INTRA-AGENCY MESSAGE
Sent 2943-02-24_21:12 SET To: SSA Victor Fehr Cc: ASAC Adina Pastor From: SA Salim Dominic
Re: Threshold Assessment of CaseFile#xt-54631h
Sir,
Submitting my initial assessment of CaseFile#xt-54631h for review.
Incident Report Local police responded to an anonymous tip about a derelict ship located between Magnus II and III (exact coordinates attached) that seemed to have impacted with an asteroid. Shortly after docking with the vessel, they contacted our Advocacy office for assistance, stating that there were corpses on the scene.
Threshold Assessment I arrived at the scene at 2943-02-24_08:58 SET to discover a recent model Starfarer. With the exception of the damage caused by the collision with the asteroid, the ship showed no visual signs of combat. The ship was not carrying any cargo fuel containers. Local Responders informed me that they had found the ship powered down and reinstated power when they boarded.
Ship was registered to Victor Florian (PersonalFile#CS3_95821_147). Florian runs a growing hauling company out of Croshaw. He has a few legal infractions (disorderly conduct, public intoxication and the like), but nothing of significance. Compiling a list of known associates to contact.
Boarded the ship through the forward collar to find the interior thrashed. Scattered debris from vital systems and engineering parts littered the floor of the forward airlock. Offender/s had even extracted wall panels, CO2 scrubbers and power couplings.
Climbed to the bridge of the ship to find it was picked clean as well. Everything outside of basic controls and avionics was removed. Ship’s logs were scrubbed. Avionics were left intact but safety parameters were completely disabled. Quick analysis of autopilot flight plan had the ship set on a direct path to the system’s star. The collision with the asteroid was clearly an accident due to the removal of the fail-safes.
Moving further into the passenger section of the ship, I found the berths to be empty, but ransacked. Storage containers were overturned and personal artifacts strewn across each of the rooms. Beds were dissected.
In one berth, I discovered a mist pattern of blood near the headboard on a bed consistent with a bullet strike from a kinetic weapon. Initial analysis did not reveal an entry into the bed itself or wall, so it’s possible that the bullet (if in fact it was a bullet) did not exit. Noted that the absence of a shell casing in the room could possibly imply a meticulous and careful offender or caseless ammunition.
Continued into the main cargo hold. More rampant theft. Without a flight manifest, it’s impossible to know exactly what, if anything, was taken from here outside of ship parts. Ahead, the local police were gathered around an open panel in the floor.
It was a crawlspace. Estimated at around 1×1×2 meters, it seemed like the perfect place to hide some cargo. Only now it was hiding four corpses. Local Police reported that the bodies had been jammed towards the front of the hidden crawlspace, probably due to the ship’s impact. One of the bodies was wrapped in the same sheets from the berth. Identified Victor Florian as one of the deceased. A variety of entry wounds indicated a mixture of energy and kinetic weaponry were used to kill them. Cursory blood pattern analysis seems to indicate that they were killed in the crawlspace. Close positioning of the bodies implies that, when the firing started, they were all killed quickly; none appeared to be killed attempting to evade the bullets, which would imply a large number of shooters or a smaller number of highly efficient and vicious killers.
No sign of spent shell casings or energy clips. Considering that they cleaned up their presence even though their intended plan appears to have been to scuttle the ship in the star leads me to suspect that they are incredibly cautious.
Summary The most likely motive here is robbery. The rampant nature of the scavenging appears to contradict the placement of the corpses in the crawlspace, which seems methodical and intentional. This has led to several initial theories:
Theory #1: The original offenders were here for something very specific. They stole everything to confuse and obfuscate their true goal, which could be the original contents of the crawlspace or the execution of Florian.
Theory #2: There are two sets of offenders. The first attacked and executed Florian (for specific contraband/cargo/assassination). The second rampaged through the ship stealing anything and everything they could. This theory gained some traction during a secondary walkthrough of the scene. The scattered debris ripped from the walls of the ship were evenly scattered along the floors which insinuates that it was scavenged after the ship had impacted with the asteroid. That second group could have even called in the anonymous tip.
Theory #3: We are dealing with an incredibly vicious new group of violent criminals who kill and scavenge anything of worth.
Aside from interfacing with nearby Advocacy offices, I would like permission to connect with the Bounty Hunters Guild to see if they have any contracts for targets that fit this MO. My instinct tells me that these people are not new to crime and my fear tells me that they are going to strike again.
I have included photos and local police files regarding the case. Forensic teams are still analyzing the ship.
Sincerely,
Salim Dominic Special Agent Advocacy – Magnus System
Received 2943-02-25_02:26 SET To: SA Salim Dominic Cc: ASAC Adina Pastor From: SSA Victor Fehr
Re: Threshold Assessment of CaseFile#xt-54631h
Approved. Hunt them down.
Victor Fehr Supervisory Special Agent Office of the Advocacy – Magnus System
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