The heat on the class-L planet of Eldor III pressed against the suited officers like a stormy fist built of sand. Temperatures had begun to retreat with the dipping sun. Long ochre rays of light stretched across the endless dunes. Four Starfleet crewmembers moved along a gritty beige slope with methodical steps. Shielded boots left dull impressions in the sand. White environmental suits trimmed in the colors of each person’s department protected them from the elements. Each bore the small Starfleet delta on the breast and a trailing nameplate along the left shoulder.

A projection from the map module in Kim Jung-soo’s wrist display hovered low towards the ground. The glimmering topographical overlay jittered slightly with every gust of wind. Ensign Kim, trimmed in Security gold, squinted against the filtered light of her helmet’s visor. Sharp black eyes peered from underneath the shaded material. She adjusted the display and muttered, “This place is nothing like where I’m from on the northern coast of the Korean continent. You could wade through waist-deep snow just trying to reach your neighbor in winter.” Her voice carried a trace of longing. Squinting eyes warmed from a sense of amusement. “I also miss my garden.”

Chief Petty Officer Lelasa released a throaty exhale of a laugh. The Saurian’s pale green complexion shimmered under her tinted faceplate. “Earth gardens would dry up in minutes here, sir”, Lelasa quipped. Her gravelly voice carried the same sass she showed to her enlisted friends. “Sauria has dry flats like this. At least there we’ve got long-rooted kel vines and oasis moss growing along underground aquifers. You might bake a little slower out there.”

Jung-soo glanced at a series of readouts on Lelasa’s suit. She noticed her cooling system was barely turned on. “Your suit’s internal temp must be cooking. Are you okay?”

“It’s not more than I can take,” Lelasa replied without checking. “I requested a more arid baseline calibration. You, on the other hand..”

“Mine is set near max cooling.” Kim’s voice was resigned. “The system has been running like a warp core since we stepped out.”

“That’s what you get when your species evolved around glaciers,” Lelasa said with a click of her pointed teeth.

Ensign Trell Dirov adjusted his grip on the inverted dome device he carried. The Bolian’s bright cobalt-blue skin stood out even beneath the visor’s reflection. He was sweating, though it was hard to tell how much was heat and how much was nerves. His fingers gripped two handles near the top of the dome as he slogged up the last dune before their survey point. The unit’s claw-like stabilizers clicked softly against its sides with each step. The device looked like a spiked acorn.

“I think we’re close,” Trell’s voice bounced with uncertainty. “Uh, the readout is syncing. Local density variance matches scans from the Cardinal and the surface.”

Ensign Kian Harol walked to his left. The operations officer had been silent. His blue eyes still appeared haunted and distant. An environmental suit trimmed in gold fit snugly over his wiry frame. Dirty blonde hair peeked from under the base of his helmet. Trill spots along his neck and temples shimmered faintly under the light.

Kian stopped and turned to look towards the horizon behind them. The compound of three prefabricated Starfleet structures glimmered in the far distance. They looked like silver teeth half-buried in the sand.

“We should try to wrap things up in an hour, maybe less,” he said flatly. “Surface temperature has already dropped to 97 degrees Fahrenheit. At nightfall, we’ll see the subzero temps. Local wind shears will be strong enough to knock a shuttle off course. If we’re not headed back by the time it hits 89 degrees…”

“…we could risk more adverse conditions,” Lt. JG Kim finished. She already had a timer counting down in her HUD. The mission had been scheduled within a five hour window. It avoided the highest heat of mid-day while focusing on the last few, coolest hours of the day.

They crested the last ridge and began working down the slope. The basin spread out into a cradle of sun-bleached grooves and indentations. This was where the te’dran rahl nested. The beetles from Vulcan had changed the landscape with their underground activity. They converted sterile silica and mineral-heavy dust into fertile substrate through unique biochemical processes. What little greenery the scientists had found was believed to be the result of years of te’dran rahl activity. Lelasa was convinced they had cultivated large underground chambers of semi-organic soil.

Kian moved forward. “Okay Ensign Dirov, deploy the survey probe.”

The Bolian nodded, then knelt carefully. Trell placed the rounded crest at the bottom of the dome into the ground. He pressed the central pad on the module’s flat top. The stabilizing claws extended with a low snap as they embedded themselves into the coarse, red-gold sand. With a mechanical hum, a small hatch on the dome’s center twisted open. From it extended a glittering, cordlike tritanium filament wrapped in Andorian diamonds. “I’m glad this thing works. I wouldn’t know how to fix something like this.” The cobalt ensign bit his tongue, hoping he hadn’t spoken too soon.

The drill’s thread extended downward rapidly. A humming noise pulsated as it penetrated the substrate. “It’s already twenty meters down,” Trell muttered. “Still feeding smoothly. Sixty. It’s rated for a thousand feet, though I doubt we’ll hit bedrock here before seven hundred or so.”

“Te’dran rahl colonies may go even deeper,” Lelasa added. She stepped forward and held her tricorder out. The device flashed as it synced its feed to the probe. Her wide, multi-faceted eyes narrowed as data began to scroll. “I’m reading movement below. Multiple strata. Layered pockets. This is a much larger colony than we saw from orbital scans. It’s also much more massive than anything the last few years of research have shown.”

Trell’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“I’m reading more than double what we anticipated.” Lelasa’s voice dropped into awe. “There’s an entire tertiary chamber at two hundred feet. I can see dense activity. Check out these interconnected tunnels and mineral-rich feed zones.”

The Bolian peered over the Saurian’s shoulder for a better view.

Kim tapped the commbadge insignia on her suited chest. “Kim to base. Security check-in, signal green. Comms clear. Beginning phase two of Survey Protocol Theta.”

A faint voice responded, “Affirmative.”

Kian stared silently. A gust of wind swelled around them and pelted each shielded body with fine sand. Microscopic pellets sprinkled abrasively against their visors.

Kim watched Kian, then spoke gently. “Are you thinking about Janoor III?”

“No.” He turned and blinked slowly. “I mean, maybe. I just don’t relax easily. Shore leave doesn’t fix much for people like me. I feel like travelling won’t make me happier. Work keeps me occupied.”

She nodded without pressing him. She knew he hadn’t been the same since his friend was lost while standing in his place.

The wind carried ruddy sand in long ribbons across the ground. Lelasa watched the readings, absorbed by the stream of information.

“Te’dran rahl are transforming this desert,” she said softly. “Right here, in front of our eyes. Give them time, space, and a bit of dust. They’ll make something that feeds life. Even these weather swings can’t stop them.” She glanced at Kian. “Some things just take longer to see to completion.”

For the first time all day, Kian looked up toward the sun. The light caught the high slope of his cheek and lit the pale blue in his eyes. “I bet these bugs will make things a lot easier if this planet ever picks up a terraforming contract.”

“We’ve got forty-two minutes before temperature starts to drop rapidly,” Kim said. “Let’s get every reading we can until then.”

They focused on their work as their shadows stretched across the barren landscape of Eldor III. Four long shapes were cast from the golden light of a distant sun. The USS Cardinal was lightyears away. Every officer, petty officer and crewman relied on each other for support.