The Calculated Pursuit: Turning Fajo’s Greed Against Him
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Wesley calculates the Jovis's possible range based on its speed and the time elapsed since Data's abduction, defining a perimeter for the search.
Riker suggests Fajo likely isn't traveling at top speed, narrowing down the possible search area, while Wesley considers potential destinations.
Picard infers that, as a trader, Fajo is likely to stay within accessible routes, prompting Riker to suggest sending a coded query to Federation outposts within the perimeter, an order Picard affirms.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Focused and determined, with a quiet intensity driven by the need to find Data.
Wesley stands at the science station, his fingers dancing over the controls as he plots Fajo’s probable range. His voice is steady as he outlines the Jovis’s maximum speed and suggests the Nel Bato system or Giles Belt as likely hiding spots. His mathematical acumen is the linchpin of the crew’s strategy, and his confidence in his calculations reflects his growth from ensign to a trusted bridge officer. The Okudagram monitor glows with the data he’s generated, a visual testament to his contributions.
- • Use mathematical modeling to predict Fajo’s location.
- • Provide actionable intelligence to Picard and Riker for the pursuit.
- • Fajo’s greed will limit his evasive capabilities.
- • The crew’s collaboration is the key to overcoming this crisis.
Determined resolve masking underlying grief for Data, channeled into tactical leadership.
Picard stands at the science station, his posture commanding yet measured, as he listens to Wesley’s calculations and Riker’s strategic suggestions. His voice carries the weight of authority when he notes Fajo’s trader nature ('He doesn’t attract customers by being hard to find'), and his approval of Riker’s proposal ('Make it so') signals the crew’s transition from grief to action. His presence is a stabilizing force, grounding the crew’s emotions in institutional purpose.
- • Leverage Federation resources to locate Fajo and recover Data.
- • Maintain crew morale and focus amid emotional turmoil.
- • Fajo’s greed is a strategic weakness that can be exploited.
- • The Federation’s institutional reach is a force multiplier in crises.
Focused and tactical, with a underlying current of protective urgency for Data and the crew.
Riker leans over the science station monitor, his sharp instincts honed by years of experience. He refines Wesley’s calculations by noting Fajo’s likely underestimation of their pursuit ('he probably isn’t taxing his engines by going at top speed') and proposes the coded level-two query, which Picard approves. His contributions are pragmatic, bridging Wesley’s analytical work with Picard’s command decisions. His presence embodies the bridge’s operational rhythm.
- • Narrow the search perimeter using Fajo’s psychological profile.
- • Ensure the crew’s strategy aligns with Federation protocols and resources.
- • Fajo’s arrogance will lead to mistakes that can be exploited.
- • The crew’s combined skills (Wesley’s math, Picard’s authority) are their strongest asset.
None (absent), but inferred as smug and overconfident based on crew dialogue.
Fajo is not physically present but looms as the unseen antagonist. His predictable greed and trader mentality ('he doesn’t attract customers by being hard to find') are dissected and exploited by the crew. His absence is palpable, a void that the crew’s strategy seeks to fill by anticipating his movements. The mention of his name carries a subtext of contempt and urgency, as the crew weaponizes his flaws against him.
- • Evade capture while transporting Data.
- • Maintain his collection by avoiding detection.
- • His reputation as a collector will protect him from consequences.
- • The Federation’s reach is limited and slow to respond.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Okudagram graphic on the science station monitor is the visual anchor of the crew’s strategy. It displays the sector map, Fajo’s probable range (point-one-oh-two light years), and the potential hiding spots (Nel Bato system, Giles Belt). Wesley’s calculations are rendered in glowing Okudagram symbols, while Riker and Picard lean in to interpret the data. The monitor’s tactical display symbolizes the crew’s shift from emotional reaction to analytical pursuit, turning abstract variables (warp speed, time) into actionable intelligence.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The *Enterprise*’s main bridge serves as the nerve center for the crew’s transition from grief to action. Picard, Riker, and Wesley huddle at the science station, their bodies angled toward the Okudagram monitor as they plot Fajo’s probable range. The bridge’s familiar layout—command chairs, operational stations, and the viewscreen—grounds the scene in institutional authority, while the crew’s focused dialogue ('He’s a trader... he doesn’t attract customers by being hard to find') elevates the space from a setting to a symbol of collective resolve. The bridge’s atmosphere is one of controlled urgency, where every keystroke and command brings them closer to Data.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The United Federation of Planets is invoked as the institutional backbone of the crew’s strategy. Picard authorizes a 'coded level two query' to Federation outposts, weaponizing the organization’s vast network to locate Fajo. The Federation’s protocols (e.g., coded alerts, outpost coordination) are framed as a force multiplier, turning the crew’s emotional stakes into a systemic pursuit. The organization’s reach is both a tool and a symbol—its resources are deployed to protect its own (Data, the *Enterprise* crew), while its bureaucratic precision contrasts with Fajo’s chaotic greed.
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
Key Dialogue
"WESLEY: *The Jovis has a maximum speed of warp three. He's had twenty-three hours... so we can define a perimeter of point-one-oh-two light years as his possible range...*"
"RIKER: *And Fajo doesn't know we're onto him, so he probably isn't taxing his engines by going at top speed.*"
"PICARD: *He's a trader... he doesn't attract customers by being hard to find...*"
"RIKER: *We could put out a coded level two query to all Federation outposts within the perimeter...*"
"PICARD: *Make it so.*"