Wings of Steele Series by Jeffrey Burger

An epic science fiction adventure that reaches from the surface of our familiar planet and the safety of terra firma, to the dark, vast expanse of deep space and distant star systems.Jack Steele is an ex big-city cop that left the department after losing a friend in the line of duty. Recovering from a tough divorce, he reinvents himself with a love of flying and restructures his life as a pilot for hire... moreAn epic science fiction adventure that reaches from the surface of our familiar planet and the safety of terra firma, to the dark, vast expanse of deep space and distant star systems.Jack Steele is an ex big-city cop that left the department after losing a friend in the line of duty. Recovering from a tough divorce, he reinvents himself with a love of flying and restructures his life as a pilot for hire. Accompanied by his ever-present German Shepherd, Fritz, Jack will fly almost anything, anywhere, shuttling new & used planes for clients all over the world. He had never been a Boy Scout, but he is a man who likes to stay prepared and in control of whatever life throws at him. But nothing could have prepared Jack and his co-pilot Brian when life suddenly goes drastically and violently sideways... in a direction and magnitude that no one could have ever anticipated. Wanted men, it seems like everyone on the planet is hunting for them and their only option is to run... but to where? less

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmond Burke...The adventure continues - with one major difference: Jack Steele's Freedom is no longer the wounded duck she once was. They leave UFW Blackmount Station repaired and retooled, with a complete crew, fully armed and resupplied, ready to hunt. But life in a busy and turbulent universe is rarely as simple as one would hope it to be... more"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmond Burke...The adventure continues - with one major difference: Jack Steele's Freedom is no longer the wounded duck she once was. They leave UFW Blackmount Station repaired and retooled, with a complete crew, fully armed and resupplied, ready to hunt. But life in a busy and turbulent universe is rarely as simple as one would hope it to be. This becomes painfully evident with the complexities in space as events splinter even the best laid plans at home and abroad.Organized and motivated, the pirates are not to be taken lightly with a growing fleet of freelancers attracted by wealth and fame. In her own right, the Freedom was a name becoming famous...or infamous as far as the pirates were concerned. And that could spell disaster for the Freedom and her crew...An epic science fiction adventure that reaches from the surface of our familiar planet and the safety of terra firma, to the dark, vast expanse of deep space and distant empires.(This is a full sized novel. 159,322 words). less

“Evil hides best in the shadows, preferring to work in the darkness. It withers and dies when exposed to the bright light of truth for all to see.” ~ Vice Admiral Jack Steele Book 3 in the Wings of Steele series. With the Freedom gone forever, Jack Steele is awarded a new ship and a new position. A newly minted Vice Admiral, Jack Steele replaces the functionally insane Admiral Pottsdorn as the commander of Task Force Lancer... more“Evil hides best in the shadows, preferring to work in the darkness. It withers and dies when exposed to the bright light of truth for all to see.” ~ Vice Admiral Jack Steele Book 3 in the Wings of Steele series. With the Freedom gone forever, Jack Steele is awarded a new ship and a new position. A newly minted Vice Admiral, Jack Steele replaces the functionally insane Admiral Pottsdorn as the commander of Task Force Lancer. Leaving behind a stabilized and closely monitored Veloria Prime bound for the Terran system, their new mission is to invite Earth into the United Federation of Worlds. And the UFW Directorate will accept nothing less than success. But trouble brews on Earth and the deep space between Velora Prime and the Terran System is anything but friendly. An epic science fiction adventure that reaches from the surface of our familiar planet and the safety of terra firma, to the dark, vast expanse of deep space and distant empires. less

"The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, it seems like an awful waste of space." ~Carl Sagan Secret, alien operatives have spent decades infiltrating humanity; government, military and key positions in the populous to prepare the world's population for control and mass slavery. The planet's mineral resources notwithstanding, the most viable commodity on the planet is it's people and the best way to control them is a one world government... more"The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, it seems like an awful waste of space." ~Carl Sagan Secret, alien operatives have spent decades infiltrating humanity; government, military and key positions in the populous to prepare the world's population for control and mass slavery. The planet's mineral resources notwithstanding, the most viable commodity on the planet is it's people and the best way to control them is a one world government. But with the arrival of Jack Steele's, Task Force Lancer, the alien operatives are desperate for a way out and will stop at nothing to prevent their capture. A global nuclear war threatens the very survival of humanity and the existence of Earth, prompting a spy-vs-spy game of cat and mouse, forcing Jack Steele to play an entirely new role... No one knows what they are capable of until they are pushed to the breaking point... desperate times call for desperate measures and heroes are born under pressure. But life and death is a roll of the dice for Jack, his crew and his extended family, with evil and danger lurking in the most unlikely places. Some may not survive... less

There may be aliens in our Milky Way galaxy, and there are billions of other galaxies. The probability is almost certain that there is life somewhere in space. ~Buzz Aldrin Somehow, Steele survived his ordeal... or did he? He emerges a man, in some measure less than he was, but more than he should be. But what has he become, exactly? The question is not whether he can be identified or not, and not by what label can be applied to him, but rather, will he allow himself to admit it... moreThere may be aliens in our Milky Way galaxy, and there are billions of other galaxies. The probability is almost certain that there is life somewhere in space. ~Buzz Aldrin Somehow, Steele survived his ordeal... or did he? He emerges a man, in some measure less than he was, but more than he should be. But what has he become, exactly? The question is not whether he can be identified or not, and not by what label can be applied to him, but rather, will he allow himself to admit it. After his brush with death, Jack Steele has been both lost and found, dead and alive, but something is different... Something he cannot define. In his single-mindedness to get back to his family, he is forced to ignore signs and dismiss clues, as to who, or what, he may have become. With a new wealth of unexplained information that floods him from time to time, he is baffled by the gaps in his memory that plague him. Alone and on his own, Steele finds trust is a dangerous and precarious proposition. Forced to change and adapt to survive in Dark Territory, he is willing to do nearly anything to reach his goal. Will he succeed? Will he survive? Flung wide across the stars in a multitude of directions, Jack Steele and his extended family struggle for survival, left to their own devices. But their goal remains the same; duty to finish their mission if at all possible... and get home. Accomplishing both, is a trial of wits, perseverance, guts and honor - fraught with unimaginable danger. Space is unpredictable, untamed and unforgiving; if they are going to survive, they are all going to need to be brave, bold and ruthless... without losing sight of their humanity. An epic novel - 162,872 words less