S3E8
· The Price

Ferengi Biochemical Sabotage: The Proof

In a cramped Ferengi guest quarter Arridor, the Ferengi doctor, extracts blood from DaiMon Goss and engineers a biochemical agent designed to cripple non‑Ferengi while leaving Ferengi unharmed. He demonstratively places a single drop on Goss's palm—watching it change color—as he explains the agent is undetectable by ship bio‑filters and will provoke an extreme allergic reaction when absorbed through a victim's skin. The scene functions as a cold turning point: the plan is now concretely weaponized, foreshadowing Mendoza's imminent collapse and escalating the diplomatic crisis into potential biological sabotage.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

4

Arridor extracts fluid from Goss's neck, causing Goss pain, to create a biochemical agent.

discomfort to anticipation ['Ferengi guest quarters']

Arridor assures Goss the concoction won't be lethal, just a short-term crippling agent.

uncertainty to reassurance ['Ferengi guest quarters']

Arridor tests the fluid on Goss's palm, demonstrating its harmless effect on Ferengi but deadly potential for others.

curiosity to satisfaction ['Ferengi guest quarters']

Goss declares his intent to use the agent on the Federation representative, extending the 'hand of the Ferengi'.

satisfaction to malicious glee ['Ferengi guest quarters']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

3

Calm, focused, and slightly clinical satisfaction — invested in the success of an experiment with tactical purpose rather than in moral consequences.

Arridor performs the medical extraction, processes the fluid in a shallow dish, then places a single color‑changing drop on Goss's palm while explaining its biochemical properties and tactical advantages.

Goals in this moment
  • Produce a biochemical agent effective against non‑Ferengi
  • Demonstrate the agent's safety for Ferengi and efficacy to Goss
  • Seal the operational decision to deploy the agent in negotiations
Active beliefs
  • Scientific technique can and should be converted into strategic advantage
  • Ferengi biology offers a safe vector for asymmetric weapons
  • Practical results justify ethically ambiguous experimentation
Character traits
clinical detachment technically proficient pragmatic remorselessly experimental
Follow Arridor's journey

Masking discomfort with excitement and cold calculation — physically pained but pleased by the prospect of leverage.

DaiMon Goss endures a painful neck extraction, watches Arridor distill a drop from his blood, accepts the demonstration and endorses using it diplomatically; he speaks the final line consenting to approach the Federation representative.

Goals in this moment
  • Obtain a non‑lethal method to gain leverage in negotiations
  • Demonstrate that Ferengi hospitality can conceal strategic advantage
  • Commit to an actionable plan that cements Ferengi bargaining power
Active beliefs
  • Any advantage that harms competitors without killing them is acceptable and profitable
  • Biological subtlety is preferable to overt force in diplomatic contexts
  • Federation representatives can be manipulated through ritualized generosity
Character traits
conniving pragmatic composed under pain mercantile opportunism
Follow Goss's journey
Kol
Consul
primary

Conspiratorial satisfaction mixed with professional readiness — quiet approval and anticipation of execution.

Kol stands close by, silent and watchful, complicit in the procedure; he monitors the demonstration and the reactions of Goss and Arridor, ready to operationalize orders without speaking.

Goals in this moment
  • Support and enable Goss's plan
  • Observe the agent's properties to prepare for practical deployment
  • Maintain operational readiness for any immediate action
Active beliefs
  • Following DaiMon Goss's lead is in the pod's interest
  • Keeping silent and competent is the best way to ensure success
  • Biochemical tactics will yield commercial/political advantage
Character traits
complicit attentive practical subserviently efficient
Follow Kol's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Arridor's Extraction Syringe

Arridor uses a compact clinical extraction syringe to draw a painful sample of blood from Goss's neck. The syringe functions as the primary instrument enabling the distillation process and the plot's escalation from negotiation to sabotage.

Before: Sterile, in Arridor's possession ready for use; positioned …
After: Partially used, containing a small residual amount of …
Before: Sterile, in Arridor's possession ready for use; positioned against Goss's neck.
After: Partially used, containing a small residual amount of fluid; remains in Arridor's possession after transfer of processed material to the dish.
Arridor's Processing Dish

Arridor deposits the drawn blood into a shallow processing dish, performs a quick distillation or processing, and extracts a single silvery drop which he places on Goss's palm; the dish acts as both laboratory and theatrical prop proving the agent's properties.

Before: Clean, in Arridor's control; empty and ready to …
After: Holds processed stains and residue from the distillation; …
Before: Clean, in Arridor's control; empty and ready to receive the blood sample.
After: Holds processed stains and residue from the distillation; remains in Arridor's custody as evidence and tool for further processing if needed.

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What this causes 1
Causal

"The Ferengi's biochemical sabotage directly causes Mendoza's collapse."

Mendoza Collapses — Sabotage Forces a Diplomatic Vacuum
S3E8 · The Price

Part of Larger Arcs

Key Dialogue

"ARRIDOR: "Just a moment of discomfort for a good cause, DaiMon.""
"ARRIDOR: "A distillation of your own blood pyrocytes... harmless to you... undetectable by the ship's bio-filters... but when absorbed through your victim's skin, it will provoke an extreme allergic reaction.""
"GOSS: "I'd say it is time to extend the hand of the Ferengi to the representative of the Federation.""