Operation Starward

By Ryder Tombs

Lieutenant Cole Mercer has always followed orders, from the Air Force that shaped him to the country that barely acknowledges who he really is. When a mission gone sideways puts him on the radar of Project Starward, a classified black-ops initiative involving non-human technology, Cole is thrust into a world where flying is done not with hands but with thought, memory, and trust.

Paired with a sentient alien ship and its enigmatic guide, Echo, Cole must confront the things he has buried to survive, including his past, his pain, and the version of himself he never let anyone see. The deeper he bonds with the ship, the more he realizes this is not only about flying. It is about becoming.

A queer sci-fi drama steeped in intimacy, mystery, and emotional resonance, Project Starward is a story about connection across stars, between species, and within ourselves.

Disclaimer

Operation Starward is a queer slow-burn romance set against a backdrop of high-stakes sci-fi adventure. The heat here comes from charged silences, brush-of-a-hand tension, and the kind of looks that feel like they could tilt entire planets. While physical intimacy is present, it remains closed-door-no explicit on-page sex scenes.

This story is about trust, vulnerability, and connection in impossible circumstances. It follows two guarded souls-one human, one alien-learning to navigate loyalty, identity, and desire in a world where the lines between pilot and ship, soldier and rebel, duty and love blur into something stranger and deeper than gravity.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FM8M3T16
• ISBN13: 9798297812321
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 454 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.5"