Disclaimer - this is the fix for my specific issue. Please read fully before taking any of these actions.
In the heat of a gaming session I smashed my Model D into this table VERY hard over and over. It was a point of weakness and I’m far too old to get mad at a game like that. Nevertheless, my D held up like a champ but the mouse tracking across the screen was inconsistent and I thought I had finally killed my D. I decided to take it apart and see if I could find what was wrong. For this walk through let’s call the wire of the mouse North. I unplugged my mouse and flipped it over to inspect the laser. Nothing seemed wrong so I took it apart. On the bottom South of the mouse, remove the two skates (careful not to crease) and remove the screws holding it together. These are the only screws keeping the shell together. CAREFUL WITH RIBBON CABLES. Gently slide the top portion North and ease the two pieces apart and do not apply stress to the ribbon cables. You can see the board of the mouse at this point. On the left and right of the board right next to where the ribbon cables plug in, there are two plastic stand offs that should be hooked on top of the board. Imagine hanging from a ledge with just your finger tips. These had popped loose so the laser was not the correct distance from my mouse to register consistently. I realized this was the problem when I would get good tracking when pushing down hard on my mouse. Gently correct the position on those stand offs. The skates go back on OK but will hold a crease if you pry them up wrong. Reassemble and get back to gaming. Thanks