When the memory faded, I returned to my body slowly, the headache borderline migraine. Surely these headsets weren’t made or calibrated for humans. The aliens around me seemed to snap out of it without a problem. Voices erupted from the other side of the stage, angry voices I didn’t recognize. My mind was so muddled from the memory thing, it was a minute ortwo before I could process the words. When my NPU finally connected again, when the circuits in my head resumed functioning, Drakdak was talking. I knew his foul voice, had dealt with him and Slomak for the last few hours, threatening me, trying to intimidate me, telling me—in great detail—all the ways they were going to use me to torture Mikos.
“As you have now witnessed for yourselves, Mikos of Astra Legion murdered my brother in cold blood. Tarduk begged for his life. He was unarmed. I demand justice. I demand the immediate execution of Mikos of Astra Legion.”
I struggled onto my hands and knees, my legs little better than limp noodles that refused to support my weight. I had to get up, had to defend him. Had to help. Fight. Doanythingbut lay here like a princess waiting to be rescued. I was no fucking princess.
Come on, Soldier. Get up! Get the fuck up!
“Cerberus affirms. We vote to grant execution.”
No! The Legions couldn’t agree to execute him. They didn’t know everything. Didn’t knowwhy.That memory was only about the moment Mikos killed Tarduk, not what the evil bastard had done to deserve it. They needed to see everything. If they knew what kind of sick asshole he’d been, maybe they would side with Mikos.
“Officiant,” I whispered to the glowing crystal circuits so close I could lean forward and kiss them.
“I am the Officiant. How may I be of service?” The response sounded loud as cannon fire in the startled quiet.
“Who is speaking to the Officiant? You are not authorized!” Drakdak shouted, but he could not see me, did not know I’d engaged the machine. I spoke quickly, head down, afraid one of my guards would notice how close my face was to the crystals, see the movement of my lips. I turned my face away from them as if afraid and spoke quickly.
“I am Breanna Parks of Earth, mate to Mikos of Astra Legion, I speak in his defense.” When the machine didn’t respond, I forged ahead and prayed there was enough intelligence inside the crystal computer entity to hear me and respond. “Locate and play the memory of Tarduk Trach’s death once more but begin ten minutes earlier, eight years, four months, three days ago at approximately zero plus twelve minutes.”
Surely that would be long enough to show everyone what Mikos had seen that night.
“Memory located. Simulation activating.”
Expecting the stabbing pain in my skull did not make it hurt less. I didn’t care. Because I was no longer Breanna, I was my mate, Mikos, on a dark night in an abandoned alley, and I’d just heard a child scream.
Mikos
What the fuckwas going on? I stood as Drakdak screamed at an unknown entity who had, somehow, managed to convince the Officiant they had authority to speak on either his behalf, or mine. I didn’t know who it was, where they were located, or why they chose to interfere.
The Legions were about to finish their vote, and I knew exactly how it was going to go.
Astra and our ally, Styx Legion, would vote to spare me.
Siren Legion, more enemy than friend, would vote with Cerberus to execute me, whether they believed my death warranted or not. One less Forsian under Astra’s command would weaken my Legion and strengthen theirs.
Kronos, the neutral Legion, would vote to support the absolute and binding nature of Rogue 5’s contract with the Silver Scions. Which meant Kronos would vote to execute.
The only way to save myself was to kill Drakdak and… was that his nephew, Slomak, sitting in one of the thrones behind him?
The gods had blessed me. Slomak Trach was next on my list. I’d never dreamed I’d be able to lure both of them from hiding. The Trach family had many enemies among the Scions. None would mourn their deaths. Their assets and wealth would be fought over by the others, like a pack of starving wild animals fighting over meat scraps. Once Drakdak and Slomak were both gone, their empire would crumble, and I would be free to be with my mate. If they were both dead, we wouldn’t even need to hide.
“Memory located. Simulation activating.”
What. The. Fuck?
I fell into the hard chair, the back of my head striking the hard black slat as my mind once more traveled to another time and place, another night. The same night.
This time, I walked on patrol, the alley I monitored on the border of Astra territory.
A child screamed.
19
Breanna
My body rebelledat the things I’d just seen. My stomach heaved. Thank god I hadn’t eaten much, because what I did have came out as I vomited all over the floor. Mikos’s memory was so much worse than I’d been ready for. So horrifying. Disgusting. Revolting.
No living being could truly be that evil. Could they?
