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

The bars separate just an inch, and then as


I watch, they begin to retract, drawing into the side of the wall,


opening, and I don’t care why, I don’t care how, I’m already


reaching through to my freedom when I hear footsteps down the


corridor, heavy footsteps, lotsof them, a whole army headed


this way. For a second I wonder what my chances are, if I just


throw myself through the opening and barrel down the corridor—I


wonder how far I’ll get before I’m stopped. I can still try


it,I think, watching the gap in the bars widen slowly.


Then Ellington steps into view, and Ramsey’s


behind him, his cold, blue eyes chilling all thoughts of escape.


And Maclin’s with them, and Henry, they block the corridor like a


human wall, there’s no wayI could break through their


defense. And Conlan—he stands behind them, stares at the floor,


doesn’t even look at me. At my side, I clench the knife tight in my


hand and ask, “What’s this all about?”


“Put it down,” Ellington says, nodding


Chapter 80