STARFLEET SECURITY REPORTS NO NEW LEADS;
SFI: "IT'S CLASSIFIED."
Deep Space 13 is no stranger to interesting events, but blatant and seemingly unanswered murder is not a normal occurrence on any of Starfleet’s holdings, least of all on such a well-manned, a well-monitored, and well-traveled base. Despite this, there are no new leads on the case of the murder of a decorated Starfleet Intelligence agent, Lieutenant Seonu Asura. The Federation News Network’s local agency has compiled all of the information to date on this worrying crime.
Ten months ago, Lieutenant Seonu reported to one of the cargo docks of the station, seemingly on a routine assignment. Surveillance and sensors all reported her entering an innocent cargo vessel that had docked with the station, privately registered to what Starfleet Security later reported as a shell corporation with no real assets. The only other life signs present were that of a half-Orion, half-human male, presumably the pilot of the ship.
Yet, after several minutes of seemingly no activity, sensor control on the station reported a discharge of a phaser, described by the statement released by Starfleet Security shortly after the incident as “having an energy pattern resembling the output of a phaser set to kill.” Immediately in its wake, the sensors reported a cessation of life-signs from Lieutenant Seonu, shortly before a transporter signature was reported, and both occupants of the mystery meeting were whisked away.
All of this information comes from Starfleet Security, who released an initial findings’ report to the public of the station only hours after Security officers flooded into the cargo hold, finding the interior of the ship completely barren, with seemingly everything that was held in the ship being transported to another vessel.
Observations from Station Operations was present in the report, stating that the transportation was traced to a runabout of unknown make, with no active registry. “The runabout avoided being picked up in routine traffic operations due to being on the lowest power settings,” the report stated, “with only life support and transporter being supported. It can be safely concluded that the runabout was positioned to drift into formation with the station on the edge of its transporter capability with only minimal thruster inputs, likely over the course of several days.”
The input goes on to state that the runabout was likely missed by local sensors sweeps due to the focus being on traffic management and screening for dangerous goods. CMDR (ret.) James Piekarz, a former operations officer who has served on both starships and stations, gave the following statement when reached out to for comment: “You have to understand, that doesn’t come from negligence. Managing a station is a whole 'nother beast than managing a starship. There are thousands of sensors, more life-signs and energy signatures within the station than one can imagine, and hundreds of ships outside to scan and direct, ensuring that there are no collisions, or that nothing suspicious or dangerous gets too close to the station.”
He went on to state, “Even with a fully staffed Operations shift, it’s too much information to go through all at once. As such, most Operations officers rely on active notifications for critical information, rather than actively sifting through all of the data to look for anything off. That’s likely how that shuttle ended up floating adrift in formation with the station until it was used for the murderer’s escape. There was no mistake there, no negligence - I’m sure all of the Operations officers are good officers. It was just a very well-planned crime.”
A well-planned crime, however, seems to be an understatement. Since the initial finding report, Starfleet Security has reportedly been unable to come up with new leads. Starfleet Intelligence is most likely conducting their own investigation as well, but any inquiries towards their officers, both on the Station and in the regional headquarters, have only been met with references to classification levels.
Yet, it is this reporter’s opinion that classification should hold no sway in such a case. If Starfleet Security or Starfleet Intelligence have any leads, it is their duty to the public to report it - not only for the sake of the surviving friends and family of the victim, but also for the citizenry on Deep Space 13. There are still many questions that need answering, and those who have heard about the murder wonder. Indeed, concerns and conspiracy theories alike seem to only be growing as this case continues to be unsolved. Everything from Starfleet Intelligence deep-cover operations to possible infiltration by vengeful Changelings have seemingly been considered by those speculating as to the true meaning behind the murder.
Was the murder targeted, or was Lieutenant Seonu merely the unlucky, randomly-selected victim? What happened in the five minutes between Seonu’s entry into the ship, and the discharge of the weapon? What else was present in the ship that was transported away, and why would the murderer also choose to transport the victim’s body? How was such a sophisticated escape method enacted right under the nose of Starfleet? What does Starfleet know that they refuse to release to the public? Most importantly…who is next if the murderer cannot be brought to justice?
This reporter will continue to monitor the situation, and provide updates when and if they become available.
For more articles by Agatharia Christina, click here.
For more articles on cold cases, click here.
For more articles on Federation crime trends, click here.
The victim in this story, Lieutenant Seonu Asura, was a decorated Starfleet Officer of just over a decade at the time of her death. Due to Starfleet Intelligence refusing to declassify her personnel files in the wake of her untimely death, Federation News Network was unable to put together a comprehensive dedication to the fallen. It should be noted, though, that public records note that Lieutenant Seonu was commended many times, including the Legion of Honor, and the Starfleet Decoration for Gallantry, though the citations on these awards also remain classified. Her loss will be no doubt be deeply felt in the Intelligence community. She is survived by her mother, Commander Seonu Mi-Suk, Chief Medical Officer of Outpost Duneridge. A memorial service has yet to be held, as Commander Seonu insists on waiting until the completion of the investigation. When reached out to for comment, she stated that she remains hopeful that a body might be recovered, and that until then, she will not give up hope. The hearts of all of us at Federation News Network goes to Commander Seonu, as well as Lieutenant Seonu’s friends and coworkers. Per aspera, ad astra.