Resurrection Read online

  REVIEWS

  “Another remarkable read by Jeff Burger! WARNING; this is a true series… by all means, BUY THIS BOOK, but read them in order. And if you already have the others, read them again, you won’t regret it - they are beautifully woven together. You’ll thank me later!” ~Thomas E.

  “I re-read the series in preparation of reading Resurrection - I was not disappointed, I enjoyed Book 5 immensely!” ~Joseph N.

  “Another exciting Wings of Steele adventure by Jeff Burger! Get ready for Ship vs ship combat, fighter vs fighter, and lots of ground action for the infantry types. Jack Steele seems to be surrounded by intrigue everywhere he goes. Lots of old friends from the previous books make an appearance - including our four-legged friends; Fritz, Gus, and Jax...” ~Chris H.

  “I understand that the author has withstood some life-changing events since Book 4 and I totally sympathize. It’s been a long wait for Book 5, but his work is worthy of the wait and my patience. It’s such an exciting story, with a virtual web of twists and turns – I loved every minute of it. I was so eager to start and now I’m sad I’ve finished it. Maybe I’ll just read it again…” ~Charlene T.

  “I seriously considered not buying this book… Why? Because it took 3 years to come out and I loved the series so much… it literally pissed me off. But after re-visiting the previous books, the enjoyment and adventure pulled me right back in. And this new addition to the series, is a star! I’m in love all over again. A must read! ~Heather J.

  “Every time he comes out with a new book in this series, it becomes my favorite - and he just did it again!” ~Kevin G.

  “As soon as I started this book, it was like sitting down with old friends - comfortable. But strap-in, because BOY, this is one hell of a ride! Amazing new characters, incredible action and adventure, multiple story lines, and relentless fun! I couldn’t put it down, it’s like the pages turned themselves. And the ending - OMG, I never saw THAT coming… I’ll be eagerly awaiting Book 6.” ~Gary B.

  WINGS of STEELE

  RESURRECTION

  A NOVEL BY

  JEFFREY J. BURGER

  Other books in the series...

  Book 1 - WINGS of STEELE - Destination Unknown

  Book 2 - WINGS of STEELE - Flight of Freedom

  Book 3 - WINGS of STEELE - Revenge and Retribution

  Book 4 - WINGS of STEELE - Dark Cover

  www.wingsofsteele.com

  COPYRIGHT

  E-Book Edition

  Published in the United States by Templar Press. Templar Press and the mounted Templar Knight colophon are registered trademarks and may not be reproduced.

  Wings of Steele - Resurrection

  Copyright © 2019 Jeffrey J. Burger

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the US. Copyright Act of 1976, no

  part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever, without the expressed written consent of the author or publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book and contents are a work of fiction. The characters and events portrayed in

  this book are fictitious. Any similarity to events, places, or persons, living or dead,

  is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Registered with the Library of Congress

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9983408-1-4 (Templar Press)

  ISBN-10: 0-9983408-1-4

  Cover artwork, copyright © 2019 Jeffrey J. Burger

  WINGS of STEELE logo, copyright © 2019 Jeffrey J. Burger

  www.wingsofsteele.com

  DEDICATION

  It is with a heavy heart that I said goodbye to the most influential man in my life. On July 9th, 2019, while I was working on what was supposed to be the last chapter of Book 5, Resurrection, my father, Kenneth J. Burger, passed away. On July 19th he was returned to the dust from whence we all came.

  Dad was a rugged, tough, but fair man, a John Wayne of sorts. Wise, smart, insightful, with character and ethics, that in my years on this Earth, I rarely see paralleled. He was a good man with a generous nature who enjoyed working with his hands. A friend and protector of critters, creatures and animals of all sizes, Heaven has gained a man without rival, to be guardian of the Rainbow Bridge.

  An absolute pioneer in Police Canine training, it was astounding to see how many men and women Dad mentored in his 35 years of training dogs and the far-reaching effects he had on the Law Enforcement Canine profession. He was a nationally known Master Trainer and had many career firsts in the Police Canine world. I was genuinely touched and extremely appreciative of the professional love and admiration he received by the many officers in attendance - to learn just how much they respected him, his wisdom, his love & dedication to canine work. I was told by his peers, that he readily shared his knowledge and experience, never turning anyone away seeking help with Police Canines.

  My deepest gratitude goes to the members and leadership of the North American Police Work Dog Association, (NAPWDA), for their unwavering, brotherly support - not only for Dad, but for our family as a whole, it has been truly remarkable.

  "It's not what you gather but what you scatter that tells you what kind of life you've lived." ~Helen Walton

  A huge thank you to all my PATREON supporters!

