When Destiny walked through the doors of a bar on the science station Elmertia works on, she thought all her dreams had come true, until the mysterious man disappeared without a trace. Tormented by that one brief contact, she throws herself into unlocking the secrets of an alien’s nanites until an ultimatum from her employer threatens to destroy not only her dreams, but also her future. Drawn to the small female he met by chance, Manik searches for a reason to return to her station. When the crew of pirates stumbles across a woman in stasis floating in space who has cranial implants and nanites, the medic has found the perfect reason to return to one of the universe’s most knowledgeable scientists and the female who has been haunting his thoughts. With time running out on her research, Ellie is shocked by the sudden arrival of her mate and his proposal, but she has more to lose than her life’s work. Being with Manik might cost her everything, including her life.