Staged Strike at the Wormhole
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Picard hails Goss, who falsely accuses the Federation of secret dealings.
Goss fires a missile at the wormhole, forcing Picard to destroy it with phasers.
The Ferengi missile explodes under phaser fire, heightening the political stakes.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Agitated and defiant — using outrage as a strategic instrument to inflame and influence neutral parties.
DaiMon Goss appears on the ready‑room screen, levels accusations of secret Federation collusion, frames the Ferengi as aggrieved, and his broadcast coincides with a missile launch that transforms his political complaining into a dangerous spectacle.
- • Galvanize support for the Ferengi position by discrediting the Federation.
- • Use spectacle and accusation to sway negotiation outcomes in Ferengi favor.
- • Public accusation and dramatic action will pressure delegates and undermine opponents.
- • The Ferengi must assert themselves forcefully to be taken seriously in interstellar negotiations.
Controlled concern — authoritative surface tone intended to steady crew and assert moral clarity while alarmed by the provocation.
Picard maintains command composure, orders Yellow Alert, hails the Ferengi, demands an explanation from DaiMon Goss, and directs defensive action (order to destroy the missile) to protect the wormhole and his crew while attempting to preserve diplomatic legitimacy.
- • Prevent the missile from striking the wormhole or causing escalation.
- • Maintain procedural and diplomatic integrity by forcing Goss to account for his actions publicly.
- • Safety of the ship and neutral scientific assets (the wormhole) is paramount.
- • Public, procedural transparency is the best antidote to theatrical provocations and false accusations.
Urgent, professional focus — surface calm and procedural competence masking the pressure of immediate threat.
Worf monitors sensors, reports the Ferengi vessel's approach and missile arming, announces missile launch, and executes Picard's order by firing Enterprise phasers to destroy the incoming torpedo.
- • Neutralize immediate kinetic threats to the ship and wormhole.
- • Execute Captain's orders quickly and accurately to safeguard the crew and mission.
- • Threats to the Enterprise must be met immediately with force when ordered.
- • Chain-of-command and disciplined action are the correct response to potential attacks.
Impartial — the computer supplies recorded data without interpretation or empathy.
The Shipboard Computer responds to Picard's query with a precise log entry stating DaiMon Goss departed at 1400 hours, providing an unemotional fact that undercuts Goss's on‑screen appearance and hints at misdirection.
- • Deliver accurate, time‑stamped ship logs and responses to command requests.
- • Support bridge operations by providing verifiable factual information.
- • Shipboard records are authoritative and accessible when queried.
- • Commands and decisions should be informed by the objective data it provides.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
A Ferengi‑launched missile becomes the immediate physical threat: it is powered toward the wormhole entry, registering on Enterprise sensors, and is targeted and destroyed by the ship's phasers. Narratively, the missile converts rhetorical provocation into kinetic danger, forcing a defensive response that exposes the spectacle.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Enterprise main bridge functions as the operational nerve center where the threat is detected, commands are issued, and diplomatic questions are forced into tactical decision‑making. It compresses command, technical response, and public accountability into a single charged space.
The Ferengi captain's ready room serves as the remote platform for DaiMon Goss's broadcast: a small, staged locus where private command becomes public accusation and theatrical provocation is produced for maximum diplomatic effect.
The wormhole opening is the physical target and political fulcrum: the missile is aimed directly at it, making the anomaly itself a contested asset whose safety justifies immediate defensive action and whose existence fuels the diplomatic struggle.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"COMPUTER: DaiMon Goss departed the Enterprise at fourteen hundred hours."
"GOSS: I have learned from informed sources that the Federation has manipulated these negotiations from the very beginning... and has already signed a secret agreement with the Barzans."
"PICARD: Destroy it."