09-12-2026, 11:53 PM
ez had been listening quietly as Beno discussed the possibility of producing mines of their own. The idea wasn't exactly new to her. In fact, she'd already been thinking along those lines.
"I might already have an idea, Captain."
Jez pulled up a few specifications on her PADD, bringing up a rough concept she'd been working through.
"Something small. Very small, actually. But powerful enough to make a Cardassian ship reconsider its career choices."
There was a hint of amusement in her expression.
"The trick would be the guidance system. Instead of relying on a proximity trigger, we could have the mine passively monitor for specific Cardassian warp signatures or transponder characteristics. If it identifies a matching signal, it locks onto it."
She looked toward Beno.
"That would give us a degree of selectivity. Federation vessels shouldn't trigger it, provided we build in the appropriate recognition safeguards."
Jez tapped the PADD again.
"I'd also want the system to verify the target through more than one characteristic before committing. Warp signature, transponder identification, and probably a couple of additional checks. If something doesn't match, the mine stays dormant."
She hesitated for a moment before adding:
"And before anyone asks, yes, I actually know how to build something like this."
Jez gave a small shrug.
"My parents were archaeologists. Controlled explosives were occasionally part of their work. When I was a teenager, I went through what Mike called my 'demolition phase.'"
A faint smile appeared.
"Mike taught me quite a bit about explosives. Mostly because he decided that if I was going to be interested in them, I was going to learn how to handle them properly."
She glanced down at the PADD.
"Looking back, that was probably the responsible decision."
Her expression became more serious as she considered the larger problem.
"I'd also like to coordinate with the Yeager's Chief of Security. If we're going to deploy these around both ships, we need our security procedures and identification systems working together. Their Chief may have information about Cardassian signatures or tactics that could improve the targeting parameters."
Jez paused, then added another thought.
"And we have extra Security personnel aboard. If Lieutenant Thorn's Damage Control teams are going to be working throughout the ship, I could have some of my people supplement them."
She looked toward Beno.
"Not as engineers, obviously. But as additional security during the repairs. Especially in areas where access needs to be controlled or where we're dealing with systems that could become vulnerable while the ship is being worked on."
Jez looked back at the preliminary mine specifications.
"That would let us divide the workload. I can have my people coordinate with Lieutenant Thorn's teams while I work with the Yeager's Security Chief and start developing the mine concept."
A small smile returned.
"It might also keep my people from wondering why their Chief is spending her time playing with explosives again."
She gave a slight shrug.
"Although, technically, this time it's for work."
== Tag Velaul and Thorn.==
"I might already have an idea, Captain."
Jez pulled up a few specifications on her PADD, bringing up a rough concept she'd been working through.
"Something small. Very small, actually. But powerful enough to make a Cardassian ship reconsider its career choices."
There was a hint of amusement in her expression.
"The trick would be the guidance system. Instead of relying on a proximity trigger, we could have the mine passively monitor for specific Cardassian warp signatures or transponder characteristics. If it identifies a matching signal, it locks onto it."
She looked toward Beno.
"That would give us a degree of selectivity. Federation vessels shouldn't trigger it, provided we build in the appropriate recognition safeguards."
Jez tapped the PADD again.
"I'd also want the system to verify the target through more than one characteristic before committing. Warp signature, transponder identification, and probably a couple of additional checks. If something doesn't match, the mine stays dormant."
She hesitated for a moment before adding:
"And before anyone asks, yes, I actually know how to build something like this."
Jez gave a small shrug.
"My parents were archaeologists. Controlled explosives were occasionally part of their work. When I was a teenager, I went through what Mike called my 'demolition phase.'"
A faint smile appeared.
"Mike taught me quite a bit about explosives. Mostly because he decided that if I was going to be interested in them, I was going to learn how to handle them properly."
She glanced down at the PADD.
"Looking back, that was probably the responsible decision."
Her expression became more serious as she considered the larger problem.
"I'd also like to coordinate with the Yeager's Chief of Security. If we're going to deploy these around both ships, we need our security procedures and identification systems working together. Their Chief may have information about Cardassian signatures or tactics that could improve the targeting parameters."
Jez paused, then added another thought.
"And we have extra Security personnel aboard. If Lieutenant Thorn's Damage Control teams are going to be working throughout the ship, I could have some of my people supplement them."
She looked toward Beno.
"Not as engineers, obviously. But as additional security during the repairs. Especially in areas where access needs to be controlled or where we're dealing with systems that could become vulnerable while the ship is being worked on."
Jez looked back at the preliminary mine specifications.
"That would let us divide the workload. I can have my people coordinate with Lieutenant Thorn's teams while I work with the Yeager's Security Chief and start developing the mine concept."
A small smile returned.
"It might also keep my people from wondering why their Chief is spending her time playing with explosives again."
She gave a slight shrug.
"Although, technically, this time it's for work."
== Tag Velaul and Thorn.==