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"IT GIVES ME THE CHILLS LOOKING AT IT," SAID A MAN'S VOICE.EMMA RECOGNIZED IT AS COUNCILOR KOZU. "I'VE WATCHED IT A THOUSAND TIMES THESE LAST FEW MONTHS," SAID EMMA, "AND I'M AFRAID IT AFFECTS ME THE SAME WAY. THE DISASTER AT PLYMOUTH WE CAN AT LEAST UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF, IF NOT THE REASON WHY, BUT THIS IS UNIMAGINABLE. THE COLONY IS SIMPLY DESERTED, THE DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY, AS BEST WE CAN FIGURE, RANDOM FOLLY, AND THESE VEHICLES WANDERING AROUND.""YOU'RE SURE THEY'RE ARMED?" THIS TIME THE VOICE WAS THE HUSKY, AUTHORITATIVE VOICE OF COUNCILOR SALISH. EMMA COULD JUST MAKE HER OUT IN THE DARKNESS, HER EYES GLITTERING IN THE REFLECTED LIGHT OF THE SCREEN."WE HAVE SEEN THEM FIRE WHAT APPEARS TO BE A LASER ON AT LEAST ONE OCCASION. WE BELIEVE THIS WAS TRIGGERED BY A BIT OF WINDBLOWN DEBRIS FROM ONE OF THE DAMAGED BUILDINGS. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY ARE MOTION SENSITIVE, AND NOT AT ALL DISCRIMINATING. IT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND HOW SUCH A STUPID ROBOT COULD BE CONSIDERED AN EFFECTIVE WEAPON, DEFENSIVE OR OFFENSIVE, BUT THERE'S OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING ABOUT THIS THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND."ANOTHER WOMAN SPOKE, NOT ONE EMMA RECOGNIZED, PROBABLY ONE OF THE NEW COUNCILORS ELECTED TO REPLACE THE TWO KILLED IN THE DISASTER. "HAVE THERE BEEN ANY OTHER ATTEMPTS TO SEND A VEHICLE INTO THE AREA?"
