Gosheven Shuts Down Data — Kentor Chooses Survival
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Kentor and Haritath express their willingness to evacuate and seek Data's assurance about their future autonomy under Federation relocation.
Ard'rian urges Kentor to commit to their cause, emphasizing his influence over the colonists.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Initially hopeful and assertive; after Data's shutdown she is angry, alarmed, and urgently practical—channeling outrage into diagnostic action.
Ard'rian hosts the meeting in her living room, backs Data's factual presentation, presses Kentor to take a public stand, and after Data is shut down immediately rushes to examine him and deploys an electronic scanner from her junk pile.
- • Win Kentor's public leadership to sway the colonists toward evacuation
- • Diagnose and revive Data quickly to restore persuasive momentum
- • Data and Federation aid are trustworthy and necessary
- • Technical competence and visible action can counteract intimidation
Optimistic and receptive at first; intimidated, uncertain, and inclined to follow established authority after the prod incident.
The assembled colonists listen attentively to Data and Ard'rian's explanations, nod in impressed agreement, then become intimidated and begin to drift away when Gosheven silences the android and orders them home.
- • Maintain community cohesion and personal safety
- • Follow leaders they trust to avoid chaos or punishment
- • Collective decisions are shaped by visible leaders
- • Open conflict is dangerous and should be avoided
Defiant and contemptuous; acts from certainty and a need to preserve his authority at any cost.
Gosheven enters the room, confronts Data with contempt, uses an electronic prod to create dramatic blue sparks that instantly shut Data down, then dismisses the meeting and orders the group dispersed to reassert his control.
- • Prevent the colony from being evacuated and maintain his leadership and claim to the land
- • Crush dissent quickly to stop any organized move against his authority
- • His authority is the primary binding force in the community
- • Outsiders and their suggestions threaten the colony's identity and must be suppressed
Defensive about independence, then shocked and fearful after the violent demonstration against Data.
Haritath voices a preference for independence, questions the need to convince Gosheven, and reacts with alarm and disbelief when Data is prodded and collapses.
- • Preserve the colony's self-reliance and avoid outside imposition
- • Assess whether evacuation is truly necessary or avoidable
- • Independence and self-sufficiency are morally and culturally important
- • Physical force (or displays of it) are decisive in shaping group behavior
Anxious and uncertain when deciding, briefly resolute when affirming leadership; shaken and demoralized after Gosheven's show of force.
Kentor hesitates but then agrees to lead, voices the practical problem of Gosheven's influence, and tries to position himself as a viable alternative authority before Gosheven's interruption undermines his nascent leadership.
- • Convince the colonists to accept relocation without causing a split or violence
- • Find a way to neutralize Gosheven's political sway to enable safe evacuation
- • Most people will follow whoever they respect most
- • Taking a public stand can realign community opinion if done carefully
Appearantly neutral and composed while speaking; functionally inert and non-sentient after the prod—no emotional display, creating shock in others.
Data calmly presents the Federation's resettlement as factual, non-coercive information; when Gosheven prods him he stiffens, shuts down, and falls limp, becoming an object of technical triage.
- • Convey the availability and terms of Federation resettlement to the colonists clearly and without coercion
- • Secure voluntary consent from local leaders so evacuation can proceed without forced removal
- • Presenting clear facts will persuade rational actors
- • Preserving autonomy of the colonists (letting them dictate level of Federation aid) is both ethical and pragmatic
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Gosheven uses the electronic prod as a demonstration of raw coercive power: he slams the emitter to Data's casing, producing blue sparks and an immediate systems shutdown. Narratively it functions as the instrument that converts political posturing into physical silence and disperses the crowd.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Ard'rian's living room serves as an intimate, domestic meeting place that becomes a public forum—sunlit, crowded with mismatched chairs and personal effects—where private consent and leadership are tested. Its domestic familiarity heightens the shock of physical intimidation and turns a sanctuary into a tribunal and tactical incubator.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Data and Ard'rian's mobilization against Gosheven leads directly to Gosheven's violent counterattack using the electronic prod."
"Data and Ard'rian's mobilization against Gosheven leads directly to Gosheven's violent counterattack using the electronic prod."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"KENTOR: "... and once the Federation resettles us, we'll be left alone?""
"DATA: "If you so desire.""
"GOSHEVEN: "I've killed no one. I've merely shut down a machine.""