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 Shanley’s in his element. He’s wearing


biohazard gear over his jumpsuit, which makes him look like he just


came onboard after a quick space walk, a thin atmosphere suit with


sealed gloves, boot protectors, the whole works—a large hood even


covers his head, and from what we can see through the Plexiglas


visor, he’s taken the added precaution of wearing a surgeon’s mask


over his nose and mouth. “Hey!” Dylan shouts, crossing the


corridor. He laughs as he bangs on the window, hitting the glass


hard enough that Shanley jumps back. “Is all that really


“I don’t think he can hear you,” I


tell him. When he raises his fist to knock on the glass again, I


catch his arm and pull him back. The last thing we need is Hercules


Shanley points at his hood, then down the


corridor to a door I hadn’t noticed before. His actions are easy


enough to read—I’ll be right out.“Knock the window down,


Chapter 118