“What can I do for you, Administrator?” asked the hovering projection.
“I was just wondering, Tarik. The Deyzara technicians you said worked on those two missing skimmers. I can see how someone with a modicum of practical mechanical knowledge could cause them to crash. What’s hard to accept is that both skimmers’ internals were manipulated subtly enough to force them down at a specific place and time. Not to mention simultaneously disabling every bit of backup instrumentation.”
The projection nodded. “If that’s indeed what happened, then it was certainly a sophisticated piece of sabotage.”
She studied the projection closely, wishing he were there in person. “Too sophisticated for your Deyzarans to manage without help?”
Bergovoy considered the question. “Hard to say. The two-trunks we’re talking about are good workers. Whether they’re good enough to bring off something like this is something else again. I don’t see any way to know for sure without testing them on similar procedures. If they are responsible, then I suspect they’d be sharp enough to figure out the purpose of the testing. They’d fail intentionally, and we wouldn’t know any more than we do now. Except that if they are responsible, they’ll have been warned that they’re under suspicion.” He hesitated.
“If you want, I can set something up with them, try to ascertain their competency level.”
“No, no.” She sighed wearily. “I really just wanted your opinion, Tarik. If the techs in question are responsible for what’s happened, the last thing we want to do is let them know that we suspect their involvement. Just keep an eye on them.”