The Sabotaged Transfer: Data’s Theft in Plain Sight
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
As the Enterprise prepares to depart, Data reports the successful loading of hytritium from the Jovis and requests Shuttlebay Two to ready for docking, adhering to established level one precautions.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Triumphant beneath a veneer of concern—his performance for Picard is flawless, but his internal state is one of greedy satisfaction. The theft of Data is the culmination of his desires, and he relishes the power it gives him.
Kivas Fajo, though physically absent from the cargo bay, is the puppet master of this theft. His influence is felt through Varria’s actions and the staged explosion that masks Data’s abduction. While he feigns concern for the ‘shuttlepod explosion’ during his subspace call to Picard, his true triumph lies in the successful acquisition of Data—his ‘crown jewel.’ His performance is a masterclass in misdirection, using the hytritium crisis as cover for his real prize: a sentient being to add to his collection.
- • Acquire Data as the centerpiece of his collection
- • Mislead the Enterprise crew into believing the shuttlepod explosion was an accident
- • Sentience is a feature to be collected, not a right to be respected
- • The ends justify the means, especially when it comes to rare artifacts
Calculating and compliant on the surface, but her internal conflict simmers beneath—she admires Data’s defiance and later shows remorse, hinting at a moral dilemma she suppresses in this moment.
Varria approaches Data with calculated precision, handing him the sabotaged PADD and triggering the neural overload that drops him. She then scans his positronic matrix with a tricorder-like device, dictating the technical specifications of his components to a technician for logging—‘Twenty-four point six kilos of tripolymer composites’—as if he were a rare artifact. Her actions are clinical, efficient, and devoid of hesitation, masking her internal conflict beneath a facade of professionalism. She orchestrates the theft with Fajo’s directives, ensuring Data’s data is transmitted before the shuttlepod’s staged explosion.
- • Execute Fajo’s plan to abduct Data without raising suspicion
- • Transmit Data’s component data to Fajo’s agents for inventory and transport
- • Loyalty to Fajo is non-negotiable (for now)
- • Data’s sentience is secondary to his value as a collectible
Grieving but determined—Picard’s shock at Data’s ‘death’ is tempered by his role as captain. He channels his emotions into leadership, but the loss lingers beneath the surface, driving his investigation.
Picard, commanding the Enterprise bridge, acknowledges the shuttlepod’s departure and reacts with shock as the explosion fills the viewscreen. His immediate response is to hail Fajo, demanding sensor data and leaving no avenue unexplored. He balances the mission’s urgency with the personal loss of Data, his grief tempered by the need for action. His interrogation of Fajo is sharp, his instincts telling him something is amiss, but the deception is too well-crafted to uncover in this moment.
- • Uncover the truth behind the shuttlepod explosion
- • Secure additional hytritium to complete the mission
- • Fajo’s concern is performative—there is more to this than meets the eye
- • Data’s death cannot be in vain; the mission must continue
Sudden, violent disruption of function—no fear or pain, but a cessation of agency, followed by the violation of his positronic integrity. His 'death' is a lie, but the theft of his data is a very real erasure of autonomy.
Data, piloting the shuttlepod from the Jovis cargo bay, acknowledges the loading of hytritium and prepares for departure. As he reaches for the PADD handed by Varria, his systems are overwhelmed by a neural overload triggered by the sabotaged ID panel. His body stiffens, then collapses to the floor, his positronic matrix vulnerable to Varria’s tricorder scan. His last actions—protocol acknowledgments and departure preparations—are cut short by the ambush, leaving him incapacitated and his identity reduced to a digital inventory.
- • Complete the hytritium transfer as ordered by Starfleet
- • Maintain operational protocols and safety precautions
- • Trust in Starfleet protocols and the integrity of trading partners
- • Confidence in his own invulnerability to sabotage (a flaw in his programming)
Shocked and obedient—Wesley’s grief is raw, but he channels it into his duties. The explosion is a stark reminder of the dangers of space, and he responds with a mix of fear and determination.
Wesley, as Ensign, witnesses the shuttlepod’s explosion with shock and later lays in a course for Beta Agni Two upon Picard’s orders. His role is to execute the captain’s commands with precision, his youthful enthusiasm tempered by the gravity of the moment. He is a symbol of the next generation, learning the harsh realities of loss and duty in the face of adversity.
