J.M. Snyder

Neal James is a space station navigator whose lover, Dylan Teague, left him for a starmapping mission. But when Dylan radios in a distant signal one night, Neal discovers that he hasn't managed to put the relationship behind him in the two months they've been apart. When he's one of the crew members sent to investigate the signal, he finds that his ex-lover feels the same.<br><br>The source of the signal is a lost colony ship. Only a handful of the original colonists remain, survivors of a deadly disease that killed most of their fellow shipmates twenty years ago. To keep the threat of disease to a minimum, the colony adheres to strict laws, including the prohibition of same-sex relationships.<br><br>When the same fatal virus seems to appear again, Neal and Dylan find themselves in the midst of an irrational panic and hate that threatens to destroy everything the colonists have worked so hard to attain.

Operation Starseed

“Well,” Vallery says, taking a deep


breath, “that could’ve been handled better.”


“No, you think?” I ask with a shaky


laugh. Shanley looks at me and I nod. “You heard him, send the


Conlan speaks tentatively, unsure. “Um,


Captain Teague? You must understand that we cannot give that kind


of information out just yet. Ours is a very precarious position…”


He trails off, as if these aren’t his words but someone else’s and


he’s listening to the next prompt. “Once the committee has verified


the medical condition of your crew, then we may be able to exchange


the information you… have requested. But until that time…”


halting speech. “Captain Teague is preoccupied,” I tell him. “I’m


the navigator, Neal James, and I apologize for that outburst, that


was our radio tech and his opinions do not reflect those of the


rest of the crew—” I hear Milano mutter, “Bullshit,” over the


Chapter 32