Responding to the Federation demand for the planet Kaùsan to become a member of the United Federation of Planets, Counselor Tõkor, his wife, Leanne, and their infant son travel to Vida-7 to negotiate the terms of the agreement. Unknown to them, a powerful consortium plans to use Federation membership to replace the native Kaùsan government and open the planet's lucrative mining operation to foreign control. Can the McGregors, with the help of three university students, Judge Advocate Craig Larson, and their outlawed nanomedical robots thwart their plans while simultaneously fighting a deadly virus?