The Basilisk system is situated at one of the termini of the Manticore wormhole system, and was annexed by Manticore in 1856PD, in an incident which for the first time showed unambiguously to the galaxy the imperialist and expansionist nature of the Manticoran regime.
Basilisk contains a single habitable planet, Medusa, which boasts an intelligent native species. Manticore originally claimed sovereignty over the system but not the planet, in an attempt to mollify the interstellar community. However, this did not stop it interfering with access to and trade with what it itself claimed was an independent planet. Manticore attempted to justify this by claiming that the planet was a protectorate, but this is not tenable in interstellar law without sovereignty.
Although Manticore found that it had to allow access to the planet, its so-called "Native Protection Agency" severely restricted the sites on which trade missions could be set up, limited what could be traded, and generally harrassed any non-Manticorans attempting to raise the standard of living of the native population. The original Act of Annexation stated that the Medusans were to be granted autonomy at the earliest practical moment, and Manticore was clearly determined to delay that moment as long as possible. In addition, Manticore took it upon itself to interfere with trade and cargo transfers even between ships and orbital warehouses when no contact with the surface took place. The searches undertaken were, again, flagrant breaches of interstellar law.
The situation in Basilisk may have remained illegal but in practical terms of no more than minor annoyance but for the arrival in the system of the RMN cruiser Fearless under the command of Commander Honor Harrington. Commander Harrington had proved herself and her crew severely below standard in recent naval exercises, but that did not prevent Manticore from assigning her to such a sensitive post, and then withdrawing the senior officer who could have kept her in check. Determined to make a name for herself, Harrington proceeded to twist commerce regulations (already of dubious legality, at best) beyond all recognition, raising interference with legitimate merchant shipping to heights unknown in many systems even in wartime. Completely illegal searches were carried out, cargoes and even entire ships were siezed on the most flimsy of pretexts, and even those Manticoran merchants who were not of aristocratic blood were harrassed by this most devoted lackey of the imperialists.
Eventually the native population began to resist the depredations of the Native Protection Agency and Harrington and the Manticoran Commissioner made plans to put down the rising. This involved luring a massed body of natives into a confined valley where they could be tightly confined, whilst putting out a report of a massed attack on the trade enclaves. The NPA Police and RMN then slaughtered them with modern weaponry and air power. It has proved impossible to accurately determine the number of fatalities, but it is known that they run into many thousands.
The Haven ambassador received word of the native attack and instructed his courier boat to summon help, knowing nothing of the pre-planned slaughter of the natives. The People's Merchant Service Ship Sirius was also in orbit, and also volunteered to fetch help. When they began to move from orbit Harrington, anxious to have full credit for saving the enclaves and wanting to avoid investigation of her methods, rammed the courier boat and severely damaged it. She then set out in pursuit of Sirius. Sirius's captain, Johann Coglin, was so alarmed by her attack on the courier that he refused to heave to, and after a pursuit Harrington completely destroyed the ship and murdered the entire crew.
Rather than admit that their navy had committed such barbarism, Manticore then looked for a way to justify itself in the eyes of the interstellar community. They attempted to portray a coincidental passage of some People's Navy ships as an attempted invasion of Basilisk and claimed that the PRH had instigated the revolt to justify such an invasion. They further had the temerity to suggest that the Sirius, a ship which they themselves had inspected and cleared, was a disguised warship spying on the system and that it had attacked Fearless. All this was used to justify the formal annexation of the planet and the complete subjugation of its native inhabitants. Not only was no diciplinary action taken against Harrington, she was promoted for her actions.
Needless to say, Manticore refused to extradite Harrington for trial. Eventually a PRH Court was forced to try her in absentia for the murder of Captain Coglin and his crew. She was convicted and sentenced to death, but Manticore steadfastly refuses to hand her over for punishment.
The information above is provided by the Office of Public Information at the direction of Citizen Committeewoman Cordelia Ransome, Committee for Public Safety
Written by Kevin Logan, based on the information set out in "On Basilisk Station" by David M Weber, Baen Books, New York, ISBN 0-671-72163-1