- • Execute Picard’s orders without hesitation
- • Support the crew in their time of grief
- • The explosion was a tragic accident (though he suspects otherwise)
- • His role is to serve and learn, even in the face of loss
Shocked and analytical—Riker processes the explosion with a mix of grief and professionalism. He channels his emotions into finding solutions, ensuring the crew does not falter in the face of loss.
Riker, as First Officer, confirms the estimated travel time to Beta Agni Two and reacts with shock to the shuttlepod’s explosion. He assists Picard in analyzing the sensor data and later suggests contacting the Grissom for additional hytritium. His role is to support Picard’s leadership while ensuring the crew remains focused on the mission, even amid grief. His analytical mind is a counterbalance to the emotional weight of the moment.
- • Support Picard in investigating the explosion
- • Ensure the hytritium supply is sufficient for the mission
- • The explosion was not an accident—there are inconsistencies in the data
- • The Grissom may be a viable backup for hytritium
Shocked and grieving, but channeling his emotions into action—his technical skills are his coping mechanism. The explosion is a personal loss, and he clings to the data as a way to make sense of the chaos.
Geordi, monitoring the shuttlepod’s departure from the Engineering Station on the Enterprise bridge, confirms nominal containment field readings. His focus shifts to shock as the shuttlepod explodes on the viewscreen, the debris scattering like a cruel joke. He immediately begins analyzing sensor data, his VISOR flickering as he processes the anomaly. His technical expertise is the first line of defense in uncovering the deception, but in this moment, he is also a grieving friend, his concern for Data palpable beneath his professional demeanor.
- • Determine the cause of the shuttlepod explosion
- • Ensure the hytritium supply is secure for the mission
- • Sensor data does not lie—there must be an explanation for the explosion
- • Data’s death is a tragedy that demands answers
Neutral and professional—they go about their tasks without suspicion, their focus on the technical aspects of the cargo. There is no indication they question Varria’s actions or the nature of the ‘inventory’ they are logging.
The Jovis Cargo Bay Technicians load the shuttlepod with hytritium and close the hatch, unaware of Varria’s sabotage. They assist her by entering the scanned data from Data’s body into a PADD, treating his components as inventory. Their actions are routine, their professionalism masking the moral weight of their involvement in the theft. They are cogs in Fajo’s machine, unaware of the full extent of his plans.
- • Complete the loading and inventory process efficiently
- • Follow Varria’s instructions without question
- • Their role is to assist in cargo operations, not to question orders
- • The hytritium transfer is a standard trading procedure
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The nitrogen containment field in the shuttlepod’s trunk is the mechanism that ‘fails’ to hold, triggering the explosion that masks Data’s abduction. Geordi confirms its readings as nominal before the blast, but the field is rigged to collapse, creating the illusion of a catastrophic accident. Its role in the event is to provide the perfect cover for the theft, turning a safety feature into a tool of deception. The explosion is not just a distraction—it is the centerpiece of Fajo’s lie, the moment the Enterprise crew’s grief is weaponized.
The sensor data transmitted from the Jovis to the Enterprise is a lie, a carefully crafted deception designed to mislead Picard and his crew. Fajo insists his sensors are ‘primitive’ and unlikely to contain useful information, but the data is part of the cover-up, reinforcing the illusion of the shuttlepod’s accidental destruction. Its role in the event is to provide a false narrative, ensuring the Enterprise crew’s investigation leads to a dead end. The data is a smokescreen, as insubstantial as the explosion it describes.
Shuttle Twelve is the decoy in Fajo’s elaborate scheme. Loaded with hytritium and piloted by Data, it is sabotaged to explode in a staged accident, masking the true crime: Data’s abduction. The shuttle’s destruction is a smokescreen, a distraction to mislead the Enterprise crew into believing Data is dead. Its role in the event is to provide cover for the theft, turning a mission-critical resource into a prop in Fajo’s performance. The debris scattered across the viewscreen is the ultimate misdirection, a cruel illusion of loss.
The technician’s PADD is the tool used to log Data’s component data after Varria’s scan. As the technician enters the specifications—‘Twenty-four point six kilos of tripolymer composites’—into the device, Data’s sentience is reduced to a digital inventory. The PADD is not just a recording tool; it is the instrument of his objectification, turning a living being into a line item in Fajo’s collection. Its role in the event is to document the theft, ensuring Data’s identity is erased and his value quantified.
