The second round of Federation Council hearing sessions continued this week, receiving considerable coverage on major news networks.
Vice Admiral Winters, Director of the Bureau of Starfleet Personnel, testified as to final casualty numbers, initial confusion, and progress of relocation and reassignments. Contrary to expectations, Winters received very few questions from the committee, perhaps owing to the comprehensiveness of written reports previously available. Rear Admirals Shrokh and Loren from Starfleet Tactical Command provided an overview of Starfleet's general stance and previous encounters with the Confederacy of Azed, from the mysterious attacks on local independent powers to the disastrous failed first contact that resulted in the destruction of the starships Gainsborough, Damocles, and Caelian, to the events directly leading up to the DS13 conference.
Again this week, the majority of news coverage has been focused on the testimony and questioning of the 38th Fleet Commanding Officer, Vice Admiral Neema Perim. Following the Vice Admiral's prepared statement and outline of facts concerning the battle itself, the committee's questioning honed in on a number of perceived blunders. In particular, the actions of two of Perim's senior staff have been called into question.
Rear Admiral Dmitri Konieczko, ranking officer at the peace talks, allegedly failed to notify the Azedi delegation of the impending danger. Then, when the fighting began, DS13 appears to have delayed taking definitive steps to defend itself, and Councilor Ferris went so far as to question the competency of the station's Commanding Officer, Captain Tau Thiessen. News broadcasts captured a particularly uneasy moment in which Perim initially appeared ready to defend the actions of her subordinates, but instead deferred to a request for a recess from her legal representative.
In an interview with H-SPAN correspondents during the recess, Councilor Lentish seemed unbothered by the delay. "It's been a long session," the Trill representative said, "If we have to wait a little longer to reach the truth of the matter, then it's time well spent." In contrast, Councilor Ferris criticized the move as little more than a stall tactic and urged Starfleet to admit its failures. "Someone dropped the ball, simple as that," he said from outside the Council chamber, "Starfleet needs to stop dancing around the issue of responsibility. It's time to come clean."
The committee has now been in recess for over an hour, and media commentators are speculating that after Perim answers the outstanding questions, the most likely next step will see Admiral Konieczko and Captain Thiessen summoned to testify directly as to their culpability in the disaster. Neither the Vice Admiral nor her JAG representative have responded to interview requests, and Starfleet Public Affairs has declined to comment on the situation until the day's hearings are concluded.