GNN: Starfleet Vice Admiral Defies Prime Directive, Abandons Post


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BREAKING NEWS:
Starfleet Vice Admiral Defies Prime Directive, Abandons Post
Entire sector caught unaware as Fleet Commander takes a moral stand against Starfleet's highest law.



In an exclusive interview with a spokesperson for Starfleet's 38th Fleet, GNN has confirmed that Vice Admiral Minari Ashkeph has turned vigilante, abandoning her post in order to carry out a carefully planned and meticulously executed violation of the Prime Directive. Her actions left the 38th reeling and an entire planet potentially in crisis.

This news comes barely more than a week after a crackdown on media access by the 38th Fleet in response to this network's negative coverage of recent events. In the hours following Ashkeph's shocking desertion the fleet quickly lifted the added restrictions, allowing GNN to bring you the full details of this story.

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It all started with a former prospective Federation member world in the Kelterre Sector, called Echomet. In the course of a thorough investigation by Starfleet and the Federation Diplomatic Corps, as part of the application process, an oddity was discovered. Approximately five percent of all newly-hatched Echometa are born without the ability to speak. The Echometa refer to those with this mutation as irreo.

The irreo, despite being treated relatively well by sentients' rights standards, the irreo are effectively a separate class of citizens. They attend segregated schools, are essentially prohibited from pursuing certain careers, and are legally prohibited from running for elected office. It was later discovered that a black market exists by which disreputable parents sell their irreo eggs to be smuggled off-world and sold into slavery or even eaten as a delicacy by other local species.

The Federation extended an offer of conditional membership to Echomet, dependent on their agreement to remove the provisions of their laws that restrict the irreo. Even with the additional offer of technology that would allow the irreo to communicate effectively, Echomet refused Federation membership and rejected the offer of translation devices.

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Relations between the Federation and Echomet deteriorated over the next several months, culminating in the secession of Annatar from the Federation, directly attributable to local politics. It is also suspected that the Kelterre Sector situation and Annatar's departure also contributed to the secession of Eledri Prime, only one day later.

One of the points of contention between Echomet and the Federation was the rescue of eleven irreo children from the Tower Keep system by Starfleet. Despite Echomet's objections and insistence that the children be returned home, Starfleet granted them sanctuary on the nearest Federation Starbase, Deep Space 13.

Over time, top Starfleet officials including the 38th Fleet's Commander, Vice Admiral Minari Ashkeph, came to view Echomet as an antagonist, blaming the small nation for everything from the terrorist attack on the USS Sirocco to the deterioration of Starfleet's reputation in the sector, to this network's own negative reporting.

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Last week, VADM Ashkeph issued orders, ostensibly at the behest of the Federation Diplomatic Corps to make preparations to return the rescued irreo children to Echomet Prime. This turned out to be a red herring, in order to gain access to the planet's orbit and to distract the 38th Fleet's officers from suspecting her true motives.

In secret, Ashkeph arranged for the production of over six million translation devices, and had them loaded onto the vessel bound for Echomet Prime. Using her rank and authorization, Ashkeph kept her subordinates occupied while she made widespread delivery of the translation devices to the irreo districts. After executing her crime, she fled in a stolen shuttlecraft.

Ashkeph's shuttle was later recovered by Starfleet, empty, in orbit of the busy port of New Circini. While 38th Fleet officials say the investigation is still ongoing, it appears that Starfleet doesn't have any significant leads to follow at this time.

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In the aftermath, the 38th Fleet spokesperson stressed that Ashkeph's actions were her own and that Starfleet would be taking actions to prevent future vigilantism. "[R]egardless of her motivations, it was wrong," she said, "This isn't how we operate. ... we'll be reviewing our policies going forward to prevent this sort of thing from reoccurring."



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