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I thanked him and tapped the icon. The first questions were straightforward enough, asking about my expectations for a relationship and what I considered important in a partner. Then came more of the usual dating-site stuff. What was my favorite color? My favorite food? Did I want a pet, and if so, what kind? Did I prefer mornings or evenings? How did I feel about surprises?

Then things got a little more personal. Which side of the bed did I prefer? Where did I like to keep my toothbrush? Did I prefer cloth or paper handkerchiefs? Cloth or disposable diapers? And then, just when I thought the questions couldn't get any more specific or odd, I was asked, Do you know who Nellie and Nancy Olsen are? Discuss!

I stared at the screen for a moment. What kind of mate test asked questions like that? I could understand wanting to know someone's preferences, but I wasn't sure how my toothbrush storage habits or my opinion of two women named Olsen from an old, well loved TV series were going to help find me a partner.

I found the ink blot part wild. I mean, really? I was supposed to look at an ink blot and explain what I saw in it? Apparently, the dating profile from hell had met a psychological evaluation and decided to have children. The next section after that had questions that went into something that felt much more like an employment assessment. I was asked what I would do if I found a lost wallet, or discovered that something in a store had been misplaced and marked with a stick-on price tag showing the wrong price. What did that have to do with finding a mate? And then I remembered Philip and his honesty issues, and realised they had a lot of bearing indeed.

Still, I’d agreed to take the test, and I intended to finish it properly. I answered each question as honestly as I could, stopping now and then to sip my coffee, eat something, or think through a question that seemed to require more consideration.

The questions grew more involved as I progressed, asking how I handled disagreements, what I expected from a partner during difficult times, and how I would balance a relationship with my existing family responsibilities. Those at least made sense. A potential mate would need to understand that my children came first, and I wasn’t about to pretend otherwise to improve my chances.

Not that I wanted a match in the first place. The news reports and the recruitment materials made the pairings sound almost impossibly perfect, and there hadn't been a single divorce. They were clearly better at choosing mates than I was at choosing partners. Even so, the odds of a match were astronomically low. There was no point lying to a questionnaire when I was practically guaranteed never to meet the person it was supposedly looking for anyway.

I worked steadily through the questionnaire, becoming so absorbed in it that I barely noticed how much time had passed. When Laura began to fuss, I glanced at my watch and realized that half an hour had already gone by.

“Sorry. I think someone’s getting bored.”

“Please don't worry about it,” Rhovan assured me. “We'd be happy to keep her entertained while you finish.”

Before I could protest, he and Pellan had moved over to the stroller. They began talking to Laura, making faces and encouraging her to reach for their hands. When that wasn't enough, they took turrns pushing the stroller around the office and even lifting her out to dance gently with her.

The Mylos' famous sentient AI, Xeranos, joined in by singing nursery rhymes. I could hear Laura giggling from where I sat, and each delighted little sound eased my concern. She was clearly having a wonderful time, and I could keep working without having to stop every few seconds to soothe her.

Skye was just as excited by the proceedings. Her tail wagged as she followed Pellan and Rhovan around, keeping close to the stroller and trying to join in the fun. The two officers paused to pet her, telling her what a good girl she was, and before long, they were sneaking her little bits of plain glazed doughnut.

“Don't spoil her too much,” I called, although I couldn't keep the amusement out of my voice.

“We would never do such a thing,” Pellan replied with an expression of exaggerated innocence.

Skye's wagging tail suggested she had a very different opinion of their behavior.

Laura, meanwhile, was still a little sticky from her own doughnut. When Pellan leaned close to talk to her, she reached toward him with both hands, leaving him with no choice but to accept her enthusiastic greeting. I laughed and returned to the questionnaire. Whatever else happened today, at least Laura and Skye were enjoying themselves.

Eventually, I reached the final question and submitted my answers. The screen displayed a confirmation message, and I set the data pad aside before stretching my shoulders.

“That’s everything,” I said. “Thank you for making this so easy.”

Pellan came over to collect my empty cup and plate, then glanced at the data pad. “You can keep that. It's yours now.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Xeranos has been scoring your psychological profile as you answered. There's no need to return the device. You'll need one on New Haven anyway.”

I turned it over in my hands, impressed. “That's clever. I assumed I'd have to wait until someone reviewed all the answers. And thank you. This data pad is miles ahead of any human tech I can buy.”

“The final match requires the biological analysis as well, but that part won't take long.”

“That makes sense.” I smiled at him. “Thank you for the hospitality, too. The coffee was excellent, and you’ve been wonderful with Laura.”

“It's been our pleasure.”

Rhovan brought Laura back to me after cleaning her up with a damp cloth he'd found by the sink in the kitchenette, where the coffee and tea supplies were kept. I settled her into her stroller again. She seemed perfectly happy with her outing, but I knew she was probably ready for a bottle and her midmorning nap. I prepared a bottle using the reboiled water I'd brought along for that purpose and offered it to her. She accepted it eagerly and began drinking with gusto. Thankfully, she always slept happily in her stroller once reclined.

“Now for the DNA portion,” Pellan said. “I just need a cheek swab.”

“That sounds simple enough.”

He opened a desk drawer, took out a sealed swab, and brought it over to me. I opened my mouth, and he rubbed the swab gently against the inside of my cheek. Once he'd collected the sample, he sealed it in its container and carried it to a machine at the back of the room. He inserted the sample, then took a seat while the equipment began processing it.