Galanthe
Genre: Sci-Fi, Queer Romance (M/M), Slow Burn
Synopsis:
Astrogation Specialist Elias Vance is content in the cold, silent vacuum of space. As a solitary observer stationed high above the colonized world of Kepler-29d, his life is defined by rigid protocol, data streams, and the comforting predictability of the void. His mission is simple: maintain the orbital relay and monitor the planet's increasingly unstable environment.
Eighteen thousand kilometers below, Kael lives a life defined by growth, dirt, and struggle. As a Hydroponics Engineer in a small, isolated agricultural unit on the planet's surface, he spends his days coaxing life from alien soil and wrestling with the oppressive quiet of a colony cut off from Earth. Yearning for connection, Kael sends unauthorized messages to a defunct communication tower-a digital message in a bottle cast into the solar wind.
When Elias accidentally intercepts one of Kael's transmissions, the vast distance between their worlds collapses. What begins as a reckless, anonymous correspondence becomes a lifeline. Elias, risking his career and isolation, finds himself drawn to the messy, vibrant life of the man on the ground. Kael, desperate for a voice from the stars, finds a conspirator and a kindred spirit in the Astrogation Specialist he knows only by code name.
But as their bond deepens, the dangerous secrets Elias is sworn to protect-secrets about Kepler-29d's true instability-begin to threaten Kael's life. With corporate security closing in on Elias and the ground below Kael starting to fail, their impossible romance will force them to decide: is their love worth risking the distance... and their worlds?