Gunship: The Run: Gunship, #16

By John M. Davis

The Glimmerian War is long over. But for Hans Wilder, the war will continue until his final breath. Harboring a terrible secret, Hans finds refuge aboard a doomed Gunship and its crew. Landing in Geartown under emergency circumstances, Hans and his Legion background will have a chance encounter with Dalton James, who has quickly become a hero to Gunship readers.
Now, two men who fought beneath different flags will either unify for the purpose of survival, or fight until only one man remains.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Commander
• Release date: May 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386512240

Book preview

Table of Contents

Introduction:  Our Life Now

Chapter 1:  Change Of Perspective

Chapter 2:  Warlord Down

Chapter 3:  Boom

Chapter 4:  A Ship So Fine

Chapter 5:  Sacrifice

Chapter 6:  Only The Beginning

Chapter 7:  The Ballad

About the Author

Introduction

Our Life Now

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Our life has become one of fear and survival.

Upon the spread of a virus like none we'd seen before, humanity quickly found itself on the brink of extinction. The infected walked, but they had become something else. Something scientifically named, no doubt; though folks had simply come to know them as Zombies.

The infected didn't run a man down for his brains. Even the thought of such a thing is ridiculous. They didn't seem to be interested on feeding through the supply of human flesh, either, though it sometimes happened. The truth is, they just ran down the living and killed them. There was no rhyme or reason to it – they just did. Murdering folks had become a part of their DNA.

The Skyla System had once been a place of cultural experiences. Humanity had its thriving worlds that were completely urban and technologically advanced. We also had planets filled with farming communities and a more simple approach to life.

We had our share of problems, of course. Things like murder, black market trading, and, the most despicable of all, politics. Humanity also had no lack of war. There always seemed to be a push for power somewhere throughout the solar system. That had always been the case. But, as the plague set into its first full year, we began to realize how dire things were becoming. Reports of complete moons being overrun as the infection began spreading into the larger cities as well.

As rumors of an assembling fleet reached every corner of the Skyla System, it quickly became obvious that the only way to remain safe from the infected was to live in orbit. If our finest armies could think of nothing else – how could normal folks survive?

Some fled underground into bunkers which had been constructed during the Glimmerian Wars. Entire communities living beneath the surface and awaiting news of a cure. Others fled to the vast horizons of our seas. Living aboard barges until things began looking up. Those lucky enough to own a ship capable of extended living in orbit – did so. But that type of living came with a cost. Folks had to worry about getting their hands on the resources needed to live in space. It meant doing things that normally would be out of the question. Taking on jobs that no sane person would even consider doing.

These were different times now. The only true law was the law of survival. A man's gun became the judge, jury, and, if you rubbed him the wrong way – the executioner. The only bad gun was the lack thereof.

Up until now, fans of the Gunship series have heard only one story. But with constant civil war, hundreds of charted planets and mankind doing what it could to survive a plague of the living dead, there are plenty more to tell.

This is one such story.

I've effectively named this story – The Ballad. Is it the ballad of our gun-slinging hero, Dalton James? Is it, perhaps, the ballad of a brand new character? Does the ballad signify us as a human race, evolving due to horrific circumstances?

As the reader, I'll let you be the judge.

There's a reason I've chosen nothing more than a silhouette for the cover. The hero of this story will depend on the viewpoint of the person reading. Because in the end, life is made of nothing but heroes. Only our ideals separate them.

Chapter 1

Change Of Perspective

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Garrett Winters was a man's man.

In a time of so many young faces struggling to find their own survival, he'd made a living at it for several long years. A ship's captain for nearly thirty years, Garrett had accomplished a great many things. Most of them illegal. While he had very little regard for the law, Garrett had always lived by his own code of ethics. Never harm a woman or child, never take from someone who truly needed it for survival and never kill a man unless he had it coming. A reaper-style pistol took care of the killing when needed. A wooden stock pistol which held two shots of black powder. Laughably similar to a pirate's gun, though this pirate never missed his target. Years of experience to thank.

Just over the age of fifty years old, Garrett Winters had never been married. Perhaps never even been in love. There were plenty of women to be had for the right price – if only for a night or two. He was a man about business. A kind-hearted man with his true emotions hidden deep within the frame of a very tough captain. A thick black beard accented the bushy black hair atop his head. And Garrett generally wore boots, dark pants and some type of vest made from leather. His personal choice of style.

He'd started aboard another ship long ago. A youthful apprentice smuggler, or, as they were more commonly known, a 'go fetcher'. Which amounted to a combination of errand-runner and laborer.

Garrett had worked his way up slowly. Earning the respect of those around him and finally scraping together enough money to buy his own ship. A Glimmerian model Gunship from the original wars that was so old and rusty that most crewmen refused to fly in it. And over the years he'd decided to add to its beauty, rather than drop a substantial amount of coin for a new ship. Rust could be scrubbed off with enough effort and ugly could be covered in paint. Garrett's way of thinking. And the Gunship model with just too damned ideal for black market smuggling.

Quiet night, huh? April asked, approaching the captain and handing him a steel cup filled with piping hot coffee.

It sure is. Garrett replied.

April Anderson had been the latest addition to his crew. She was shit with a gun, for lack of better terms, but knew her way around a ship. Not a truly a mechanic, April's gift was the ability to expand on what existed. She understood the work of blueprints and had been the brains behind Garrett adding to his beloved Gunship. Turning a rust-bucket into something of a poor man's elegant and much more dependable. Plus, she wasn't so hard on the eyes.

Garrett's rule among crew was no romance. And it's one that he strictly enforced. He understood that she had the body of a woman perfected. Curves in just the right places, which only added to her appeal. Blonde hair fell down to her shoulders, further brightening the aquatic blue of her eyes. But again, Garrett was about business. He understood that for all of her good looks – April was much better with designs and specifications when it came to building. In fact, Garrett's own knuckles had come to meet plenty of drunkards who'd spoken to April in the wrong context. She was to be admired but protected.

Personally, Garrett had not felt the touch of a woman in quite some time. Maddening, to a degree, but something the captain had learned to deal with. And as good-looking as April was, she was a part of his team. That was the rule.

I almost hate to leave. April said, easing herself down beside the captain as they both looked across the landscape from nearly a thousand feet high.

The standard Gunship looked like a reinforced box with a single thick windshield and two exits. A large loading bay door at its rear and a very small escape hatch which rested on the Gunship's top, only feet behind its windshield.

April had been the mental muscle behind the dome design which followed. After moving through the escape hatch, the crew could now sit on the Gunship's flat-surfaced top as it glided smoothly across the heavens. They could coast at an altitude high enough to be considered flying, while still low enough to make use of a planet's oxygen. Making for one hell of a beautiful spot.

A thin aluminum dome now attached and hovering several dozens of feet above them. It allowed the ship to act as a standard airship when they needed it to, and the dome could be pulled down to the Gunship's top with the push of a button. Easily attaching and enabling the ship to once again take its form in preparation for deep space travel. Something nearly as unique as the ship's name.

The Ballad.

She'd went from a rusty ship of war that had long been discarded – becoming a ship of admiration and elegance. Even to the keenest of eyes. One part sky-galleon and one part deep-space worthy. The Ballad was a work of art. Just as unique as the crew within her frame.

"The Drifts are