A lonely starfighter captain, Datron Mann faces intrigue, adventure, and the dubious honor of judging galactic females in a beauty contest. He even faces certain death after accepting a mission to track down dangerous weapon smugglers--all in a day's work. When a beautiful mechanic stows away on his vessel, he's simultaneously furious and enchanted. Nothing in the universe has ever made him feel as alive as this one woman. But even if he manages to subdue the criminals and make it home, he faces ultimate heartache. His beloved is dying and there's no cure for the disease ravaging her brain. Eager to teach the vaunted captain a lesson in decorum, former beauty queen Charlotte Grayson devises a scheme to embarrass the unruly captain. Unfortunately, that plan lands her in the middle of an undercover operation fighting murderous smugglers alongside the detestable man. With their lives in danger, can they find a way to work together or is heartache the eventual outcome? Smugglers bearing mind-controlling drugs and advanced weaponry are just the beginning of their problems. For one of the intrepid heroes, being killed on the mission was never an issue. For one of them... death is the only outcome.