| SUBMITTED: Stardate 95180.3 | FILED BY: CAPT Caspius | SECURITY: Level 3 - Restricted |
LOCATION: Deep Space 13
MISSION: Respond to security request at Event Horizon Bar.
OUTCOME: Arrest of Admiral Ashkeph, A.K.A. Justine, and subsequent detention under guard.
KEY PERSONNEL:
VADM Amiri, Enzian
VADM Ashkeph, Minari (a.k.a. 'Justine')
CAPT Ailes, Beylara
CAPT Caspius
CAPT Nimitz, Alistair
CAPT Quint, Emery
CMDR Jekk, Dactylus
CMDR sh'Sonora, Mi'Shune
LCDR Nim, Vera
LT Stray, Merrick
VADM Ashkeph, Minari (a.k.a. 'Justine')
CAPT Ailes, Beylara
CAPT Caspius
CAPT Nimitz, Alistair
CAPT Quint, Emery
CMDR Jekk, Dactylus
CMDR sh'Sonora, Mi'Shune
LCDR Nim, Vera
LT Stray, Merrick
NARRATIVE: On Stardate 95177.8, during supper in the wardroom hosted by myself, with the attendance of VADM Amiri, CMDR Jekk, and LCDR Nim, a message was received by the Vice Admiral informing him that an individual, formerly a captive of the Confederacy of Azed, had returned to the station and wished to speak to him. When I heard this message, I realised that there was a high probability that the individual was 'Justine', the former co-captive who was believed to have joined the Azedi. Consequently, I counseled VADM Amiri to proceed with caution, and to consider placing her under arrest because, in light of our conflicts with the Azedi and my experiences in captivity, I realised that as an ally of the Azedi she could pose an immediate threat to the security of the station.
Whilst VADM Amiri was considering what course of action to take, LCDR Nim received a separate request for a security detail at the Event Horizon bar. The proximity of these two events suggested that they might be related and, after LCDR Nim departed to attend to the matter, I, the Vice Admiral, and CMDR Jekk departed the wardroom only to discover that the request for VADM Amiri had, in fact, originated at the Event Horizon. Upon arriving, we discovered that the individual apprehended by LCDR Nim, who admitted to being 'Justine', had been positively identified by CAPT Nimitz as VADM Minari Ashkeph. This information had provoked a strong but not violent reaction in some other of those in attendance, including CAPT Ailes. Consequently, LCDR Nim took VADM Ashkeph into protective custody, whereupon VADM Amiri conducted interviews with those present. We were then notified that the prisoner wished to speak to the highest ranking Federation representative on the starbase.
Shortly thereafter, at VADM Amiri's request, I accompanied him to the holding cell where VADM Ashkeph had been arrested, read her rights, and offered counsel (which she declined). We were thereafter joined by a JAG representative, LT Stray. VADM Ashkeph confirmed her identity, made statements amounting to a free and complete confession of the charges against her and set out in the current warrant for her arrest. She explained that she had indeed willingly aided and abetted the Azedi, but claimed that she had done so only for the purpose of obtaining their trust. She then offered to spy on the Azedi on behalf of the Federation. She claimed that they expected her return within eighty hours, and that we would have to act quickly in order to take advantage of her offer.
Privately, I counseled VADM Amiri against this course of action. The actions undertaken by VADM Ashkeph have been admitted, which is to say that they are known as much as a certainty, and she should therefore be arrested and tried for her crimes. Conversely, her current motivations are merely unsbustantiated claims: her sudden desire to help the Federation is not consistent with her role as a known and admitted traitor who rejected Federation principles and fled Federation justice. Moreover, even if we ignore that formidable inconsistency, we are presented with another: for it is a non sequitur to believe that VADM Ashkeph willingly became an ally of the Azedi in order to aid us with revealing this new information that demands our action, because she could not have known about that information until well after her decision to ally with the Azedi.
Ascertaining that VADM Amiri was likely to grant VADM Ashkeph's request despite the manifestly illogical nature of her claims, and aware that RDML Konieczko was not present to provide him with alternative views, I cautioned VADM Amiri that releasing a confessed traitor on her own recognizance for the mere possibility of obtaining speculative information was not a decision that he could make without obtaining the consent of Starfleet Command. VADM Amiri informed me that he would contact them and that he was confident of their approval, and that I should therefore transfer VADM Ashkeph to secure quarters, and to provide her with a small Intelligence detail for the purpose of establishing secure communication protocols.
In addition to the above suggestions, I notified VADM Amiri that he should classify this matter so as to prevent any deleterious effect upon morale that might follow from having VADM Ashkeph in our custody and then allowing her freely to depart. This suggestion was heeded.
Once VADM Ashkeph had been notified of VADM Amiri's acceptance of her offer, I undertook to carry out the orders issued. I informed CMDR Jekk to select one other intelligence officer to work on this sensitive issue, along with instructions related to the security of those protocols, and them being subject to the approval of VADM Amiri, as he know bears overall operational responsibility for this matter.
I thereafter ordered Section 21 of the deck cleared, armed myself with a holstered Type II hand phaser locked to the stun setting, and personally accompanied VADM Ashkeph to her quarters, whereupon she was sealed inside. Although my action in so doing is irregular, I did so knowing that VADM Ashkeph had tried, during her questioning by VADM Amiri, to engage me in extraneous dialogue intended to bait me into a wider philosophical debate designed to make her position appear more favourable. And, I was cognizant of the fact that she had operated in a like manner during her last interactions with the fleet, leading to serious breaches of Federation principles, including court-martial level offences, undertaken by some of our officers, including some of senior or influential positions.
Hence, I was aware of her modus operandi, and suspicious of her motives, so I thought it better as starbase commander to make the executive decision to depart from standard operating security procedures than to risk VADM Ashkeph once again enticing our officers and crew into her service, especially those who are unfamiliar with her manipulative tactics. And my suspicions proved to be justified for, during our very brief walk to her quarters, she repeatedly attempted to engage me in conversation designed for the purpose of obtaining information about those whom she likely perceives as allies within the 38th Fleet. I reminded her only that I was not there to speak to her or answer her questions, and confined the rest of my interaction with her to directions to enter her quarters. She having done so, I returned to the detention cell, returned the sidearm to the weapons locker, and then went to my office, where I briefed my executive officer about the events.
RECOMMENDATION: Command should rescind any offer made to VADM Ashkpeh and immediately convene a court-martial for the crimes detailed in the valid warrant issued for her arrest.
OOC: This is related to the "Hat Trick" event of 7 March 2019 at Gamma+1. These are Caspius' perceptions of events on the evening in question, and if there is anything inaccurate here related to those events let me know OOCly and I will either explain or change it if necessary. Thank you!