Doctor Who_ The Also People - Ben Aaronovitch [62]
'Assuming that's how it was done,' said Roz, 'who had the physical capability to carry it out?'
'Another drone?' suggested feLixi.
'We've checked every drone in the sphere,' said Bernice, 'and they're all accounted for. You wouldn't believe how many said they were doing flower arranging.'
'How about remote-drones?' asked Roz.
'I'd still have spotted it,' said God. 'Their power plants have the same signature as a sentient drone.'
'No one's developed a drone that can mask their energy signature then?' asked the Doctor.
'A stealth drone?' said God. 'What an interesting idea. If there's a drone that stealthy I haven't seen it.'
'So it's a possibility,' said the Doctor.
'A stealth drone – I haven't seen it? Didn't anyone get it?' asked God.
'Everyone got it,' said saRa!qava, 'they just didn't think it was funny.'
God explained that a stealth drone was not a viable option and was willing to explain why at great length to anyone who had six or seven years to spare. Bernice was half afraid that the Doctor might take up the offer.
'Which leaves the ships,' said Bernice.
'Could a ship have done it?' asked the Doctor. 'More to the point, could it have fine-tuned its weapons to the point where God wouldn't spot it?'
'It would have to be close range,' said God.
'How close is close range?' asked Bernice.
'Less than a trillion kilometres.'
Roz spilt her drink. Bernice asked how many ships that was and which of them were capable.
'The four VASs and one of the GPSs,' said God. Their names appeared up on one of the floating screens. Bernice recognized one of them. 'Didn't vi!Cari serve on the S-Lioness?'
'Yes,' said feLixi, 'at the same time as I did.'
'You knew it then?' asked Bernice.
'With a crew of six hundred,' said feLixi, 'you get to know everybody.'
'What was it like?' asked Bernice.
'Young,' said feLixi. 'Like the rest of us, idealistic. I remember it had a real talent for intelligence work. Got itself damaged during that nasty business on Tipor'oosis.'
'Perhaps that's why it was easy to destroy,' said Roz, 'because it was already damaged.'
'Damaged in the mind, Roz,' said feLixi.
'Oh.'
'Transferred to another VAS right after that,' said feLixi. 'The R-Vene.'
'Bad ship,' said God. 'Killed a lot of people for no good reason.'
'As opposed to killing them for the right reasons,' said the Doctor. 'I've always wondered if the victims appreciate the difference.'
'Wasn't that the ship that was disassembled?' asked saRa!qava.
'That's what I heard,' said feLixi.
'Do we know what vi!Cari was up to on board?' asked Roz.
'I can't help you there,' said God. 'You'll have to ask the Xeno Relations (Normalization) Interest Group about that. They handled the war and they don't like to tell me anything.'
'Why not?' asked Bernice.
'Because I was against the war and they've never forgiven me for that.'
'Don't tell me you're a pacifist?'
'No,' said God. 'I'm an extremely large target.'
' Means,' said Roz, trying to get everybody's minds back on the job.
'Someone with access to really big technology,' said Bernice.
'A ship or a drone,' said saRa!qava.
'Go ahead,' said God. 'Blame a machine.'
'Opportunity?'
'Same as "means" surely?' said Bernice.
'Not necessarily,' said Roz. 'Someone knew that vi!Cari was going to be out in the storm.'
'Assuming that vi!Cari was the target,' said feLixi. 'Maybe the poor bastard was just a target of opportunity. Perhaps someone wanted to test a new weapons system or just plain didn't like drones.'
'You're not thinking of the Anti-Machine Interest Group, are you?' asked saRa!qava.
'Why not?'
'Because,' said God, 'eighty-two per cent of AMIG's membership is made up of machines. I'm a member myself.'
'Let's skip opportunity for the moment,' said Roz wearily. 'Anyone got any ideas about motive?
If vi!Cari was the target someone went to a lot of time and effort to disassemble it. That suggests something a bit more than simple