Warp-Three Evasion — Picard's Public Gambit
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Picard orders warp-three evasives and re-engages the simulation while Kolrami concedes the gambit; Picard fires back with unwavering praise for Riker.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Stoic and quietly satisfied—complicit in the deception and confident in its tactical utility.
Credited by Picard for having overridden sensor codes and orchestrated holographic subterfuge that allowed the Hathaway to function as a believable decoy.
- • Protect the crew through calculated deception and tactical craft.
- • Ensure the ruse remains believable until exploited.
- • Ritualized combat or straightforward honor can be subordinated to mission success.
- • Technical manipulation of sensors is a valid tool in service of strategic outcomes.
Urgent and slightly embarrassed — professional alarm mixed with chagrin at sensors' failure.
Alerts the bridge to an incoming Romulan ship, reports inability to open a hailing frequency, and registers the sudden revelation that the engagement is no longer simulated.
- • Provide accurate, immediate sensor information to command.
- • Assist in transitioning the ship from simulation protocols to real defenses.
- • Sensors and comms are the first line of defense and must be trusted.
- • Anomalous readings indicate either technical failure or enemy subterfuge.
Coolly impressed—intellectual approval rather than emotional warmth.
Observes with clinical detachment and delivers a terse assessment of tactical skill, acknowledging the effectiveness of the deception with a controlled compliment.
- • Assess the tactical competence of human commanders.
- • Measure and record the efficacy of strategic ruses for comparative analysis.
- • Strategy is an objective skill to be measured and admired.
- • Human improvisation can produce meaningful tactical innovation.
Concentrated and professional—responds to commands without visible hesitation.
At the Conn, follows Picard's helm orders to bring the ship about and execute an evasive warp-three turn, maintaining precise ship handling under sudden change.
- • Carry out helm orders accurately to reposition the Enterprise.
- • Help the ship evade potential Romulan fire while enabling Picard's feint.
- • The captain's orders are to be executed immediately for ship safety.
- • Smooth, precise helm work can reduce casualties in a sudden engagement.
Startled by surprise but rapidly composed and resolute—urgent command presence masking the shock of having been deceived.
Stands abruptly and immediately assumes command discipline: cancels Red Alert, issues helm and shield orders, sequences weapon-system commands and reframes a simulation into live tactical maneuvering.
- • Protect the Enterprise and crew from an unexpected Romulan threat.
- • Convert a sensor/holographic deception into a tactical advantage.
- • Reestablish reliable sensors and communications.
- • Command must remain calm and decisive to preserve lives.
- • Deception can be weaponized if recognized and controlled.
- • Trusted officers (Worf, Data, Riker) will execute complex, risky gambits effectively.
Clinically calm—processing data and executing commands without affect, even when the simulated damage is revealed as such.
Provides precise system directives and diagnostics: orders to disengage modified beams, reports simulated damage to aft decks, and accepts Picard's command to input a new sensor code.
- • Accurately diagnose system status and quantify simulated versus real damage.
- • Execute code changes to restore sensor integrity and weapon targeting.
- • System data is authoritative and must drive tactical decisions.
- • Software and protocols can be reconfigured quickly to counter deception.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Tactical and engineering readouts indicate simulated damage to several aft deck plates; Data quantifies repair time, establishing the illusion of real physical harm and increasing the scenario's stakes.
The bridge hailing channel is ordered open to contact the apparent attacker but returns 'nothing there,' signaling either a sensor deception or cloaking and escalating the mystery and urgency of the situation.
Shields are ordered to 'maximum' to protect against the sudden Romulan approach while they simultaneously absorb and register electronic 'hits' used in the deception; shield status informs immediate tactical choices.
The Red Alert switch is activated as the ship initially transitions to simulated engagement protocols; Picard then deliberately cancels the alert as part of his feint, snapping the bridge from defensive alarm to controlled tactical theater.
The main viewscreen displays the Hathaway and then abruptly fills with a Romulan warship, visually collapsing the simulation into a perceived real threat and forcing immediate tactical responses from command.
The Holodeck/ship computer subroutine has been used to generate holographic and sensor simulations that made the Hathaway's ruse convincing; its manipulation and exposure is central to both the deception and the remedial code changes Picard orders.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Hathaway's aft decks function as the staged locus of 'damage' and make the decoy more convincing; references to these compartments provide tangible-sounding evidence that pressures the Enterprise crew into immediate defensive reactions.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"BURKE: "Captain -- Romulan warship approaching fast from astern!""
"KOLRAMI: "He is quite good.""
"PICARD: "Warp three, evasive! Disengage weapons, re-engage modified beam.""