The star of the Zett system is subject to unpredictable periods of instability. It is believed that the Zodiac class starship encountered such a condition when emerging from jump, and was destroyed instantly. There are no survivors from the crew of ten, most of whom were Imperial Citizens.
Baron Bridgehead spent 28 years in the Imperial Navy. He was the head of the Imperial Navy Medical Branch, along with other unspecified duties, and on his retirement continued to work with the Imperium on classified diplomatic missions. Naval officials refused to comment on whether he was on such a mission at the time of his death.
The H.M.S. Third Eye was privately owned and operated by Marquis Marcus Crestworthy of Pallique (3029 Spinward Marches; A511965-E); the Imperial Noble was not on board at the time.
This is the first loss of a Zodiac class ship. The ships are all constructed at the Ling Standard Products yards on Mora (3124 Spinward Marches; AA99AC7-F), and are a state of the art design intended primarily for scientific research. Most of the ships in this class are owned by Imperial universities. The loss of the H.M.S. Third Eye is not expected to affect the demand for these ships -- they are usually sold out a year in advance of production.
Also named as among the dead are Imperial Citizens Edward Teeth, Mich Saginaw, Vonish Kehnaan, and Foreven native Misha Ravanos.