Varria’s tricorder-like device is the tool that scans and extracts Data’s positronic matrix, reducing his sentience to a digital inventory. As she sweeps it over his collapsed body, it reads out the technical specifications of his components—‘Twenty-four point six kilos of tripolymer composites’—as if he were a rare artifact. The device is not just a scanner; it is the instrument of his dehumanization, turning a living being into a line item in Fajo’s collection. Its data is transmitted to Fajo’s agents, ensuring Data’s theft is documented and his identity erased.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The main bridge of the USS Enterprise is the command center where the crew reacts to the shuttlepod’s explosion with shock and grief. It is a place of urgency and emotion, where Picard’s orders are executed with precision, and where the crew’s bond is tested by loss. The viewscreen, filled with the debris of the explosion, becomes a symbol of their shared trauma, a visual representation of the lie they have been fed. The bridge is not just a location—it is the heart of the Enterprise, where the crew’s grief and determination collide.
The Jovis cargo bay is the battleground where Data’s abduction unfolds. It is a space of industrial efficiency, where hytritium is loaded into shuttlepods and where Varria ambushes Data with the sabotaged PADD. The bay is both the staging area for the theft and the site of Data’s incapacitation, its cold, utilitarian atmosphere contrasting sharply with the moral weight of the crime. The containment field’s collapse and the subsequent explosion are the bay’s final acts in the deception, masking the true nature of the event.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The USS Enterprise (Starfleet) is the investigative body tasked with uncovering the truth behind the shuttlepod explosion. Under Picard’s command, the crew analyzes sensor data, interrogates Fajo, and prepares to pursue the Jovis. Their role in the event is to react to the deception with shock and grief, but also to channel their emotions into action. The Enterprise is not just a ship—it is a symbol of Starfleet’s principles, and the crew’s response to Data’s ‘death’ is a testament to their bond and their duty. Their investigation, though initially misled, sets the stage for the eventual rescue of Data and the exposure of Fajo’s crimes.
Kivas Fajo’s Zibalian Trader Network is the antagonist force behind Data’s abduction. Operating under the guise of legitimate hytritium traders, the network orchestrates the theft with precision, using the shuttlepod explosion as a smokescreen. Varria, as Fajo’s associate, executes the ambush, while the technicians log Data’s components as inventory. The network’s role in the event is to acquire Data as the crown jewel of Fajo’s collection, reducing a sentient being to a commodity. Their actions are a direct challenge to Starfleet’s principles, turning a mission of mercy into a crime of greed.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Varria incapacitates Data with the padd, leading directly to Data's captivity aboard Fajo's ship and his awareness of the Enterprise's belief that he is dead."
"Varria incapacitates Data with the padd, leading directly to Data's captivity aboard Fajo's ship and his awareness of the Enterprise's belief that he is dead."
"The shuttle explosion deeply affects Geordi, causing him to obsessively investigate the telemetry data for any clues, setting the stage for his eventual discovery of Data's incomplete transmission."
"Picard's questioning of Fajo about the explosion and hytritium eventually leads the Enterprise crew to suspect Fajo's orchestration of the entire crisis to acquire Data."
"Picard's questioning of Fajo about the explosion and hytritium eventually leads the Enterprise crew to suspect Fajo's orchestration of the entire crisis to acquire Data."
"Picard's questioning of Fajo about the explosion and hytritium eventually leads the Enterprise crew to suspect Fajo's orchestration of the entire crisis to acquire Data."
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"**VARRIA** *(handing Data the padd, voice smooth with false professionalism)*: *'If you’ll just acknowledge this last load, Commander...'* *(Subtext: A predator’s feint—her tone betrays no malice, only the clinical detachment of a technician. The padd is the weapon, the ID panel the trigger. Her line is a lie wrapped in protocol.)*"
"**DATA** *(stiffening as the neural overload hits, voice glitching)*: *'Enterprise Shuttlebay Two, prepare for—'* *(cut off as he collapses)* *(Subtext: Data’s interruption mid-transmission isn’t just a technical failure—it’s the moment his autonomy is severed. His last words as a ‘free’ entity are bureaucratic, ironic given what follows: he is being *unprepared* for anything.)*"
"**FAJO** *(to Picard, feigning grief, voice dripping with false sympathy)*: *'I’m sorry, Captain. Truly. Data was… unique.'* *(Subtext: Fajo’s apology is a performance, his pause before ‘unique’ lingering like a collector’s finger tracing a prized artifact. The word is a tell—he doesn’t mourn Data’s *life*, but his *loss*. His charm is a blade, and this is its first twist.)"