During the early days of the 22nd century, human space combat was dominated by nuclear shaped charges, also known as Casaba Howitzers, which used a nuclear explosion to create and propel large waves or thin lances of plasma at their targets. As the 2130s came around, Fighter interception of munitions became more common and better point defense lasers arose, leading to missiles in general and the Casaba Howitzers in particular to fall from their place as premier space combat weapon, replaced by the Fighter and heavy railgun (a fall further cemented by kinetic barrier making Casaba Howitzers lose much of their edge over normal nukes and the disruptor torpedo taking its place as the main warhead in space combat).

However, the massive stockpiles of such weapons and the extensive manufacturing infrastructure existing for them beget the need for a new role for them, lest all of the money put into both be wasted.

This new role was as the Flack Mine, an anti Fighter and missile weapon of great usefulness. Consisting of a wide-burst Casaba Howitzers housed in a stealthy mine shell, the Flack Mine sends a wave of plasma at the target, the large firing arc of the wave ensuring that the chances the target can escape is minimal, and even allowing multiple targets to be hit if they are close together. While the Flack Mine may not be fatal outside of close range, it can still damage items on the exterior of the target like sensors, thrusters, and hear management systems, wounding a target, either forcing it to turn back for repairs, or become an easy target for other defenses.

While the advent of the kinetic barrier has lowered the effectiveness of the Flack Mine, forcing it to first break through the barrier before being able to do even the slightest damage, which limits its effective range greatly, the Flack Mine is still a valuable tool in the arsenal of any Admiral.