The Vengeance Factor ( episode ) The " Enterprise " tries to negotiate an end to raids launched by a group called the " Gatherers , " but a murder threatens to prevent peace . Summary . Teaser . Riker , Dr . Crusher , Worf , and Data beam into an unknown , very torn - apart room in a Federation outpost . After lifting a few pieces of debris , Worf observes that the reactor belonging to whomever was stationed here is missing . Crusher sees blood on a sharp metal fragment , and notes it is not Human blood , and will have to do more tests on it when they get back to sickbay on the . Data detects life sign s behind a door , demonstrating his superior strength and pries the door open when Worf could not . Behind it , two federation scientists lie , stun ned and unmoving . . . Act One . Crusher remarks that the scientists were hit with several phaser stuns each , and it will take them some time to recover . Crusher shows Picard the results of her scan of the blood , that it is unique to one humanoid species : the Acamarian s . That would suggest Gatherer s , nomadic marauders belonging to that species and who raid similar outposts to the one the scientists belonged . Picard , realizing that the Gatherers have not gone as far as this outpost before , orders Wesley on the bridge to set a course for the Acamar system . Marouk , a middle - aged woman dressed in yellow , sits in the conference lounge as Picard briefs her on the raids . Marouk says that they ' ve only managed to capture a handful of them , but with Starfleet ' s help , they could find many more . Picard , ever the diplomat , does not want to hunt them down but try to reconcile the orthodox Acamarians with the Gatherers ; Marouk does not think it possible , and claims the Gatherers are animal s and parasite s , preying on all manner of civilization to live . A century ago , before the Gatherers left , the Acamarians were violent , inciting war s over the slightest injury . When they did split , the greater part of the race became peaceful , and the Gatherers , so Marouk thinks , remained in their savage , warlike ways . Picard insists that they find a way to reconcile the two halves of the species , as the problem affects them all . Marouk looks as if she may finally agree . Marouk , looking over the bridge , announces she is ready to leave as soon as two more of her servants are brought up ; Riker sees to it . Marouk says there is a Gatherer colony in the Hromi Cluster ; Picard orders a course set . In her quarters , Marouk watches the star s out the window as the " Enterprise " goes into warp , and offers compliments on the ship . Marouk turns to her young servant / chef Yuta and orders a light meal in twenty minutes ; Yuta , a beautiful blond girl , asks Riker where the kitchen is , but Riker explains about the ship ' s replicator s and orders a glass of water for the Sovereign . Yuta insists on tasting it , as it is also part of her duties to be sure that Marouk is not poison ed . Yuta says that although Marouk will be glad to try many Federation food s , there are a few Acamarian dishes that likely aren ' t programmed ; Riker will arrange to have them put in . Yuta mentions one of her dishes , parthas , a green vegetable with fleshy roots , and Riker says he looks forward to tasting it , then excuses himself . On arriving to Gamma Hromi II , an away team consisting of Riker , Worf , Data , and La Forge beams down to try to find some Gatherers to communicate with . The team finds several things that the Gatherers stole , including a cheap metal alloy , noranium , Artonian laser s and a reactor that probably came from the ransacked outpost . The Gatherers aren ' t very particular about things they steal , apparently . Just then , the Gatherers attack . Worf yells " " Ambush ! ' " Act Two . While taking cover from their outmoded phasers ' fire , Riker asks Data about the vaporizing temperature of noranium , and they use that information to set their phasers on setting seven and fire on the noranium piles , creating a smokescreen , and fake beaming up to the " Enterprise " . The Gatherers climb down to where the team was , and suddenly Worf grabs their leader from behind , growling , " " Your ambushes would be more successful if you bathed more often ! " " , followed by the away team surrounding their ambushers , phasers trained . Next , Picard , Marouk , and the others from the Acamarian delegation are down on the planet . The male Acamarian servant offers a drink to Brull , the leader , who offers it to Temarek , his second , to taste . He hesitates , so Brull grabs him , bends him over and pours it down his throat . Brull and the others , including Temarek , laugh at their own bravado , but Marouk turns away distastefully , barking , " " You people haven ' t changed in a hundred years ! " " Brull replies , " " You should know ; you were there ! " " Picard again brings peace , and discusses calmly the benefits of their reunification . Brull looks about to agree to negotiate , but sends everyone else except Picard and Marouk away , so he would not look weak in front of his campmates . While everyone else is just looking around , Yuta approaches an old Gatherer named Volnoth and questions him about belonging to the