The Interplanetary Guild of Human Affairs sends out dozens of delegations to planets all around the galaxy. Four of the Guild’s employees -- Star, Nate, Fara, and Josh -- grew close on one such delegation, and over the course of five years on assignment, developed a comfortable, happy relationship.<br><br>Then the assignment ends, the group returns to the new human homeworld, Reyhan, where they receive new orders. For the first time in years, they are going to be separated. Between the far-flung locations and length of assignments, there is no way to know when they’ll be together again.<br><br>But Star is not one to simply take what the world throws at them. As a respected bodyguard and security officer, Star’s existence revolves around protecting precious things. Nothing in the galaxy is more precious than their partners’ happiness. With countless variables to consider and dozens of ways it could all fall apart, will it be possible for the group to stay together?

Home

A squeal of laughter came from the open bedroom door and I looked past Josh towards it, eyebrows rising. “Are we eating dinner without them, then?”


Josh grinned sheepishly. “Think so.”


I nodded but didn’t move out of his arms. Marriage was an archaic tradition from Earth which had been falling out of practice here on Reyhan. The Dovarians had a ceremony known simply as devotion. It was more fluid than marriage, unconcerned with gender, and less rooted in religion or law. My understanding of marriage was that it had been used in ancient times to seal alliances when only two genders were recognized—the wife’s family basically paid the husband to take her off their hands. It made me uncomfortable.


Chapter 8