Episode premise:
Kivas Fajo is determined to add the unique Data to his prized collection of one-of-a-kind artefacts and, staging Data’s apparent death, he imprisons him aboard his ship.
We know that Data is later logically coerced to lie in “Clues” to protect the crew, but this appears to be a decision all his own. Or did he not in fact actually fire the weapon?
Data: “Perhaps something occurred during transport, Commander”
Riker: “Like what?”
Data: “Like I tried to shoot the motherfucker but you beamed me away too quick.”
O’brien: “Bitches be crazy…”
“Deactivating it” meant he stored it in another pattern buffer for future use. Could always add it to a troublesome person’s transporter beam…