  Bjoernarlby

  Eugene Connell

  Bill Tate

  Bill Sykes

  Leslie C. Marshall

  Edwin Auer

  John Fallon

  Laura Blacker

  To be a PATREON supporter, visit; www.wingsofsteele.com

  and click on the linked PATREON logo wherever you find it.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  REVIEWS

  COPYRIGHT

  DEDICATION

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  EPILOGUE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  PROLOGUE

  UFW REVENGE, WOLF 359 SYSTEM : RETURN OF THE RAVEN

  Lisa Steele crossed her legs at the ankle as she stretched out on the bed in her quarters, laying the e-Pad-H to the side, her service reports beginning to blur together. “Holy cripes, I’m tired. Is this what dog tired is?” she asked the dog laying at her side, patting his butt.

  In the months and weeks since her brother’s departure from the fleet on the Dark Cover assignment, Lisa had been put to the test - literally and figuratively. Without her brother’s support and guidance, she had, at times, felt alone and rudderless - despite the staggering level of logistical support behind her. The scope of her duties was so wide, it was at times, overwhelming to say the least. But, Lisa Steele, or as she was now called, Lisa Stone, did not shy away from her duties. She exc
elled at them, despite the obstacles.

  Prioritizing the needs of the various countries and regions of the planet was a constant struggle and she found herself playing favorites for the United States and its important allies - even though the needs of other places may have been greater. The goal after all, was to keep the entire planet from imploding and as far as she could see, the best way of doing that was to keep the places better known for a measure of sanity, from burning to the ground. And with the ever-changing crisis around the globe, Admiral Higdenberger kept her busy long after he wanted to release her and the Revenge, to go to G’Naroth Sarat to search for her brother.

  Earth would never be the same again. But, love it or hate it, there was no going back to the way things used to be. Opportunists all over the world did their best to take advantage of situation. Some were successful, some failed miserably, changing the boundaries and borders of countries forever.

  Israel was attacked by Syria, Palestine and Iran - and fought back with the ferocity the Israeli people were famous for. Palestine ceased to exist, Israel absorbing its land and pushing the Israeli border all the way to its neighbor, Jordan, while taking Damascus from Syria in a resounding beating they would not likely soon forget. Further threats from Iran were eliminated by hitting their nuclear facilities with precision airstrikes and wiping the Iranian Air Force from the sky. All-in-all, it was a relatively short conflict, as U.S. Naval Carriers stationed in the Persian Gulf aided with logistical and asset support.

  Taking a single nuclear hit by the United States that vaporized Pyongyang, North Korea lost their chosen upper crust citizenry, their shining jewel of prosperity, albeit an arranged, fragile, facade, a crippling portion of their military, their Dear Leader and subsequently, their will to fight. South Korea marched north and without much resistance, Korea was unified for the first time since 1945. The starving people of North Korea would be immensely better off.

  For Russia, the loss of Putin created a leadership power vacuum and governmental infighting prevented them from any organized territorial advances on weaker neighbors that they would have likely attempted otherwise.

  Most of Europe’s boundaries stayed virtually unchanged while the Middle East burned, the various sects of Islam running rampant in murderous chaos. And their special brand of love and tolerance spread all over the world in the form of refugees who shared the same chaos wherever they went - quickly wearing out their welcome; the host countries learning, sometimes a little too slowly, that these refugees weren’t really refugees at all, but agents of infiltration and disorder.

  Entire sections of the South African continent remained in flux, with rampaging warlords fighting for territory, massacring or enslaving the weak… stealing, raping and pillaging.

  The United States and Canada remained as they have always been, friends and respectable neighbors. But the loss of Washington D.C. and a sizable portion of the U.S. government, prompted Mexican elements made up of cartels and separated military to push north in several places along the border. It was believed to be an attempt to annex portions of the southwest states they’d been coveting for decades; but it may simply have been to secure corridors for the transfer of drugs, gangs and infiltrators who had paid the coyotes heavy sums for passage into the United States.

  At any rate, it did not go well for them. Texans were having none of it, holding fast at the Rio Grande. Ranchers, militias on the border, civilians answering the call to arms and the Border Patrol, fought for twenty-four hours until the National Guard could be mustered. Pushing back with National Guard close air support and light armor, the southern border of Texas extended well beyond the Rio Grande towards Monterrey and Chihuahua. New Mexico held fast, resisting a cartel push up from Cuidad Juarez below El Paso. The folks in Arizona weren’t playing either, taking down a Mexican helicopter flying over the American town of Nogales with concentrated small arms fire. U.S. military air support now patrolling all along the border was given free to engage clearance by the incoming President for any vehicles or aircraft attempting to illegally breach the border, which would be closed for the foreseeable future. The Mexican president disavowed all knowledge of the incidents and condemned the actions… But that may have been the plan all along.

