A cyborg Terran, a star ship and a Guardian with more than protection on his mind make for a peculiar union that grows stronger with time. Gadget enjoys being a member of Guardian Transport, but when her mission is changed from transport to diplomatic escort, she adapts quickly. She knows that the Guardian coming on board is her destiny, but how long can she make him wait to prove it? Shatter has been waiting for his Terran, and now that he is on her ship, he has no inclination to do anything other than sway her to his way of thinking. The Dark Fairy is a symbiotic ship, and knowing that her pilot has a mate, she does everything she can to put the two together, but what do ships know about mating?