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f hardware
requiring very high authority for their use. There are procedures in place to
ensure their proper use. Did you think to discuss it with anyone first?"
" Mari Shimomura did", Bishop piped up in Mari's defence. "I thought Mari's decision was
entirely in line with what we'd seen and learned, otherwise I wouldn't have
given Mari's the launch codes."
"But the alien ship was a different matter. If any aliens were present
there, they were in a dormant state, otherwise the colonists wouldn't have
made it back to the colony. You seem to have a habit of taking expensive
company property very lightly. Thank you, Ripley. I can assure you this WILL
be taken into consideration when the panel decides on returning your
license."
And on it went, all day and part way through the next. One niggling,
irritating questioner after another trying to transform company liability
into personal liability.
Just when Ripley felt near the point of exploding, Van Leuwen decided the
inquiry wasn't going to advance any further, and sent them outside while they
considered the verdict.
The whole thing was a sham, Ripley felt. Mari Shimomura had a horrible feeling the
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