| Meet the Marks | (Answer) |
| by Jay Lorch, Josh Benaloh, and Michelle Teague | |
| Answer: SISKO |
Each answer contains a substring that is the name of a single keyboard symbol. That symbol goes in the space with the number below it.
After filling in the answers, take the ASCII value for each symbol and add the number below it; this gives the ASCII value of a character in the final clue. Reading these characters in order in the style of the puzzle, you find the final clue is "Deep Space Nine Commander." Thus, the final answer is SISKO.
| elemental mixture | C O M # | POUND is ASCII 35 |
| +33 | 35 + 33 = 68 (D) | |
| tiny | - C U L E | MINUS is ASCII 45 |
| +24 | 45 + 24 = 69 (E) | |
| puzzled | N O N + S E D | PLUS is ASCII 43 |
| +26 | 43 + 26 = 69 (E) | |
| settler | : I S T | COLON is ASCII 58 |
| +22 | 58 + 22 = 80 (P) | |
| a condiment | M U * D | STAR is ASCII 42 |
| -10 | 42 - 10 = 32 (SPACE) | |
| nurse | ^ A K E R | CARET is ASCII 94 |
| -37 | 94 - 37 = 57 (NINE) | |
| magazine | . I C A L | PERIOD is ASCII 46 |
| -2 | 46 - 2 = 44 (COMMA) | |
| Blackbeard, for example | P I R @ E | AT is ASCII 64 |
| +14 | 64 + 14 = 78 (N) | |
| wicked light source | C & L E | AND is ASCII 38 |
| +30 | 38 + 30 = 68 (D) | |
| violent movie genre | / E R | SLASH is ASCII 47 |
| +22 | 47 + 22 = 69 (E) | |
| Hayes's opponent | ~ N | TILDE is ASCII 126 |
| -44 | 126 - 44 = 82 (R) |