10-08-2026, 02:03 AM
Sebastian kept one hand on the edge of his console as another vibration passed through the deck. The primary sensor display remained unreliable, but the telemetry coming through the surviving probe feeds was still usable. There was not enough information for a complete tactical picture, but the differences between the individual feeds were beginning to reveal something about how the Cardassians were fighting.
He brought the separate probe feeds onto his secondary display and compared them side by side.
"Lieutenant Ra'an, I think you're right about the probes trailing us being too predictable." Sebastian watched the three Hideki contacts shift across the remaining sensor data. "They're already matching our turns when they can, so if we give them a predictable sensor pattern, they'll probably use it to anticipate where we're going."
He highlighted the probe positions relative to the Zephyr's projected flight path.
"Would it help if we spread the probes laterally instead? That would give us observations from different angles while Krandall keeps them moving. We might be able to see which of the Hidekis is actually committing to a turn and which one is simply maintaining formation."
Sebastian brought up another set of readings.
"It could also help with the acceleration difference we're seeing. They can stay with us through the turns, but they aren't matching the Zephyr's straight-line acceleration as well. If we can maintain sensor coverage outside our immediate flight path, we might be able to see when they're forced to break formation to keep up."
His attention shifted toward Lieutenant Jukish.
"Lieutenant Jukish, I have a possible way we might get a little more information out of the probes. If we stagger their emission frequencies rather than having all of them operate in the same band, we could compare how the Cardassian interference affects each one."
Sebastian brought up a simple model of the three probe signals.
"Essentially, we'd be giving the countermeasures three slightly different problems to solve. If the interference follows all three equally, we're probably dealing with broad-spectrum suppression. If it follows only one or two, we may be able to identify what characteristics they're using to prioritize their jamming."
He looked directly toward Jukish.
"What do you think? Would the probes tolerate that kind of frequency separation without compromising their ability to share data? If they can, I could correlate the three telemetry streams and see whether there's a pattern."
Sebastian returned his attention to the Hideki contacts.
"And if we can establish that pattern, Lieutenant Ra'an, it might give you a cleaner sensor picture during the next maneuver. Even a few seconds of reliable tracking could make a difference when they're trying to stay just outside our phaser arcs."
He checked the environmental controls. Life support remained stable.
"Everything on the environmental side is holding, so I can keep working the telemetry from here. I'll correlate the probe positions, interference levels, and the Hidekis' movements. If either of you sees something that doesn't fit, let me know. Having the science and probe data cross-checked in real time may be our best chance of figuring out what they're doing."
Another burst of static crawled across the primary sensor display.
Sebastian watched the three faint contacts reappear through the interference.
"They're showing us how they want to fight this battle. If we can figure out what their sensors are telling them, maybe we can find the part of the fight they're not seeing."
== Tag Ra'an and Keti.==
He brought the separate probe feeds onto his secondary display and compared them side by side.
"Lieutenant Ra'an, I think you're right about the probes trailing us being too predictable." Sebastian watched the three Hideki contacts shift across the remaining sensor data. "They're already matching our turns when they can, so if we give them a predictable sensor pattern, they'll probably use it to anticipate where we're going."
He highlighted the probe positions relative to the Zephyr's projected flight path.
"Would it help if we spread the probes laterally instead? That would give us observations from different angles while Krandall keeps them moving. We might be able to see which of the Hidekis is actually committing to a turn and which one is simply maintaining formation."
Sebastian brought up another set of readings.
"It could also help with the acceleration difference we're seeing. They can stay with us through the turns, but they aren't matching the Zephyr's straight-line acceleration as well. If we can maintain sensor coverage outside our immediate flight path, we might be able to see when they're forced to break formation to keep up."
His attention shifted toward Lieutenant Jukish.
"Lieutenant Jukish, I have a possible way we might get a little more information out of the probes. If we stagger their emission frequencies rather than having all of them operate in the same band, we could compare how the Cardassian interference affects each one."
Sebastian brought up a simple model of the three probe signals.
"Essentially, we'd be giving the countermeasures three slightly different problems to solve. If the interference follows all three equally, we're probably dealing with broad-spectrum suppression. If it follows only one or two, we may be able to identify what characteristics they're using to prioritize their jamming."
He looked directly toward Jukish.
"What do you think? Would the probes tolerate that kind of frequency separation without compromising their ability to share data? If they can, I could correlate the three telemetry streams and see whether there's a pattern."
Sebastian returned his attention to the Hideki contacts.
"And if we can establish that pattern, Lieutenant Ra'an, it might give you a cleaner sensor picture during the next maneuver. Even a few seconds of reliable tracking could make a difference when they're trying to stay just outside our phaser arcs."
He checked the environmental controls. Life support remained stable.
"Everything on the environmental side is holding, so I can keep working the telemetry from here. I'll correlate the probe positions, interference levels, and the Hidekis' movements. If either of you sees something that doesn't fit, let me know. Having the science and probe data cross-checked in real time may be our best chance of figuring out what they're doing."
Another burst of static crawled across the primary sensor display.
Sebastian watched the three faint contacts reappear through the interference.
"They're showing us how they want to fight this battle. If we can figure out what their sensors are telling them, maybe we can find the part of the fight they're not seeing."
== Tag Ra'an and Keti.==