Deadland Drifter, serialized

By J.N. Chaney & Ell Leigh Clarke
First Published: 2013
 Jack Burner is a former intelligence officer who now drifts from system to system doing whatever he pleases. That is until he is pulled backing into the action by  an assassination plot, but that’s only the beginning of his troubles.

1. Deadland Drifter
When a dental appointment goes sideways, former Union Operative Jack Burner wakes to find himself drugged, and imprisoned. And he’s given a choice: assassinate an Admiral… or allow himself to be killed.

With no other option, Jack reluctantly accepts the mission, only to find himself being trailed by a mysterious blonde woman… and she may or may not want him dead. As if dealing with a terrorist group wasn’t enough.

With the fate of the Admiral and thousands of lives hanging in the balance, Jack stands in the middle of an event that could ignite a war on the edge of the Deadlands and Union Space. Despite his exceptional abilities, training, and tenacity, even Jack has little to no chance of preventing this particular powder keg from exploding.

He’s going to need a miracle.

2. Deadland Wanderer
A mysterious message beckons Jack to a clandestine ‘meet’, but something is off. The code is identical to one his team used back in his Union days. When no one shows, he and Sara find themselves drawn into an investigation to uncover who sent the message… and why.

It isn’t long before they find a trafficking ring that snatches women from shelters and wipes their memories, all with the hope of selling them to the rich and powerful as ‘wives’.

But this is bigger than just a gang of criminals. There’s an organization that stretches across both sides of the law with connections to elected officials at the very top.

3. Deadland Sentinel
With the trafficking ring obliterated, Jack turns his attention to wiping out the dregs of the criminal empire. But when he arrives to take out a particular scumbag, he only finds the man’s corpse. And he’s missing a shoe. As the investigation begins, Jack surmises he has either stumbled into a conspiracy or there’s a serial killer on the loose. The team must mobilize to figure out exactly what is going on.

Corruption, kidnapping, and life as they know it all collide as the group comes up against deadly elements within the very organizations they were sworn to protect. With their own lives in the balance, and the integrity of the Union government at stake, it’s a race against the clock to figure out who the players are and how to bring them down.

All without being taken out themselves.

4. Deadland Protector
With the Hand dead and the Ring mostly dismantled, Burner’s team turn their attention to loose ends. The thing about loose ends is if you tug at them there is always a chance that you’ll pull something else loose. And sometimes that thing is much bigger than anything you are equipped to deal with.

Against a background of clandestine operations it soon becomes apparent that the Hand’s operation is being supported by someone within the government and a second powerful person within the Union.

Tracking the scent of corruption the team discover that the key players already know who they are and are coming for them. It’s a case of strike or be taken out. But taking out high ranking officials is generally frowned on in Union space. Their actions will come at a cost: Burner and his team will become fugitives. If they escape with their lives.

Either way, their life on Dobulla is essentially over.