Unable to go to them to ask her questions, Mia worked the data.
Now that she was satisfied that none of the injuries and deaths had been accidental, that indeed the assassins had been good enough to hit exactly what they aimed at, she found herself trying to figure out what each victim meant in the scheme of cause and effect.
Humadros and Eliton represented the primary targets, obviously. Without them, the conference died, even though several parties worked valiantly to keep it alive. There would be a meeting, certainly, but how much could realistically be accomplished now? The bulk of Humadros's legation had died. Those remaining were junior members, more diplomats-in-training and gophers than real negotiators. Of course, there was the anomaly of Ariel's acquaintance, Tro Aspil, being both dead and en route back to Aurora, but even he had not been a significant member of the legation, not in the larger schema.
All of Eliton's security people.
Including her.
Why? Did they represent the only honest group within Special Service? As easy as it was to think that way, it was unlikely. But Mattu and Gel and Mia were the most likely to figure out the inconsistencies in the cover-up. It had been a matter of expedience to close off that avenue of trouble immediately. They had missed Mia in the Gallery, possibly the only shot that had gone wild.
Or maybe not. Maybe they had wanted her alive to frame, along with Bogard. Easy enough to do.
Then why the attack on the hospital? Second thoughts? Correcting a mistake?
Safer to believe that she was a target all along.
Eliton's staff-two people-were dead. Along with five members of Humadros's team killed, that totalled thirteen. One dead in the PSM party. Fourteen. The other seven?
Crol Dushek, head of the Solarian Legation, and two of his aides. Seventeen. The three Aurorans from the embassy here. Twenty.
The last one still seemed anomalous: a woman named Viansa Risher, who at first had no apparent reason to be on the platform. She had been a member of the Settler's Transport Committee, a division of the Settler's Coalition, a bureaucrat with no direct connection to anyone else. It looked like a token invitation.
When Mia called up newsnet articles, though, she discovered that Risher's presence had been significant indeed. The Settler Worlds had demanded a seat at the table from the first announcement of the conference and had been consistently ignored by both Terran and Spacer governments. Risher was the Settler Coalition's spokesperson on Earth and had made a good case for inclusion. Trade relations between Spacer Worlds and Earth did potentially impact Settler Worlds, and they certainly had an interest in the piracy issue since everyone privately believed that the pirates were Settlers or at least used a Settler world as a base. The exclusion made little sense and none of the reasons given had been convincing, Finally, in the last month, Eliton's office issued an invitation to Risher and the conference committee certified her for inclusion. But only her.
Twenty-one officially dead (or twenty, depending on Eliton's actual status). Thirty-three wounded. Fifty-five actual shots fired. Who among the thirty-three had they intended to kill?
And why no one in the DyNan Manual Industries party?
The screen on her datum continued to show WORKING.. Mia finished her water, staring at it, waiting.
Ariel's com registered another call. Mia hobbled over and sat down. She had scrolled through the growing list of messages, worried. Three from Ambassador Setaris, two from Delegate Korolin, five from her aide, Hofton, one from Senator Taprin…
This one was from Coren Lanra, the security for the DyNan group.
Mia killed the visual and pressed ACCEPT.
"Ariel Burgess."
"Oh, Ms. Burgess." Lanra's voice was nasal and a little rough. "I tried your office already but they told me you weren't in-"
"So you called me here. How did you obtain this number?"
"I'm Coren Lanra, security for DyNan Manual Industries."
He said it as if it explained everything. Mia felt herself smile despite her annoyance. "I'll take that to mean it's none of my business? What can I do for you, Mr. Lanra?"
"Well…" He sounded unsure now. This was not the kind of response he had expected, obviously. "I had hoped we could discuss the incident at Union Station."
"Is there a reason you want to discuss it with me?"
"I've tried to talk to several other people at your embassy, but no one seems to have the time. Understandable, with three of Ambassador Setaris's immediate staff dead. But I've been working down the list. I thought I'd give up when I reached the maintenance department."
"Our maintenance is handled by robots, Mr. Lanra."
"Yes, well, as I said."
"I still need a reason."
Lanra said nothing for several seconds and Mia began to think he would simply excuse himself and go away.
"There are certain…" he said finally,"… irregularities… about what happened."
"Concerning?"
"My employers, for one."
Mia chewed her lip. "You mean like the fact that none of DyNan's people were injured?"
"Like that, yes."
"Do you think that needs explaining?"
"It will."
"And you'd like to explain to us. Why? It seems to me that you ought to take this to Terran authorities."
"Right now they aren't very receptive to explanations."
Mia did not doubt DyNan would be high on the list of suspects. Even without the anomaly of no injuries, Rega Loom, DyNan's owner, was also the untitled head of the Church of Organic Sapiens, a rabidly anti-robot faction. But not only anti-robot-DyNan manufactured ergonomic and organic multiplier tech, tools that allowed a person to do the work personally; in fact, required a human to operate it. Their philosophy was a modified form of self-reliance: any tool that operated independently of human control; they claimed, sapped something vital from the human condition. Positronics topped the pyramid of technologies DyNan found inimical to their concept of humanity, but it certainly did not stop at robots. Imbitek, they declared, made things that were little better. Imbedded tech quietly did things humans did not even know about, hidden and forgotten. Humanity had no idea what capabilities it lost to machines that did work for them. Nothing DyNan made operated on its own. The Church of Organic Sapiens extended that belief into the religious, claiming that the true nature of humankind was pretechnological, that Eden had contained no machines, and that the only true state of grace was a state wherein human beings required and possessed nothing but their own bodies and minds.
But, Mia reasoned, if they had been behind the attack, then it was stupid of them to have not at least offered a token victim.
"I suppose listening couldn't hurt, Mr. Lanra," she said finally. "What do you have in mind?"
"If we could meet somewhere…"
"Give me a code where I can reach you. I have to juggle some things, but I'll get back to you."
"Ms. Burgess, please don't avoid me. I think this is very important-"
"I have no intention of avoiding you, Mr. Lanra. But I still have responsibilities to attend. I will get back to you."
Lanra sighed unhappily. "All right. You can reach me here."
A number appeared on the com. "Thank you, Mr. Lanra. How late will you be there?"
"As late as necessary."
"I'll be in touch."