“Group Leader Petrov’s orders were relayed over the local comms network, not through the Imperial military network…. not protocol but I wouldn’t be surprised if he did it for effect. Between the 3HG’s destruction and the EW virus, there’s no way to be certain if the message got to higher command or if the local space was as far as it got.
“As for where the go, I don’t know, but we again aren’t in a position to overtly help them. I also expect that if the Empire would accept one of its Hunter Groups so callously carrying out the destruction of a civilian population, then it doesn’t keep strict, centralized, and detailed records of that population. No need, if they are so expendable. No evacuation attempt was ordered, so none of the sites likely had any strategic military or manufacturing assets. Maybe some people of minor note, but that could just as easily be explained by being off station at the time of the incident – and all of this is assuming ISN command heard the execution order and would still intend to carry it out.
“I sympathize with your intentions Commander, but I don’t see that we have the ability to improve their lot one way or another beyond attempting to manufacture a cover story which does not provide the justification to immediately return and reduce the sector to ash. We cannot provide them food, we cannot provide them shelter. We do not know our surroundings well enough to advise them where to find both, and even if we did we would need to attempt another breach of ISN protocol when we’re already drawing scrutiny for the time and space we bought them. How do you think that the Navy Security Bureau would react to stumbling across a communiqué from an officer of the Fourth Hunter Group to anyone in that sector advising them on their resettlement? We have done all I can see we are reasonably able to do let alone without gravely imperiling ourselves, and if we maintain our cover a while longer then we will be safer for it and we will have the resources and opportunity to perhaps defend others.
“If you are of the same mind Commander,” she concluded, “then yes sir, we are on the same page.”