Katayama Hitoshi

Major Katayama Hitoshi headed the security detachment on Mimas, a moon of Saturn. He led the investigation into the murder of three athletes during the sixty-sixth Winter Olympic Games. His preliminary investigation indicated that they had been killed by bursts from a high powered laser.

The day after the murders, he was interviewed by Bill Bennett and Rannveig Aasen of Interplanetary Broadcasting Company. He indicated that security precautions had broken down back on Earth by allowing the killer to board a ship. While his personnel checked arriving baggage for arms and explosives, a deadly laser was all to easy to improvise from laser tubes in cameras, computer scanners and dozens of other, everyday tools.

Aasen asked why his guards didn't prevent the assassin from reaching cover for the kill or track him down after he struck. Major Hitoshi indicated that while an athlete could see for thirty-five kilometers, as had been mentioned in their previous broadcast, he could also be seen for that distance. This meant that the killer could be anywhere in a circle of that radius which was 3,800 square kilometers. Since he had a force of twenty, each would have to guard about 190 square kilometers.

Bennett asked if the observation satellite in synchronous orbit had spotted anything. Major Hitoshi replied that at the time, Arthur was in the night side of Mimas and so, aside from the landing area, it was in the dark. With the satellite six hundred kilometers up, it had not seen anything. However, he did have some hope that computer enhancement of the images might reveal something useful.

Aasen asked why his guards had not spotted the flash of the laser when it fired. Major Hitoshi replied that the flash came from the light reflecting off of air and dust. Since Mimas had no atmosphere, there would not be any flash.

Bennett then thanked him for his time and ended the interview.