NEW CALDARI – Incarcerated DED Internal Security Chief Tantoseisen Kakkichi and his legal representative Dantennen Fisk have been issued gag orders, prohibiting them from speaking with members of the press or anyone else outside of CONCORD. The order came as a result of an Inner Circle mandate, and is exclusively reserved for cases that could expose classified information or pose a security risk, internally or otherwise. The security lockdown was issued amidst reports of suspicious CONCORD fleet maneuvers close to Empire borders and frenzied activity among all department levels within the DED.
“It is interesting to note that it is still unknown if Commander Kakkichi has been formally arraigned on the charges brought against him,” said Wallekon Kortadaken of the Republic Justice Department. “My suspicion is that he is undergoing some kind of ‘debriefing’, if you will. A gag order implies that a bargain has been struck—perhaps pleading guilty to reduced charges in exchange for his full cooperation--which means that from this point on, CONCORD will be speaking on his behalf. We may never know his side of the story, but time will tell if that holds true or not.”
Since the public statement from Counselor Fisk, activity at all levels of CONCORD has been significantly elevated, prompting concern from regional government officials. “These developments are extremely disturbing,” said Fanason Xalotte of Federation Customs. “I have reports of CONCORD ships patrolling border crossings as if they’re waiting for something on the other side to come through. It is irresponsible of them to increase their visibility and remain silent about their reasons for doing so, regardless of this maverick commander’s part in it.”
Reports from anonymous sources within the DED describe a “pronounced urgency to complete some new mission that has something to do with Kakkichi”, but are unable to elaborate due to the security lockdown imposed by the Inner Circle. The timetable for the release of information considered crucial to understanding exactly what transpired in deep space with Commander Tantoseisen Kakkichi and his fleet appears to be contingent upon the completion of this mission, the object of which remains a mystery.