Scandal in the Starfleet

[Crash Calestorm 0]

Scandal in the Starfleet

 

C. Kerrin Torak

Federation Affiliate News Network

Main Earth Offices

 

Earth - The planet known simply as ‘Neural’ boasted a pre warp, primitive culture just beginning to remove itself from a Hunter-Gatherer Bronze Age, with some elements of early settlements and villages. The inhabitants, split into culture clusters known simply as the ‘Hill People’ and ‘Villagers’ , existed for the most part peacefully alongside one another with the usual tribal wars over territory and ceremonial lands contained within the confines of the planetary land masses.

 

Now, the culture and its people are permanently contaminated, exposed to modern concepts such as projectile weapons and the concept of ‘Visitors from the Stars’.

 

Civilian reform organizations, promoting both pro-Prime Directive and anti-Prime Directive viewpoints, have staged protest events outside of San Francisco Fleet headquarters and several major Starfleet outpost locations.

 

A ‘duck blind’ civilian observational team, led by Dr. Janice Lester, had studied the inhabitants of Neural for two years, gathering data and occasionally moving among the population in disguise for the purpose of closer examination and data collection. The expedition met with disaster recently, when at some point within the last four to six months, Lester and her team were compromised and exposed to the Neural people, either by error or other outside factors. The civilian team had been out of contact with Starfleet for several weeks; aware of the issue, Starfleet Command had been mobilizing a special response team, though this effort was pre-empted by the Intelligence branch of the Starfleet, who dispatched their own officers to deal directly with the situation.

 

New information, though unconfirmed as of this writing, suggests that the secondary clandestine effort on the part of Starfleet Intelligence was in fact carried out by rogue elements operating within the organization yet outside the official channels of the Intelligence division.

 

It has been confirmed with Starfleet Command Admiral Komack that the onsite authorities dispatched to investigate the situation on Neural included Captain Ashton Calestorm of the USS Comanche Creek, Starfleet Border Patrol First Threat Response program, and Commander K. Vacer JoNs of the USS Washington Crossing, Starfleet Special Operations Command. Rear Admiral Shauna Coyote, in cooperation with SOCCENT* Colonel Craig Tigard, has claimed full authority for the deployment of their respective ships, emphasizing that their crews were operating under official authority.

 

In a joint preliminary report released by the SPB* First Threat Response Program and Special Operations divisions, it has been revealed that in addition to the rogue influence, the Orion Cartel was also involved in the Neural culture violation. Unconfirmed rumors are also circulating regarding a Black Kris member possibly feeding information on faction movements to Starfleet Special Operations. Blood traces found at an outbound frontier station now in the conversion process as a listening outpost may be linked to this ghost of an individual. The SOCCENT offices declined to comment on this ongoing matter.

 

In addition, Captain Calestorm and Commander JoNs could not be reached for comment regarding the events on Neural, and there has been speculation that the crews of the USS Comanche Creek and USS Washington Crossing have been placed under direct orders by Starfleet Command to defer on inquiries by news representatives.

 

Due to these recent events, both real and speculated, public tension has obviously been high in the week since the Neural situation has officially become known. Increased activity in general by the Orion Cartel is cause for concern, and Federation citizens have been warned to avoid travel and commerce along the extreme edges of Starfleet controlled space, specifically the Outer Rim regions.

 

Starfleet Border Patrol Command has issued travel warnings via official communiqués, and the Border Patrol FTR program will have the authority to detain and search any vessels (civilian, commercial or military) that are in violation of the designated travel zones.

 

Admiral Coyote released this brief statement to the press - “…regarding the possibility of corruption within the Federation Starfleet, the situation is being looked into cooperatively by a joint investigative task force consisting of representatives from Starfleet Special Operations and the Starfleet Border Patrol.”

 

Stay tuned to the FNS Extranet Service for further audio, visual and written updates on this matter.

 

*SPB - Starfleet Border Patrol

*SOCCENT - Special Operations Command Central