The Sharp End

by David Drake

Published 27 October 1994
Gangs ruled Cantilucca. Guns were the only law, and there was no lack of guns. It was hard to imagine matters getting worse. Until the survey team arrived . . . Major Matthew Coke was not a squeamish man, but the state of affairs on Cantilucca turned his stomach. He was only human after all. Where some of the rest of his team were concerned, it was difficult to be sure. Five professional mercenaries who'd learned the hard way that in the end they could defeat anything - except their own consciences.

The Tank Lords

by David Drake

Published 2 August 1999
Colonel Alois Hammer has welded five thousand killers into a weapon more deadly than any other in the human universe. When a planetary government faces threats from guerillas, insurgents or terrorists, the men they hire are Hammer's Slammers, known throughout the galaxy for their cold, ruthless ferocity, their ability to defeat overwhelming forces and their willingness to go up against impossible odds. How do they do it? They certainly don't abide by the rules of civilised warfare ... but then nobody ever claimed that the Hammers were nice! Even when their chances are one step away from hopeless - those who oppose them have no chance at all...