  In retrospect, that had been a busy two weeks; not only for the people living along America’s southern border, but for Lisa as well. It was expected, eventually, the United States would return that territory gained, back to Mexico, but only after measures had been taken to better control the border. Currently the U.S. was using it as a buffer and no-fly zone for security.

  The real surprise was China, remaining vigilant but non-aggressive, while poor Japan, bristling with defenses, waited for an onslaught, that thankfully, never came.

  Lisa’s German Shorthaired Pointer, Gus, slept on his back between the wall and her body, his legs up in the air, one foot pedaling gently, his jowls hanging upside down from his face, baring his teeth. She watched his nose wiggle and his tongue go in and out in little twitches. Silly dog. “Computer, lights to ten percent,” she yawned. Without reply, the lights gradually dimmed to a level where things around the room became nothing more than dark shapes. The steady drone of the ship’s engines lulled her brain into neutral as the Revenge cut through space across Wolf 359, their ultimate destination the Bengaloo System… the starting point to search for her brother, the Perseus and its crew.

  The UFW Revenge had transitioned back into the Raven, running once more as an independently owned ship like she had previously, during their foray into Rikovik’s Reef…

  ■ ■ ■

  It took a few moments for the chime to reach into Lisa’s consciousness waking her enough to a point where she could respond, tapping the flickering screen of her MOBIUS. “Lisa Ste… Stone, go ahead,” she mumbled, fighting for control of her eyelids.

  “Incoming comm from Earth, Lieutenant...”

  “Who is it?” she asked sleepily, brushing loose curls of hair from her face.

  “A Sargent Bobby Fortuno.”

  She attempted to focus on the screen, trying to estimate how long she’d been asleep; Hmm, only three hours. “OK,” she groaned, “send it…” She elbowed herself into a sitting position. Bobby Fortuno’s face appeared on the screen and Lisa pulled the corner of the hologram, resizing the screen and moving its position. “Hey Bobby.”

  “You’re a hard person to get ahold of…” his eyes glanced around her, seeing nothing but darkness. “Hey, I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  “Sort of… but that’s alright. Watcha’ need?”

  “Geez, I’m sorry, it’s like 10 am, here,” he waved. “Took me forever to get you, I got switched all over the place. Where the hell are you?”

  “I can’t tell you that, Bobby,” she replied, matter of factly.

  “Oh. You’re not down here somewhere are you?”

  Lisa shook her head, “No.”

  “So, what’s the big secret then?”

  “I can’t tell you that, Bobby,” she insisted.

  “Oh, you’re serious. So, it is secret then…” he grinned.

  “Bobby…”

  “Yeah?”

  “Why did you call me?”

  “Ah,” he nodded. “Well, you were scheduled to meet us yesterday with the supply drop. And you didn’t show up, so I thought I’d check in on you.”

  “Oh, sorry about that. Other commitments and all,” she waved. “Did the supply drop get to you?”

  “Yeah, pretty much everything we needed; a few items were short…”

  “Did you tell the supply liaison?”

  “No, I usually discuss that with you, so…”

  “Because I’m usually your supply liaison,” she acknowledged. “You need to get in touch with him and let him know what was missing. I won’t be around for a while.”

  Bobby rubbed his forehead, “Oh, OK. When are you coming back?”

  “Uh, I can’t tell you that, Bobby.”

  “Ah, right - secret.”


  Lisa managed a weak smile, “Everything going OK down there, Bobby?” She saw an expression flash across his face but wasn’t sure what it meant.

  “It’s getting better. We have a long way to go, though…”

  “Rioting?”

  “I don’t know if it would be fair to call them riots… but yeah, there are still troublemakers causing problems. We watched another Mosque burn a few nights ago; all the way to the ground. Truthfully, some really bad guys have come out of that one. The fire department really took their time getting there… can’t say that I blame them, especially after what happened to Holy Name Cathedral, downtown.”

  “The defacing of the Virgin Mary statue?”

  “Yeah, filthy animals. I honestly don’t see the arson investigation making much progress on the Mosque fire - it’s not really been made a priority.”

  Lisa nodded, more in compassion than anything else. “Listen, Bobby, I hate to cut you short, but I gotta’ get some sleep…”

  “Oh, alright…” he replied half-heartedly.

  “Is there something else?” queried Lisa.

  “Uh, no… No, I’m good…”

  “Are you absolutely sure? Because it may be months before I get back.” She watched a flash of consternation cross his face. “OK, out with it. What’s the problem?”

  Bobby Fortuno nervously tugged his earlobe, “Like I thought it would, the brass isn’t taking our recommendations. They’re stockpiling some of the equipment… they want everybody but the SWAT teams to turn in the armor…”

  “Did you turn in your armor?” she interrupted.