Free The Assassin's Salvation (Mandrake Company) by Ruby Lionsdrake Page A

he wasn’t a victim too. He probably would have done something if he could, but they chip you, you know.” He touched the side of his head. “When you join the Fleet. For identification and location, they say, but they can use it for punishment, too, to keep you from—let’s just say that if you attack a superior officer—or a counselor—it’s not a pleasant experience.”
    Sergei took a breath and forced himself to look up at Jamie’s face. He wasn’t sure what he expected there. Disgust? Condemnation? Disbelief? For some reason, it was beyond difficult to meet her eyes. Maybe she wouldn’t believe him and he would have bared his soul for naught. He didn’t think anyone would make up something like his past, but maybe he lacked imagination. Jamie didn’t look skeptical though. Her lips were parted, and her eyes were moist with unshed tears. He scratched his head. He hadn’t meant to make her cry. She barely knew him, so he didn’t know why she would.
    She blinked and looked away. Maybe she hadn’t wanted to be caught getting emotional. That was understandable. He tapped his fingers on the table and looked downward again.
    “That’s not all of it,” Sergei said. “We were down on a planet for maneuvers one night, getting ready to stage an assault. There were a bunch of officers with us, and she was there, too, keeping an eye on her troops. On me.” He ground his teeth, the memory so alive and real that he was seeing that night before him, instead of the table, the full moon in the sky highlighting the rock formations and saguaro cacti. He even smelled the juniper and sage and remembered the sound of lizards scurrying in the underbrush. “Somehow our secret staging location got leaked, and we were attacked, caught with our pants down. Majorly. Everyone was running to the guns, to the shuttles and fighters, trying to keep from being blown off the face of the planet.” Sergei licked his lips, knowing this was the part of the story where he was going to lose sympathy. He glanced around, making sure nobody was nearby, as if after all this time, someone might report the truth to the Fleet. Guiltily, he checked his camera feeds, too, remembering that he had forgotten to. With relief, he saw Ankari was still in the office, her briefcase laid open on the table as she talked to the doctor.
    “If she hadn’t been screwing with me that night,” he said, “I would have done my duty, not thought of her. But I saw her tent get blown up, and I ran over to check. I wasn’t going to save her, no way. I was hoping I’d see her dead on the ground, empty eyes staring up at the stars, like—” He caught himself, heard the loathing in his voice, and glanced at Jamie warily before continuing. She was watching him, but if she had judgment in her mind, it didn’t show on her face.
    “I spotted her running for an escape shuttle. I was so… frazzled, I guess is the word, that I didn’t care at that moment if the chip exploded in my head. I just wanted her not to torment anyone else. I took my rifle and… blew her head open. When I ran over to make sure there was no chance she would survive, I saw Mandrake. He’d just finished knocking out some enemy scouts who were trying to steal the shuttle. He saw everything. I joined the fight after that. What else could I do? But I spent the whole night knowing I was a doomed man. Somehow, I survived the battle—less than half the soldiers we had down there did—and I went back to the ship, still waiting. Either for the chip to kill me or for the MPs to drag me off for my court martial and then the firing squad. But nothing happened. Time passed, and I learned two things. First off, that the counselors had to have their controllers with them in order to use the chip for punishment; so they basically had to be focused on you and paying attention. Second, that Mandrake had reported the counselor as slain by enemy fire. That was it.”
    Sergei took a deep breath and blinked his