Stardate not given: Nick Locarno has gathered a fleet by bribing discontent crew members on various alien ships. He broadcasts a message to the Alpha Quadrant, in which he calls for all lower deckers to mutiny and join his independent Nova Fleet, whose headquarters in the Detrion system is protected by the impenetrable Trynar shield. Locarno also boasts a Ferengi Genesis device as an "insurance". Mariner, however, does not support his cause, grabs the Genesis device and runs to a docked Steamrunner-class ship. Locarno's allies insist on pursuing her. In the meantime, D'Vana Tendi has an idea how to help Mariner, although this would be against Freeman's direct orders to stand down. The Cerritos arrives at Orion where the lieutenant hopes to receive help from her sister D'Erika in the form of a warship. When D'Erika refuses, D'Vana calls for "barter by combat". She surprisingly nominates Dr. Migleemo to fight for the Cerritos, knowing that the big and strong Orion opponent B'eth is allergic to bird feathers. But when B'eth collapses, Dr. Migleemo gets buried beneath her and loses the fight. D'Erika demands the Cerritos as a prize. D'Vana, however, offers something more tempting and promises to return to Orion. Freeman gets the warship she wanted, but it is a wreck. Inside the Trynar shield, Mariner manages to evade the enemy ships for some time. But then she gets surrounded. Her last resort is a hazardous nebula. After his allies refuse to follow her, Locarno enters the anomaly alone. He eventually beams over to Mariner's ship, only to find that she has activated the Genesis device. The Cerritos under Boimler as acting captain uses the huge Orion ship as a battering ram to break through the shield and keep it open long enough for the captain's yacht commanded by Freeman to slip through. Mariner can be rescued, but Locarno stays behind, tries in vain to deactivate the device and dies in the explosion, which creates a planet from the matter of the nebula. Charges against Freeman for disobeying her direct orders are dropped because she managed to establish diplomatic talks with the Orions. Yet, for Tendi this means she has to return to her people...

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