Alix and Devyn... Peydon... Syn and Shahara... Vik... Nero... Omari... Sway & ? (matriarchal)...

Alix - a slave.. her father purchased her mother... Alix, intelligent - she taught herself to read in 6 languages & is a topnotch ship mechanic... protective of her younger sister (protecting her virginity and health), acting the ship's whore at her father's behest... Her father died, and she is on the auction block with her mother & sister when they are bought by Merja...Alix looks like Devlyn's exfiance - the fiance who accepted money to kill Devyn 2 days before they were to marry, so Merja buys them and at the threat of killing her sister & mother, after raping her sister, he sends Alix to Devyn's ship (after arresting Devyn's mechanic) to be the replacement mechanic with 2 weeks to get documentation (real or fabricated) to prove that Devyn is carrying illegal goods..

Devyn, Syn & Shahara's son, a doctor, joined the League to do good, but too quickly found that the League is too political and does harm... in one confrontation, he is helping an injured boy whose mother is dead from the League... and when ordered to leave the boy to attend to scraped of the League, he refuses and evades arrest while saving the boy... the 1st half of the story refers to his son whom he loves, but it isn't still midway we meet the boy, whom he adopted...

Omari - raised with love by Devyn and his parents - is of the same as Nero's race - potentially powerful magicians... he has an artificial arm & leg... he works on his power ...he is a wonderful young man, insisting on helping when things get tough...

Nero - uses his magic to help in numerous ways... then pops out... his story must be coming...

Sway - of a race of extreme matriarchial - he loves his wife, but is but chattel in their people's eyes.... his wife is a diplomat and travels alot, and he hangs with Devyn so as to be away from her mother sister's meanness...

Peydon - Syn's oldest son - whom he loved and still mourns the loss of, sending birthday gifts each year that are returned unopened... Syn believes Peydon is not his biological son due to testing done... but in fact, Peydon is his son... his wife's lover faked the tests... but when Syn's 1st wife left him, her lover made Peydon's life tough... Peydon tried to win his acceptance by rejecting Syn... and by the time he figured out it didn't matter, he didn't know how to mend bridges with the only person who seemed to have loved him...

And for the first time, Alix is treated with respect... she has a nice room, the crew is polite, Devyn is thoughtful... Alix struggles to put her family above Devyn and his crew, but it becomes harder as she sees the man Devyn truly is... she has misconceptions to overcome about Devyn and then her own low self esteem... Vik, the robot extroidinaire that Syn created in his youth and enhanced in his adulthood, monitors Alix and prevents her access to the computers inventory... Devyn knows she is hiding something from him, but does not guess she is there as a spy...

They are attracted to one another... and Devyn knows he must keep his distance from a crewmember - he leaves the ship at one of their stopovers with the intention of getting laid... and is propositioned by a gorgeous woman, but she isn't Alix, so he leaves... and drinks... and when he returns to the ship, she overhears him tell Vik why he is drunk and satiated... and she feels responsible, and she is attracted to him... so she goes to him to relieve him... and they have sex - and Devyn naturally makes sure tht Alix has an orgasm, which catches her by surprise - she didn't know that women could orgasm... and then, of course, Devyn makes sure she has numerous ones that night... and he makes sure that she is with him because she wants it, not because of obligation...

But when the ship is sabatoged, and because of his bad record with women, he has his father look into her background, and confronts her with the truth... though angry, he sees her integrity as far as her family is concerned, and he agrees to help her free her family ...

with a bit of confusion, their plan to trap Merja fails - when Merja starts to arrest Alix as a runaway slave, which would lead to a public execution, Devyn rescues her, but they are almost caught but Peydon takes them to safety... and though Devyn and Peydon are adversarial, Peydon says he was trying to take advantage of Merja's plan to convict him, if only Alix had done her job... and Peydon explains himself - laying the groundwork of a positive relationship with Devyn...

but Devyn gives himself up so that Alix can get away... but Peydon is unable to keep Merja from torturing him... Alix returns to the ship... to Syn & Shahara & others - Nykrian & Kiara come and they all go to resuce Devlyn... with charges against Merja... and they are all together in the jail... Merja is arrested, but gets a blaster and shoots at Syn, but Peydon jumps to take the hit... and he tells Syn to take his heart for Devyn, who is having heart failure...

but of course, Syn saves both of his sons (using parts from Vik to rebuild his heart better)... and when Devlyn wakes, and they leave him & Alix together... Alix still doesn't feel worthy... but then Devyln tells her he loves her and wants a life with her...

ahhhhh