Deadland Drifter: A Scifi Thriller

by J. N. Chaney

  So, they danced around the issue, and Burner conveniently left out the parts where sacrificing Sara would have been the tactically superior and safer move and he had decided against it. Those actions would only lead to more difficult questions.

  When Hank and Garret were satisfied with the answers, the debriefing could officially come to an end. Technically, after the questioning by the officers, the operatives were allowed to ask questions back. This was typically considered bad form, since anything the officers thought was relevant to the operatives should have already been brought up. Being concerned with the aftermath of an operation you were no longer a part of was particularly frowned upon, since, as far the Union was concerned, once your role in the operation was finished, it no longer concerned you.

  Burner disagreed with that assessment, so while Sara politely passed her opportunity to ask any questions back, Burner started with one of his own. “Do you have a full accounting on all the terrorists we identified?”

  Garret’s face crumpled as though Burner had just passed gas, but Hank leaned in to respond. “All accounted for. Killington and Reginald confirmed dead on the station. The body of the one referred to as Eggie was recovered from their hideout. Video surveillance shows the leader, Cypher, getting onto the Atlantis Falcon before its destruction, and all the logs we have recovered from the ship confirm he was still onboard. While there’s not enough of his body left to identify, we feel confident in declaring him deceased. First Mate Roberts, aka Stack, is in custody and is cooperating fully with our investigation. Cade was rushed to an intensive care unit, but reports say that he is considered stable. Once he is recovered, he’ll face similar charges.”

  The mention of Cade, the pizza-lover who had seemed out of place among the hardened criminals and murderers, sparked Burner’s next question. “Will Cade’s family be allowed to see him? He has children. It’s going to be rough enough to learn about their father’s crimes, but it would be even worse for them if he was hauled off to a black site to never be seen again.”

  The distaste in Burner’s voice had not been directed at the Union. It had been directed at Cade and all the parents like him who didn’t think about how their actions could affect those they were supposed to be caring for.

  Hank didn’t blink at what Burner knew must have been considered an inappropriate question. “I’ll see what I can do. We recognize that Cade’s decisions near the end played a role in the safety of the station, and that won’t be overlooked. It is likely his crimes will mean spending the rest of his life behind bars, but I don’t see a reason why his family shouldn’t be allowed to be on the other side of those bars.”

  Garret started to rise, an attempt to hint to Burner that the debriefing was over and he should finish up his questions. But Burner continued with his inquiry. “The assassination of Admiral Thiel was central to the terrorist plot. Are you confident that the danger to him has passed?”

  The Intelligence officer sighed and sat back down. “Roberts confirmed that he was the only mole on the ship. We didn’t take his word for it, of course, and did a thorough sweep of the ship’s personnel and console logs, but we’ve found nothing to raise suspicion. We’ll have the admiral under increased guard for a few weeks to be on the safe side, but we’re confident that the assassination plot has been foiled.”

  One more question. Burner directed it at Hank, feeling like he wouldn’t get a straight answer from Garret. “The plot was foiled, but there were several public explosions, and many witnesses who saw a Union ship fire on a neutral space station. What’s the reaction in the Deadlands been like?”

  Hank’s expression showed that he understood what Burner meant by the question and didn’t like it. Despite that, he answered honestly. “Tensions are running high right now. Thankfully, there were no civilian casualties. Even so, Admiral Thiel and much of the Union command thinks it would be best if the Union reduced its presence in the region, at least for a while. We will be greatly reducing our numbers in the neutral zone and moving back our patrols along the border. At least, for the time being.”

  He didn’t voice the thing that made him so uncomfortable, but Burner was able to deduce it easily enough. The Union was effectively giving up its plans of expansion into the Frontier. Or, more accurately, they were indefinitely delaying those plans. In that way, Cypher, and the attack he had led, had been successful. It might not have been the revolution he was hoping to start, and the Union had not really been weakened, but the overarching goal of protecting the Frontier and the Deadlands from Union domination had been accomplished. And no one liked the idea of terrorists getting their way.

  Satisfied, Burner indicated he had no further questions. Before he could leave, Hank stopped him. “Burner, a moment, if I could. Or can I call you Jack?”

  He rarely went by his first name, when he bothered to use his real name at all, but there didn’t seem to be much of a point in arguing. “You’re just going to call me what you want anyway, aren’t you?”

  Hank didn’t deny it. “Jack, I know your time in Intelligence ended poorly, but it’s a crime for your talents to be wasted when there’s so much good you can do. If you’d consider it, I’d like to offer you a place with the Constables.”