clan Lornak . Volnoth says he is of that clan and asks why she wants to know . Yuta asks if she looks familiar to him . . . he says yes , but it is impossible , it was fifty years ago . Yuta reveals her clan affiliation : Tralesta . She brushes Volnoth lightly on the face , and his eye s go wide , and he appears to have a heart attack , convulsing . . . just before he dies , Yuta says , " " I am the last of my line , but my clan will outlive yours ! " " Act Three . The focus returns to Brull and Marouk . Brull seems willing to talk , but is unsure . He decides that Chorgan , the leader of the Gatherers , would be a better judge . He allots twenty days to allow for the decision , but Marouk insists on making the offer to Chorgan , face to face . Picard offers Brull any number of Gatherers he wishes to take as guards , but he intends to go alone . He appoints a secondary Gatherer , Mallon , to be leader for ten days , when one of the Gatherers shouts and draws attention to something . Picard , Marouk , Yuta , and the Gatherers find Volnoth dead . Brull is unconcerned , noting that Volnoth was an old man , and the Gatherer , Temarek , who discovered his body immediately lays claim to his possessions . Marouk is disgusted , remarking that the Gatherers have no respect for the dead , to which Brull replies snidely that there should be no respect for a corpse . Crusher beams down and examines the body . She concludes that Volnoth died of cardiac arrest , but can find no cause for the sudden onset . The " Enterprise " warps away from Gamma Hromi II . Brull comes aboard the bridge , where Picard informs him to tell Wesley Crusher the coordinates of Chorgan ' s ship . Brull scoffs at the idea of a child on the bridge , to which Picard glares at Brull . He sets in the coordinates of 3 - 4 - 3 mark 7 - 2 , all the while joking at the " child helmsman " . Wesley notes that this path will take them through an asteroid belt , and he proposes an alternate route . Brull , uncaring , agrees to the path . In Ten Forward , Marouk and Picard talk about Acamarian history , including the blood wars between various clans on her home planet in the past century . When one clan did wrong to another , they sought vengeance , retribution for the actions , which would be passed on for generations . Picard briefly compares this to Earth ' s past , when Commander Riker and Counselor Troi enter . Yuta excuses herself , at which time Brull enters Ten Forward . Brull immediately goes over to the bartender area and grabs a drink out of a patron ' s hand , drinks a small amount down , and finds Wesley sitting in a remote corner near a window . He puts down the drink and approaches Wesley in a very casual manner , taking his PADD and asking what it contains . Wesley replies that it is his math homework . Brull can tell that Wesley does not like him . Wesley retorts that his dislike stems from Brull ' s being a thief . Brull shouts back , saying that the Gatherers steal to survive . Wesley then poses the question as to why he is now willing to reason with the Acamarians after a century , to which Brull replies that it would be the best for his children . Nearby , Yuta brings the parthas over to Riker and Troi . The two remark that it is a delicious dish , and Troi excuses herself , leaving Yuta and Riker alone in a conversation . Yuta explains how all her life , she was a servant to the Sovereign . Her life revolved around that . She also quips that , while Riker may make a good commander , he would be a poor Sovereign , because Riker does not believe in the system of servitude ; he treats Yuta like an equal . Riker asks her why she is a slave to the Sovereign . Yuta replies that she is not a slave , that she can leave her at any time . However , she says that she cannot ever have freedom . Riker notes that Yuta while being an excellent chef , speaks rather cryptically , to which Yuta responds that she ' s always been a poor conversationalist . Marouk calls Yuta back . As she returns , Dr . Crusher contacts Riker , informing him of a surprising discovery . In sickbay , Crusher reveals to Riker that Volnoth was killed by a microvirus . The interesting part was that the microvirus was specifically designed for a certain strain of DNA in Acamarians , approximately one in a million . Riker notes that this is unnatural , which leads Crusher to presume that Volnoth was murdered . Act Four . Riker lies back in his quarters , when Data contacts him and informs him that Acamar III has agreed to transfer its medical database to the " Enterprise " . The door chimes , and Yuta enters . Her time of servitude for the evening was over , and Marouk had suggested that she spend time with Riker . Riker quips about how obvious his affection for her was . She kisses him immediately , and then pulls back for a bit . However , Riker feels that Yuta is acting subserviently , which he feels is wrong . He wants Yuta to be his equal , not his slave . She , however , does not understand freedom and its emotions , let alone equality . She remarks that it has been a long time since she had been free . Riker tries to pull her into his embrace when the ship engages red alert and the ship rocks from weapons fire . Riker excuses himself and