Raferty Hawkins has few rules, but those rules he has, he insists upon. The Goldenes Tor and their temporary Orion Confederation allies violated the rules by attacking a pirate settlement and killing a couple of hundred women and children. A few of the offending ships were destroyed in subsequent battles but that hardly balances the ledger. An example must be made and Hawkins and the ships of Pirate Flotilla One are just the group to do that. Hawkins settles on an audacious plan to punish the Goths and OrCons while making a large profit in the process. He just needs a little help from his new best friends, the Aurora Empire. Help in the form of money, munitions, and one young Royal Navy officer with a talent for engine harmonics. Getting that support will set the plan in motion. A risky demonstration for the Zeke Home Fleet proves the plan can be done. Once he has the backing of his Zeke supporters, the strategy is put in motion. The operation will not be complete until a Goth squadron is destroyed, the most important Goth base in the quadrant is hammered, and a secret Orion installation finds out the hard way that it is not nearly as hidden as the OrCons believe. There is one powerful man who sees a different opportunity within the plan. The opportunity to train a Royal Navy officer in pirate operations so that officer can lead Aurora Empire forces back to the Badlands after the war is concluded. Good idea, but he chooses the wrong officer for the assignment. He also chooses the wrong people to attempt to fool. Hawkins, Tactical, Baby Doll, O'Hare, Legrand, and Delacruz are back and bent on revenge. Despite the vast distances, great risks, and potentially high costs, the plan must be carried out because, after all, payback is a given!