That is an excellent question.  However, the majority seemed eager to hit the pirates ASAP... Which pretty much meant going relatively straight for it... (with the minor tactical stipulation of scouting a wide avenue up to it, in order to prevent ambushes.)<br/><br/>Scanning the rest of the nebula first is a rather attractive prospect for a number of reasons, however.  If we go straight for the pirate base, any pirate scouts or frigates not already there will probably escape.  If we scan the whole nebula first, we're almost certain to run into a bad guy or two and cross them off our to do list.  A couple warmup fights before the main event wouldn't hurt us much either... and if we are lucky, we'll eliminate some of the pirate base's reinforcements in the process.<br/><br/>On the other hand... if our info is correct, the pirates are trying to get ready for us, and if we are NOT lucky, we will scan the rest of the nebula without spotting any opposition and instead give the pirates that much more time to reinforce their wayfarer station.<br/><br/>So it's a bit of a coin toss, really.  I think scouting the nebula first is smarter, personally.  It's the option that will have the highest chance of blowing up the largest number of pirates... and if we do get to the pirate base and discover it is too tough a nut to crack, we can double our firepower with a single astropathic message to Commodore Aquairre.<br/><br/>Just my two cents.  Either way, the scouting formation I suggested will help us a lot.  (if we do scout the whole nebula, remember that we'll be able to get that done almost 3 times as quickly as the Alexander could do alone... so that's a factor as well.<br/><br/>Oh, the only reason I dare using such a risky formation is because the Alexander and Kobras Aquairre are very, very good in a scouting role.  Better than any pirate they'll meet, I'd wager.  (And I am wagering... With your lives)