  It was a surprisingly tempting offer. Surprising also in that Hank was willing to let him and Sara continue working together, despite the obvious complication that presented. Additionally, these past few days had reminded him of something he had forgotten working in Intelligence. As someone who investigated military crime, he had seen the worst that the Union had to offer. The corruption. The arrogance. The malice. After he left, he saw the freedom offered by the Deadlands as a sort of salvation.

  But that wasn’t the full story. The Union, when it was represented by the right people, could be a force for good in the galaxy. People like Sara, willing to risk their life to protect others. Or Hank, who Burner could already tell took his role as a protector of order very seriously. Meanwhile, the lawless, survival of the fittest mentality of the Deadlands gave rise to psychopaths like Cypher and the people who would be willing to support him.

  They were two worlds diametrically opposed. Order versus chaos. Law versus ingenuity. Security versus freedom.

  And Burner knew that he didn’t belong exclusively in either of those worlds. After all, while today the Union might have been the good guys, some day in the future they might be the villains, as so often they had in the past. And on that day, people like Burner would need to be ready to stand up to them.

  Burner dropped his gaze to the floor for a moment, before looking back up at Hank. “I really appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to pass.”

  Hank gave a faint smile and held out his hand. “I understand. If you change your mind... well, I’m sure someone with your skills will find a way to contact me.”

  Burner returned the handshake. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Garret was giving Burner a suspicious look. “So then what will you do next, Burner?”

  He gave a shrug. “Take a trip. Or maybe I’ll take advantage of the unique setup here on the Pharbis for a while. Who knows?”

  They exchanged a few formal parting words, with Burner being thanked for his service and a reminder that they will be in touch if something new arises. Then Burner left, passing Sara, who was heading back in.

  Epilogue

  It had been nice of the Union to put Burner up in such an expensive hotel room. He knew it had been so they could keep tabs on him while he remained on the Pharbis, but even still. They could have just as easily done so in one of the cheaper hotels. Burner suspected that Hank had a hand in picking his accommodations. He was really growing to like that man.

  He was enjoying the view from his balcony when he heard the door to his room open. No one else should have a key, and hotel service would have knocked. He wasn’t worried, though. If it was someone who was looking to do him harm, they could have opened the door much more quietly. There was one person he had be
en expecting a visit from that didn’t need a key to get into places.

  “Hello, Sara,” he said without turning around.

  The blonde woman stepped up onto the balcony beside him. It had been a few days since they had last seen each other. He knew his decision to turn down Hank’s offer might have come as a shock to her. Might have even felt like a betrayal. He had decided to give her some space and let her think it over. If the week had ended without him seeing her again, he would have known that she had moved on.

  He was really glad that she hadn’t.

  “You going to offer me some of that or are you going to drain it all yourself?” She gestured to the bottle of wine that Burner had set out. It had been found among Cade’s possessions when the Union raided one of his storage units, and the former terrorist had requested it be gifted to Burner. It was probably the best wine Burner had ever had.

  He poured his guest a glass. “You’ll see why I would want to hoard it.”

  She looked skeptical, but one sip quickly changed that. “I might just have to steal this and run away.”

  Burner grinned. “I’d find you.”

  Sara gave him a challenging look. “Would you? I’m pretty good at disappearing.”

  “And I’m pretty good at finding people.”

  She sighed dramatically. “Then I guess I have no choice but to stay and share the rest of this bottle with you. Such a shame. But first, I need to freshen up a bit. Don’t even think about finishing that without me.”

  Without waiting for permission, she turned to use Burner’s bathroom.

  It was good to have her back.

  Burner turned his attention back to the view, grateful for this moment of respite from the chaos of his travels.

  The beeping of his comm portended an end to that peace. He checked the device on his wrist and groaned.

  -Jack Burner – I have a request for you.-

  He had refreshed his comm’s contact information recently. That someone had already discovered the number and linked it to his real name was problematic. At least whoever this was had the courtesy of asking him for a favor, instead of kidnapping him and then making demands.

  The sound of the shower being turned on caught his attention and tempted him, as strongly as he had ever been tempted, to simply let this one go. Refresh his contact information again and take a well-deserved vacation with a very beautiful woman to some far-off planet with no worries.

  But his damned curiosity would never allow him to do that.

  In spite of his better judgement, he sent his reply.

  JACK will return in DEADLAND WANDERER, available to preorder now on Amazon.

  For more updates on this series, be sure to join the Facebook Group, “J.N. Chaney’s Renegade Readers.”

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