The Soft Weapon
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The Soft Weapon is a short story by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe. It is famous for being the basis of the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode, The Slaver Weapon. The original idea for the episode later became The Borderland of Sol.
The story introduces the character of Nessus, who later became one of the main characters of Ringworld. In it, Nessus is returning from a diplomatic mission to the Outsiders on a passenger ship run by a Human couple. They stop at Beta Lyrae and discover a Thrint stasis box. However, it is a trap by Kzinti pirates, who use the occasion to capture the crew as part of their quest to discover technologies that will allow them to launch a new Man-Kzin War.