heads to the bridge while Yuta ' s face switches to a somber look . Aboard the bridge , Brull informs Picard that Chorgan ' s ship is the one that is firing on them . Worf tries to hail the ship , but gets no response . The ship rocks again from another round of fire . The captain asks Worf if they could take out his shields without doing any serious damage to his ship . Worf believes he can , and Picard prepares phasers and tries to send a threat by hail , but is yet again cut off by the weapons fire . Picard figures that since Chorgan won ' t listen , they ' ll have to get his attention . He orders Worf to fire phasers and the ensuing counter attack by the " Enterprise " takes out Chorgan ' s forward shields . Chorgan sends a hail to the vessel , and immediately assumes that Brull is a turncoat , having betrayed the Gatherers . Brull tries to reassure him , telling him that Sovereign Marouk is on board and wishes to talk . Chorgan refuses , but Picard forces his hand and announces that they ' re beaming aboard and cuts off the transmission . Picard calls off red alert and prepares to transport over to Chorgan ' s ship with himself , Brull , Marouk , and Yuta . Riker feels unsafe about letting the captain go alone , but Picard tells Riker that he needs to act as an arbitrator , and knowing that Chorgan won ' t do anything foolish while the " Enterprise " has phasers trained on his ship . Aboard the Gatherer vessel , Marouk , Brull , and Picard enter the makeshift bridge , and Chorgan ( with exaggerated politeness ) invites them to sit . Before Picard can begin the preliminaries , Chorgan casually remarks that he could take Picard hostage then and there , and there is little anyone could do to prevent it . Picard looks up sharply , and Chorgan laughs , saying he has no intention of doing so – he cannot deny that he is curious as to why the Federation and Marouk would go to so much trouble to track him down . Marouk gets right down to business , and proposes that every Gatherer receive amnesty . Chorgan scoffs , calling this an attempt at re - enslaving the Gatherers . Marouk replies that she might have considered that , before Picard had convinced her to seek a diplomatic solution . Marouk offers Chorgan some Acamarian brandy , but Chorgan refuses , still insisting that the Acamarians are enslavers , and asking sardonically whether the state will feed and clothe the Gatherers if they return to Acamar III . Marouk says no , the government has allotted land for their use . . . at which Chorgan laughs heartily , stands up , and beckons her to his men , asking if they look like farmers . Marouk tells them that they are free to do whatever they want on the land , and that is the key to her offer : they will be free men , and no longer fugitives . After only a moment , Chorgan demands autonomy for the Gatherers on their new land . Marouk is outraged by Chorgan ' s gall , but Picard gently reminds her that Chorgan has gone from scorning her offer to at least being willing to discuss it . Restraining her temper , Marouk says that certainly the Gatherers will be entitled to certain basic rights , and Chorgan rejoins that those rights will be spelled out before he agrees to anything . Meanwhile , on the bridge of the " Enterprise " , Data is only able to find a birth record for Volnoth . While Riker and Data mull over the lack of information present , Dr . Crusher comes to the bridge with a startling fact : 53 years ago , someone died of the same microvirus . The man ' s name was Penthor - Mul , a Gatherer of the Lornak clan who raided an Acamarian outpost , but was captured and died before his trial . Data immediately makes the connection : Volnoth was also of the Lornak clan , as is Chorgan . Riker realizes that this microvirus is indeed targeted against Lornak clan members , and wants to find anyone who might have a grudge against the Lornaks . Crusher notes that the microvirus is transmittable in several different ways , and so finely tailored as to be perfectly harmless to the carrier , so long as he does not match the Lornaks ' DNA signature . Data locates a record of a massacre eighty years ago , when the Lornaks were believed to have annihilated their rival clan , the Tralestas , from existence . Data cannot find any information on the Tralesta clan , but locates an image of Penthor - Mul before his execution . Data points out a half - obscured face behind him . Riker orders the computer to restore the face . The face belongs to Yuta . Crusher , Data , and Riker are in disbelief : Yuta has not aged at all in 53 years . Act Five . Back on the Gatherer ship , Marouk is indignant about Chorgan ' s demand for three seats on the Ruling Council , saying that no clan ever has had that many . Marouk accuses Chorgan of being greedy , not interested in his people ' s welfare but only what he can grab for himself . Chorgan retorts that Marouk is trying to limit the abilities and rights of the Gatherers . Both leaders are on their feet , shouting accusations at each other , when Picard intervenes , reminding Marouk that , if their positions were reversed , she would be making the same demands as Chorgan . Marouk apologizes and sinks into her chair to calm down . Picard suggests a brief