Blackcollar Series by Timothy Zahn

Blackcollars were a human task force designed to defeat alien Ryqril invaders. The guerilla warriors were improved by drugs to enhance lifespan, speed, reflexes, and memory. Allen Caine has never met this weapon, stronger than Nova-class battle cruisers, but 30 years later goes to find their remnants, Damon Thane, and 5 starships from the planet Plinry.

Blackcollars are a human task force designed to defeat alien Ryqril invaders. Backlash, the drug that improves their lifespan, speed, reflexes, and memory, has been all used up. Allen Caine and the Blackcollars seek the formula in the Aegis mountains, near Denver Colorado, deathtrap center of enemy territory.

Damon Lathe, Allen Caine, and the Blackcollar drug-enhanced combat team want to infiltrate a Ryqril-conquered colony, a tactical center where the whole sector's military data flows through against the Chryselli. But Ryqruil Prefect Jamus Galway of Plinry has a clone duplicate of Allen ready.

Allen Caine was too young to remember when the Earth had not been a conquered planet, one of many such in the huge and sprawling Rygril empire, but he knew of the legendary blackcollars, guerilla warriors trained to the limit of human speed and skill, then turned into nearly superhuman combatants by use of the now-lost backlash drug... moreAllen Caine was too young to remember when the Earth had not been a conquered planet, one of many such in the huge and sprawling Rygril empire, but he knew of the legendary blackcollars, guerilla warriors trained to the limit of human speed and skill, then turned into nearly superhuman combatants by use of the now-lost backlash drug. Earth and its former colony worlds had been overwhelmed, but sparks of rebellion still smoldered, and the rebel underground on Earth had sent Caine on an undercover mission to the former Earth colony of Plinry, where there was a faint hope that a blackcollar unit still existed. The underground alone knew of a secret that might be humanity's ace in the hole. And if a remnant of blackcollar fighters still existed on Plinry, they were the only hope of playing that ace in a final bid for the freedom of humanity.Publisher's Note: This book has appeared in parts as The Blackcollar and Blackcollar: The Backlash Mission. This is the first unified appearance of the complete book less