The Soft Weapon

"The Soft Weapon" is a science fiction short story by the American writer Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe.

Nessus is returning from a diplomatic mission to the Outsiders, having purchased what is apparently a Thrint stasis box, on a passenger ship run by a human couple, Jason and Anne Marie Papandreou.

However, one setting, an energy absorber, causes a Kzinti restraint field to fail, allowing Jason and Nessus to escape with the weapon.

While free, Jason manages to discover a hidden setting for a matter-to-energy conversion beam, which is far more powerful than anything possessed by either human or Kzinti.

"The Slaver Weapon" script was in turn adapted by Alan Dean Foster as a chapter of the book Star Trek Log Ten.