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

“Hey hey!” Parker cries out, jumping


out of the hatch before it opens completely. He grimaces at the


soft mud like he forgot it was there, and then he takes in our


soaking wet clothing, our clay-streaked shoes, and laughs. “You


know I was hoping this shit would let up, right?”


“Did they give you clearance to land?”


Dylan wants to know, frowning at the ship’s struts, slowly sinking


into the earth. “Did you remember to cut the thrust when you


docked? Don’t tell me you went in my room—”


“I didn’t go in your room,” Parker


says, rolling his eyes. Winking at me, he jokes, “Your porno mags


are right where you left them, don’t worry. And that naked pic of


“Hey!” I cry, indignant. “There better


not be any naked pictures of me in there.”


Dylan kisses my forehead. “Don’t worry,” he


kids, “I hid them all.” To Parker, he asks, “What coords did you


use? I thought they weren’t letting you down—”


Chapter 98