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

Of course, he’ll forget the two months we


spent apart because he let Dixon convince him it would be for the


best. Silly boy. I’m not going to let him do that to us again—when


this is over with and we head back to the station, I’m going to


tell him straight up, I’m happier with him, no matter how far away


he is. If I go to bed alone, I want to know that he’s out there


somewhere dreaming of me, I want to know that he’s looking forward


to coming back to me, I want to know he’s mine. Fuck Dixon. If he


tries to talk Dylan into thinking we’re better off apart… well, I


just won’t let him. That’s all there is to it.


As I look around the sterile room, I almost


hear Dylan’s voice, seductive, convincing, urgent. Evan, listen,


really, what do you say? An hour, that’s it. Make your rounds, do


what you need to do, and let me have some downtime with my boy,


what’ll it hurt? Just some quality time, that’s all I’m asking for


And he’ll come back and say, We have to


Chapter 113