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

Behind us, Parker calls out, “Come on, you


guys. Get your freak on later. This is why they threw your asses in


“Shut up,” Dylan growls. As he pulls


me out into the corridor, though, the airlock door starts to slide


shut. It hits his shoulder, bounces back into its frame, tries


again. “Hey!” Dylan glares at Parker, smirking at us—he’s the


closest one to the keypad. Conlan’s halfway down the hall leading


to the colony, Shanley right behind him. I jump clear of the door’s


path when it tries to close again, and this time it slides shut.


Advancing on Parker, Dylan pushes him back against the far wall.


“You’re just looking for a fight, aren’t you?”


“Wasn’t me,” Parker says. He knocks


Dylan’s hands away and I step between them before they can start


something. “Jesus, Teague, the door closed on its own. I didn’t


A little ways off from us, Conlan stops.


“We’re coming,” I tell him before he can ask, grabbing Dylan’s arm


Chapter 99