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“Most recently, Captain Sulu, in command of the Excelsior, returned from a mission to Organia. Unfortunately, the Organians have refused our appeals for them to intervene in the conflict. It would seem that, although they will energetically maintain the peace in their own territory, ultimately they believe the costs of war should compel the Klingons and us to abide by the terms of the treaty in our respective domains.”

T’Pragh spoke up. “All our projections consistently show a protracted conflict with no means of imminent resolution. Unless the variables are altered with a radical change in tactics, the number of casualties will only increase over the next decade, with less than twenty-eight percent chance of victory.”

“So then,” West said. “A radical change it shall be, indeed. The plans for Operation Olympius are nearly finalized. I have no doubt this will be the turning point we’re all waiting for.”

David, looking as lost and confused as ever, finally gathered the courage to raise his hand and pose a question. “I’m sorry, please forgive me, but…what’s Operation Olympius?”

Admiral West faced him with a self-assured cock of his head. “Son, it’s going to be an all-out invasion. We’re going to do precisely what those Klingon sons o’ bitches least expect. We’re going to take Qo’noS.”

David sat back, wide-eyed, and whistled softly. “Wow,” he said.

“This cannot be a decision made lightly,” Thelin counseled. “On Earth, they had an expression about 'putting all of one’s eggs into one basket.’ Should we proceed with this mission, the expected casualties would almost certainly be in the millions-both Federation and Klingon ground forces, as well as Klingon civilians. Dozens of Starfleet ships could be lost. And there is no guarantee that the Klingons will surrender. If they do not, retreat is not an option. We cannot recover militarily should we fail.”

“And that’s why we won’t fail, my friend,” West replied. “It’s a blitzkrieg strategy. They’re going down, and that’s all there is to it.”

“I don’t know,” David said. “It sounds like an awful lot of destruction just to claim one planet.”

West focused upon him with a glare that might possibly have had a stun setting. “Excuse me, son, but in case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a war going on here. And there’s no prize more symbolic than the Klingon homeworld. You want to end this thing, this is our only option.”

“Not our only option, Admiral,” Ra-ghoratreii said. The president sighed softly, and folded his hands before him. “Patrick…Thelin…I apologize for not seeking your involvement with this prior to today, but several months ago, the Regula One spacelab was appropriated for military use, under the direction of Admiral T’Pragh.”

All eyes turned toward the Vulcan woman. “Indeed,” she said. “After months of careful deliberation, we believe that the Genesis technology, originally developed in part by Doctor Marcus, may be of strategic value.” She turned toward David. “Your function here, Doctor, is to assist us with any matters of a technical nature.”

David’s face reflected a mixture of both puzzlement and anxiety. “Well…thank you, I mean…I’m happy to help in any way I can, but…are you proposing to deploy the Genesis effect on a planetary scale?”

“Correct,” she replied.

“Then I’m a little confused,” David said. “I mean, we tested that technology five years ago, and it failed miserably. The protomatter in the matrix caused the Genesis planet to destroy itself.”

“No, Doctor,” T’Pragh corrected him. “In fact, the first test of the Genesis effect on a true planetoid was carried out just over a month ago, in the Terra Nova sector. The protomatter effectively decayed into standard elements, and the planetoid is now entirely stable and quite fertile.”

“But then, what…?”

“The detonation in the Mutara sector five years ago simply formed a planetoid from the gases and particles in the nebula. Our analysis of the data following the planet’s self-destruction has led us to conclude that the matter in the nebula was of insufficient mass to form a stable