Schemes may unfold in one’s mind in an instant, and be communicated in a few minutes. But when such schemes involve the rearrangement of the heavens, some time is required. What if you could warp spacetime in the laboratory, experiment with quantum gravity, and convert mass into energy with unprecedented efficiency? That’s what you could do if you made a micro-black hole. But it won’t come cheaply; you need mass and energy from four star systems, coordinated over light years and decades. You have to overcome fear mongers and the politicians who feed on them every step of the way. And if you’re Dr. Hilda Kremer, you find you’ll fight anyone, even your own father, to make it happen.