Gadget Read Free Page A

at a family event. Hanging around with the imperial family had not been her idea of fun, but it had turned out to be a fairly enjoyable few days before duty called her again.
    “You have it precisely right, dear Tobitha. The food has been delivered, so we are able to depart whenever you are ready.” Naroz smiled.
    It was a not-so-subtle prod, and Shatter waited behind the prince with an attentive expression.
    Gadget turned to Frisk and gave her a hug. “I will see you again when I am back this way. I promise.”
    Frisk laughed. “Send the other altered Terrans by as well. I am always up to reminisce about cultures past and foods barely remembered.”
    “I will spread the word. You will be in heavy rotation as soon as one of us passes through this cluster.”
    Frisk grinned. “Excellent. It will serve Lance right to have to share me now and then. I don’t want him getting complacent.”
    Gadget snorted and hugged Frisk again. “See you soon.”
    She watched wistfully as the other Terran walked toward the skimmer where the rest of the Guardians were gathered. It was like watching the departure of a long lost cousin. They had only just met, but now, they had to part.
    Shatter stepped forward with his bag over one shoulder. “Shall we go?”
    The prince lifted his own bag. “Ready if you are.”
    Gadget sighed. “Then please, welcome to my home, my prison and my body.”
    She gestured grandly for them to enter, and they inclined their heads as they stepped into her domain. “The lower levels are designed for cryo storage. If you are down here, you are in the most heavily reinforced section of the Dark Fairy. No blast, no impact and no chance of escape.”
    Toby triggered the door closure and began running the tour. “The connecting passage between hold and the upper level has to be triggered by me. No one gets to the private areas of the ship unless I authorize it.”
    Shatter asked, “How do you keep prisoners from breaking into your space?”
    “In a word, acid. I do acid flushes of the ship every time there is a danger of incursion. I recharge the tanks at regular intervals.”
    Naroz winced. “Brutal but effective.”
    “When you are alone in the ship, you do what you can to protect yourself. I will register your bio-signs with the ship so you won’t be in danger of me giving you that treatment. If you are registered, the systems won’t activate deadly countermeasures until you are clear.”
    Shatter snorted. “Good to know.”
    She grinned and kept leading them past the cryo chambers.
    “How many can you carry?”
    “Forty in the cryo tubes. It is preferable to having folks rattling around down here. They get noisy.”
    She summoned the stairs and led the way up to the second level. It was the actual guest level. “Your rooms will be here, on this floor. Prince Naroz, your rooms are here, on the left, Shatter, yours are on the right.”
    Shatter raised his brows. “Rooms? How much space do we get?”
    She shrugged. “Well, I don’t know how much you were expecting, but I only have two first-class accommodations and you have them. My quarters are attached to the command deck above.”
    Naroz grinned. “So, where do we register to be recognized by the ship?”
    “Drop your bags in your rooms, and we will head up to the command deck. I will do it there.”
    Toby waited in the hall while they entered their rooms, and she summoned the next set of steps up to her deck. She scooted up to her floor, and the two men followed her. Finally, she was back where she belonged. The lights came on as she moved through the ship, and in the command centre, she coaxed the Fairy into producing the authorization key unit.
    “All right, boys. One palm at a time. You are on my turf now, and here, there is no rank, no formality. Shatter, your name protects your family, so you can keep it, but Naroz, you are going by your first name now. You two, in turn, may call me Toby.”
    Naroz grimaced. “You sound like my