Mine! Mine! Mine!

[Mreh K'hal 0]

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<div class="title">Mine! Mine! Mine!</div>

<div class="author">Lt. J.G. Mreh K'hal</div>

 

<div class="para">Mreh was reminded of one of the old Terran movies that he'd seen at a film festival in San Fransisco in his Academy days. In a movie full of talking animals, a certain species of bird could only say "mine." A full flock of them caused a nearly intolerable cacophony of the word. The crew of the Excalibur were facing a similar situation: wherever Mreh looked on his scans, it was "mine mine mine mine mine mine mine..."</div>

<div class="para">Unfortunately for the crew, the cacophony caused by these mines would prove fatal if they decided to go through that flock once again. Mreh had listened to theories and strategems thrown around the bridge, one of his own included, until his ears had begun to droop. None of the ones he heard brought any desire to leap for joy; either one was too dangerous or too implausible to seem like it would help them much.</div>

<div class="para">The Excalibur couldn't fly into the minefield without disabling the mines. Fighters could fly in, but would get stuck farther in, and didn't have sufficient holding power without their mothership nearby. The jamming made it difficult to isolate targets; the targets weren't yet identified as to their method of action or their means of propulsion; the nebula concealed something that could itself be dangerous. Any which way the Caitian sliced it, it was a real downer.</div>

<div class="para">All of this to rescue fighter pilots that may or may not be stuck in said nebula. Mreh thought this the worst part. The upcoming danger and toil of the Excalibur crew for an uncertain goal. So instead of worrying about the mines, where the tactical, engineering and astrophysics types would be on much more solid footing, Mreh decided to see if he could at least discover whether their efforts would be worthwhile.</div>

<div class="para">Pulling up the specs from the different fighters in the lost group, Mreh began to study their communications and sensor packages. For every frequency of RF or subspace that any of the fighters could receive, he earmarked it for later consideration. So too every particle or spatial energy. After completing this, he began a study of the jamming frequencies, looking for one weakness in the disruption that could be exploited.</div>

<div class="para">If he could find one, and that remained a big if, perhaps they could determine whether there were any pilots left to rescue and therefore whether or not to put the Excalibur crew in danger. That would take a while, and he steeled himself for having to settle for a sore tail and a nutrition bar instead of a relaxing drink in the lounge. Setting into his console like a pianist preparing for a Chopin piece, Mreh got to work.</div>

 

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