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

But he does. He nods, lowers his voice until


he’s almost whispering. “You said the same things Seth did, Ramsey,


just a few hours ago. If Kelly were doing fine, you might have been


the one to change the code on me when Ben asked you to. Don’t shake


your head like that, you knowyou would’ve done the same


thing, Ramsey, Iknow you would have. Hell, I


Ramsey shakes his head again. “You’re not


like us,” he says, his voice a soft rumble like distant thunder.


“You said it yourself, Jeremy. You never gave up hope.”


“And I still haven’t.” Conlan takes a


step closer to his friend, dares to place a hand on his shoulder.


Ramsey’s anger seems to deflate at the touch. “I’m not saying to


pack up and leave this all behind. This is our home.I grew


up here, I belong here—I’m not about to give in just because things


aren’t working out for us. I’m not saying we should give


From behind Conlan, Maclin asks, “Then what


Chapter 105