Official Star Kingdom of Manticore and People's Republic of Haven sources have confirmed the destruction of the People's Merchant Service Ship "Sirius" in the Manticoran colony system of Basilisk. The destruction coincided with an uprising on the planet Medusa in the system by the inteligent native species. Manticoran reports claim that more primitive elements of the natives had been supplied with firearms and psycotic drugs and were launching an attack on areas inhabited by more settled natives and off-world traders. Evidence so far produced suggests that they were supplied by Manticoran criminal elements, but Manticoran sources have suggested involvement of the PRH in the uprising.
The "Sirius" was destroyed by the Manticoran naval picket HMS "Fearless" on leaving orbit and refusing orders to heave to. PRH authorities have stated that the captain of the "Sirius", Johann Coglin, had been advised of the situation on the surface by the PRH embassy to Medusa and had decided to seek help. Captain Coglin apparently distrusted the Manticoran authorities to such an extent that he sought to make a normal hyperspace transition to the Tellerman Wave.
Both parties agree that the "Fearless" disabled a PRH diplomatic courier boat by manouvering so close that the cruiser's impeller band destroyed the courier's drive. "I'm very sorry Captain. I'm afraid I wasn't watching where I was going." and "We're a little too busy to stop" Captain Harrington said to the courier's skipper. What happened then is disputed. Haven claims that "Sirius" was afraid to stop, and that when it refused to do so "Fearless" fired on it and destroyed the ship, killing the entire crew. Manticore claims that the "Sirius" was a Q-ship which fired upon the Fearless first, and produced the shattered wreck of a light cruiser and scores of wounded crewmen as evidence. Unofficial sources speculate the ship was sent to fetch a People's Navy task force that entered the system a week later, five days after the Manticoran fleet decided to stage war games in Basilisk.
Haven holds that these claims are the ravings of madmen, and a futile effort to protect an insane naval officer. "Captain Harrington's behavior in Basilisk speaks for itself" claims Ambassador Wallace Canning. "Before her superior, Captain Young, left for Manticore she was a nobody, and she clearly decided to make a name for herself when she unexpectedly became senior naval officer in the system. Manticore has always claimed quite patently illegal powers of search in the Basilisk system, despite the fact that it has no sovereignty over the planet, but in the past its practice has more nearly matched accepted interstellar norms. Harrington had her crews searching every ship in sight, disrupting traffic, seizing goods on the most flimsy of pretexts. This isn't just Haven complaining because of the "Sirius", appalling though that was. There have been scores of complaints from ships of all nations. And the claims that "Sirius" was a Q-ship are just too ridiculous for words. She was inspected by the Manticoran Navy when she first arrived in orbit around Medusa. If she was a warship why didn't they tell her to go away then? Doesn't the RMN know a missile from a cargo container?"
Ambassador Canning said that Haven would be applying for Harrington's extradition to face murder charges in the PRH. He also said that the efforts Manticore was making to protect Harrington might well be a smokescreen to draw attention away from its bloody suppression of the native insurrection on the planet itself. "Our information suggests that many thousands of natives have died when, armed with primitive black powder muskets, they found themselves face by battle-armoured troops with massive air support. The reported death toll beggars belief and was a complete massacre. And this, let me remind you, from the people who say they are "protecting the natives from exploitation". If that's their idea of protection, I'd rather be exploited, thank you".
Original text from InterStellar Newsfax. Reproduced with permission.
Return to Basilisk
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