recess , and Chorgan agrees , admitting to interest in sampling Marouk ' s brandy . Marouk calls Yuta to pour a glass for everyone . As Yuta pours the brandy for Picard , then Marouk , Picard takes the opportunity to comment on how alike Marouk and Chorgan are – a suggestion that outrages both of them , but Picard persists , remarking on how they are both extremely able negotiators and strong leaders . Chorgan scoffs that he and Marouk have nothing in common and they haven ' t reached any kind of agreement yet . Picard lifts his glass and says , on the contrary , they ' ve agreed to share in the brandy . As Yuta heads towards Chorgan , Riker beams into the conference room . A Gatherer reaches for his weapon and Riker fires his phaser quickly , knocking him down . Chorgan snarls that the Federation has laid a trap . Riker , however , orders Yuta to move away from Chorgan . Yuta acts innocent , but Riker accuses her of being with Penthor - Mul over 50 years ago . Chorgan wants to know how Riker knows of Penthor - Mul , but Riker tells him to hold still as his life is in extreme danger . Yuta , at the verge of tears , demands justice for the Tralestan massacre . She was one of the only five survivors of the assault , but she died and was reborn , with altered cell structure and slower aging to complete her vendetta against the Lornaks . Marouk realizes that Yuta used her to find the last of the Lornaks for her . Chorgan says she is a dead woman , but Yuta just smiles and says that once he is dead , her quest will be complete and what will happen to her doesn ' t matter . Riker tries to talk Yuta out of doing this : the clan wars are over , there is nothing to feud for any more . She looks guilt - ridden and teary , but lurches towards Chorgan . Riker fires his phaser , forcing Yuta to recoil in pain . Otherwise unaffected , she approaches again , but Riker fires a second shot at her , this time on a stronger setting . She clutches the spot where Riker shot her , watching in agony as she would fail in her vengeance for her clan . Riker sets his phaser to the maximum setting since he is unable to stun her and pleads with her by saying : " " Yuta , don ' t do this . " " After one last agonized glance at Riker , Yuta makes one last lunge toward Chorgan , forcing Riker to vaporize her . Picard looks grave at the decision Riker has been forced to make , while Marouk looks stricken at the death of her trusted servant and companion . Riker holsters his phaser and turns away from the table , and a shaken Chorgan gets up , and tells Riker he is indebted to him . Back in Ten Forward , Riker is at the bar , quietly moving his glass , thinking about the recent events . Picard enters , and takes a PADD from a crewman before approaching Riker . He informs him that their orders from Starfleet have changed . The rendezvous with the is postponed . Instead , they are to proceed to Starbase 343 to pick up medical supplies for the Alpha Leonis system . Picard reasons that this out - of - the - way mission is not crew - intensive , and tells Riker that some of the crew should take shore leave at the starbase . Riker merely replies that he ' ll tell the crewmen . Picard leaves Riker at the bar . Riker is obviously looking on with regret at what he had to do , but accepts it . Memorable quotes . " " Captain , I am detecting life readings from the planet surface , as well as several small areas of thermal radiation and carbon dioxide emissions , indicative of combustion . " " " " Campfires , Data . " " " " Is that not what I said ? " " " " You people haven ' t changed in a hundred years ! " " " " You should know ; you were there ! " " " " As . . . the Sovereign has no further need for my services this evening , she suggested I might spend some time with you . " " " " What a charming . . . " suggestion . " " " Yuta , you ' re an excellent chef but you speak in riddles . " " " " Fifty - three years . . . and she hasn ' t aged a day . " " " " You don ' t like me , do you ? " " " " I didn ' t say that ! " " " " No problem ! I have many friends who don ' t like me ! " " " " You ' re scowling , Doctor . " " " " I ' m thinking . " " " " Your ambushes would be more successful if you bathed more often ! " " Links and references . References . 2086 ; 2266 ; 2286 ; 2313 ; 2348 ; Acamar ; Acamar III ; Acamarian s ; Acamarian brandy ; Acamarian outpost ; Acamarian planetary database ; Acamarian Ruling Council ; Alpha Leonis system ; amnesty ; arterial occlusion ; Artonian laser ; asteroid belt ; autonomic nervous system ; autonomy ; barbarian ; blood feud ; campfire ; carbon dioxide ; clan ; class M planet ; combustion ; cook ; death record ; DNA ; Euclidean metrization ; farming ; Federation ; food taster ; fusion reactor ; Gamma Hromi II ; Gatherer ; ; heart attack ; homework ; Hromi Cluster ; image processor ; interpolated lepton scan ; kitchen ; kill setting ; lepton ; Lornak ; math ; medical tricorder ; microvirus ; negotiator ; ; noranium alloy ; number one ; Parthas ; Parthas a la Yuta ; photograph ; prosecutor ; raid ; recipe ; Regalian phaser rifle ; Riemannian tensor field ; servant ; shore leave ; Starbase 343 ; thermal radiation ; Tonkian homing beacon ; trade route ; Tralesta ; Tralesta Massacre ; water