the galaxy, Sysko had never seen a species with females quite so lovely. Among the Galactic Collective, there were plenty of pleasure houses to fulfill the needs of the many bachelor dragons of the Draxos. Most females were not as lovely as dragons, but these humans had charm all their own.
The fighter jets gained ground and broke through the line into the main cyborg armada. His fighters opened fire on the larger ships, causing hull damage in the mothership.
“Send out the third volley,” Sysko commanded.
With so many ships to repair, the Archon were left with low defenses that the Draxos broke quickly, focusing on the mothership. There was an explosion and the ship cracked in half. The rest of the armada warped and disappeared, leaving the broken mothership to flounder in orbit around Earth.
“Where has the armada warped,” Sysko asked.
“They have jumped into the next system and are lingering at the edge.
“They must truly want these humans in their collective if they are willing to wait at the edge of the system after we've taken out their mothership,” Sysko mused.
Escape pods flew from the mothership, spraying out in all directions. Some barreled toward the atmosphere of Earth and broke through, disappearing into the blue-green planet
Sysko swore in an ancient dialect of his home moon Arcadia and gritted his teeth.
“Do we have a lock on the pods that entered the atmosphere?” he asked.
“Most of them,” his tactical officer informed him.
“We can't allow cyborgs onto the surface of the planet. They will begin the assimilation if even one survives.”
The cyborgs were like a virus, first infecting the databases of the species in question. Then, the people. Unlike most of the other species The Archon had tried to assimilate, the Draxos had been too strong. Instead, they set a plague on the dragons to destroy them, but it didn't wipe out the species. It made everyone ill long enough for them to destroy the mainframe databases and eventually corrupt the female genetic lineage of the Draxos race. Every year less and less girls were born and now there were hardly any.
“Send fighters after all of the cyborg ships,” Sysko commanded.
His tactical officer sent out the command and ships flew down toward the planet. Sysko was as determined to protect this planet as any other. But the sight of the beautiful females made him just a little bit more motivated to keep them safe.
Chapter 3
Freda grabbed Lottie's hand and pulled her out from under the table. She’d thrown together some necessities in a duffel bag and had double checked the inventory before focusing on her whimpering sibling.
“Come on now, Lottie. It's time to go,” she said for the third time. Freda was beginning to get frustrated with Lottie, but she knew the poor thing was terrified.
“Just leave me here,” Lottie moaned. “You'll be better off on your own.”
“Not in a million years,” Freda said, grabbing her sister again.
Finally, Lottie relented and stood up rather than remaining as useless as a sack of wet flour on the floor.
“Where are we going?” Lottie moaned as Freda pulled her toward the door.
“Remember where we vacationed the last summer I lived at home?”
“That's over a hundred miles away,” Lottie whined.
“I told you, outside the city is going to be the safest place for us until our military figures out what to do.”
Freda was saddened that she had to leave in the middle of her most promising dissertation experiment, but the end of the world didn't wait for anyone. Not even PhD students. She pulled her sister out of her apartment and down the stairs to the main floor where she threw her duffel bag into the back seat of her old car, and pushed Lottie into the passenger seat. Once Lottie was securely belted in, Freda took the driver’s seat and pulled out of the parking lot like a mad woman.
She pressed on the throttle and zoomed into the street. The roads were crowded with cars, and it took almost an hour just to get out of downtown Boston. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally made it out of the city, thankful, she still had three quarters of a tank of gas.
Outside of the city, the roads were fairly clear. There were van loads and buses of people making their escape to the wilderness just like her, but there were still just as many who were traveling in the opposite direction. Everyone was trying to escape. She turned on the radio and listened for emergency broadcasts. The government announced that there would be a meeting among the nations about the possibility of offensive action versus the possibility of surrender.
When Freda heard the word surrender, her heart gripped in her chest. How could they even consider it? She drove all through the afternoon and into the evening to the cabin her parents had rented six years ago when she had still been living at home.