Negative Return: A Durga System Novella

He's in over his head. And the one man he needs to trust the most is the one he’s been contracted to kill.

Manu Juric's quick wit and knack for creating unexpected explosions has taken him a long way in the hit man business. At least, until he signs on to a job that might just be out of his league: taking out one of Bulari’s most notorious crime lords, Willem Jaantzen.

After the attempt is horribly botched, Jaantzen spares Manu’s life in exchange for joining up with his motley crew for one small heist. There’s a reason Manu avoids teamwork: it’s the worst. And as the increasingly unpredictable job plunges Manu into an ever-tangling web of uneasy dangers and bristly egos, he realizes he’s going to need to find some allies — fast.

But who do you trust, when everyone's a criminal?

NEGATIVE RETURN is part of Jessie Kwak’s Durga System series, a fast-paced series of standalone gangster sci-fi novellas set in a far-future world where humans may have left their home planet to populate the stars, but they haven’t managed to leave behind their vices. And that’s very good for business.Manu Juric is a mediocre bounty hunter. But he’s damn good at reading people and creating unexpected explosions — and that can take you a long way in this business.

Not far enough, he learns when he tries to take out one of Bulari’s most notorious crime lords: Willem Jaantzen.

After the attempt is horribly botched, Jaantzen spares Manu’s life in exchange for joining up with his motley crew for one small heist. There’s a reason Manu avoids teamwork: it’s the worst. And as the increasingly unpredictable job plunges Manu into an ever-tangling web of uneasy dangers and bristly egos, he realizes he’s going to need to find some allies — fast.

And the one man he may need to trust the most is the one he’s been contracted to kill.

NEGATIVE RETURN is a standalone novella in Jessie Kwak’s Durga System series, a fast-paced series of gangster sci-fi stories set in a far-future world where humans may have left their home planet to populate the stars, but they haven’t managed to leave behind their vices. And that’s very good for business.