An agricultural planet plagued by gangs puts a small community of humans in a difficult position. Desperate for help, Rain talks the other humans into advertising for a hired gun, hoping to get someone who at least looks mean. What she doesn't expect is a Talin named Hesarium with mysterious motives, an over-the-top protective attitude, and a purr she can't seem to resist. Rain is a Human in need of help. Rain and the thirty other humans living on Omanal are in trouble. Well, not just them, almost everyone living on Omanal's only arable land is suffering. Several gangs have developed over the last few years, and now they're competing for territory. The Massoc, the species that owns the planet, can't be bothered to deal with the rapidly escalating brutality. If the farmers of Omanal stop producing, the Massoc will simply sell the planet off to a company or species that might not let Rain and her people stay there. This means the homesteaders of Omanal are caught between a rock and a hard place. They need to remain productive or lose the land their families have been working for the last hundred years. But being productive is hard when they're forced to contend with constant stealing and the potential for violence from the gangs around every turn. Desperate for help, Rain posts an advertisement on all the closest space stations. The offer is simple: protect the humans and their land in exchange for all the food you can eat and a home of your own. She hopes to entice retired military personnel or mercenaries who want a safe place to settle. What she gets is a massive warrior in his prime, from a species she's never seen before. And not a moment too soon because the competition between the gangs has turned into an all-out war. As an individual, she's not sure how much he'll be able to do, but she's hopeful and welcomes him into her home for however long he agrees to stay. It doesn't hurt that he purrs and turns out to be