“You’re kidding, right?” asked Willow Beckman as she sat amongst the senior staff of the USS Republic. “It can do that?”

Matt Lake was standing at one end of the conference table, the screen beside him on the wall looping through an animation he’d procured on the subject of the briefing he’d just given. The animation hadn’t been updated since its original and felt dated; which was fair given it was from the original Project Genesis team.

“Wish I was,” Matt answered. “Planetary terraforming in a matter of minutes with absolutely no regard for what was there beforehand.”

“The ploughshare beaten into a sword,” Mac mumbled from his seat. He’d only moved his seat away from the head of the table in order to let others watch Matt’s briefing unimpeded, and now he resumed his place after waving Matt back to his seat. “To work on such a device, to have such high hopes for rapid terraforming, for making ideal worlds, only to have it locked up and halted because the Klingons cried foul about the Federation making weapons of mass destruction.”

“In the wrong hands,” Matt said, with a shrug as he sat down, “it certainly is.”

“And we’re certain that this Genesis device has fallen into the hands of the Last Pirate King?” Selu Levne asked quietly, speaking up for the first time during the entire briefing.

“Not yet, but soon,” Sidda answered. “Recently acquired intelligence indicates that sometime in the next week the Last Pirate King is going to be meeting members of the Orion Syndicate somewhere in the Archanis Sector to conduct a trade, with the goal of acquiring a Genesis Device that the Syndicate has gained possession of after the security breaches at the Daystrom Institute.”

“How recent?” Mac asked.

“I got the information just before coming in here.”

“And still no idea on where this pirate king fellow is hiding?” Mac asked, both Sidda and Selu shaking their heads.

“Right, then we proceed with Mousetrap.” Mac turned his attention to Evan Malcolm, whose brow seemed permanently furrowed at the moment. “How are we looking in that regard?”

“I’ve spoken with the local dock authorities and they’ve found us an old automated freighter that might just do the trick.” Evan drew in a deep breath, then exhaled through his nose as he shook his head. “It’s still not a good idea. These freighters are meant for nice safe routes, not for baiting pirates.”

“As I said when we met earlier, if you can come up with a better idea, Evan, I’m willing to hear it. Until then, make it work.” Mac turned to Cat, who was seated opposite Willow at the table, both women doing a passable impression of not acknowledging each other at the moment. “Congratulations Lieutenant, the Night Witches are going pirate hunting. Your people are going to want to work with Commander Malcolm’s to get Mousetrap working.”

“Uh, what’s Mousetrap?” Cat asked.

“We’re gutting a freighter, fitting it with blowout panels, shoving your fighters into it and then goading pirates into attacking it so you can shoot at them and hopefully leave some alive to interrogate,” Evan answered.

“Sweet,” Cat answered enthusiastically. “A Q-ship. And if it leaks afterwards, maybe get some short-term advantage of pirates thinking twice before going after local shipping.”

“Told you she’d like it,” Sidda said to Mac. “We’ll also have the Paralus in case we need to abandon ship.”

“We, ma’am?”

“Only fair if I come up with the dangerous, crazy scheme, I should see it through.” Sidda’s grin wasn’t aimed at Cat for reassurance but at Evan, who sighed in response. “I’ll fill out the rest of the away team once we know how many we can bring with us on the freighter, but your pilots will probably have to operate without your support people.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Cat answered. “Should be fun.”

“You’ll want a medic with you,” Blake said from her seat. “If not a doctor. Want some company?”

Mac cleared his throat. “I’m not sending my XO, chief engineer and chief medical officers away on the same pirate hunting expedition.”

“Excuse me?” Evan asked immediately.

“You heard me,” Mac answered. “By the time you finish modifying the freighter, you’ll be the most familiar engineer. You can accompany Commander Sadovu on her fishing trip, or you can personally oversee the modifications to the Hysperian ship that were promised.” Mac stared down Evan, then smiled as the engineer nodded in understanding and surrendered his point. “Excellent. So, yes, sorry Doctor, but I think I don’t want to risk sending along a large chunk of my senior staff on a single mission.”

Blake didn’t seem phased by Mac’s decision, rolling her head to one side and gently shrugging. “I’ll find a corpsman to go with you then, Sidda.”

“Appreciated,” Sidda responded.

There was a chime from the door that led to the bridge, followed by the door hissing open and a flustered ensign stepping in. “Pardon, Captain, but there’s a bit of a developing situation.”

“What is it, Ensign Parks?”

“Uh, well, sir, the Hysperians are sending a shuttle over.”

“I didn’t invite them over,” Mac said, looking to his senior staff, who all shook their heads at the unspoken question.

“Well, sir, they sort of invited themselves,” Ensign Parks answered. “I tried to dissuade them, but the officer I was speaking to wouldn’t listen, just told me the Viscount was on his way over, then cut communications. And they won’t answer hails either.”

“Invited themselves,” Mac repeated. “Of course they did.”

“Oh, this I have to see,” Sidda said. “Thank you, Ensign Parks. I doubt even we could have stopped them. Send landing vectors to their shuttle, if they’ll listen, and have the bay crews prepare for…a circus.”

“A circus ma’am?”

“Tell them to prepare for an admiral’s visit,” Mac said. “Right, I better head down to the main shuttle bay and receive visitors. Commander, you’re with me, the rest of you are dismissed.”