Rivers cut through the rocky terrain of Khamor IV in long, winding arcs. Their waters were crystal clear enough to reveal mineral veins embedded along the stony riverbed. Seven-foot conifer bushes rose in dense clusters along the banks. Their thick, needle-heavy limbs angled upward like spears caught frozen mid-thrust. The plants grew roots strong enough to grow through fractured stone rather than soil. Their roots threaded deep into mineral seams and sometimes pulled valuable resources in through their extensive tendril fibers. Wind whispered through their swaying shapes in low tones that carried across the valley floor like distant voices.

Angular Klingon huts stood along a natural rise above the waterline. They were built from the conifers’ pale, resin-rich wood. Bush trunks were cut into pointed planks and reinforced with dark metal brackets. Klingon glyphs were etched deep into every exterior beam. Some symbols marked ownership. Others told stories of old victories or even carried threatening warnings. Smoke drifted outside from narrow vents along the roofs. The scent of resin, heated stone, and cooked meat hung heavy in the air.

Rectangular industrial drones of Akaru design held aerial positions in precise lines that cut across swaths of pulverized minerals already exposed by Klingon strip mining.

The boxy machines looked inelegant at first glance. They were built with thick frames only slightly smaller than a Type-9 shuttlecraft. Reinforced corners folded over the edges of two wings that branched off from a central section of stacked squares and an underslung collection funnel. The machines’ broad undersides were fitted with emitter arrays and sensor clusters. Each drone hovered over a narrow strip of disruptor-pulverized stone or skimmed inches above the fast-flowing rivers that both spread across the rugged landscape. Their long and straight bodies were reminiscent of ancient-Earth sluice boxes that shifted paydirt into ore. Pale dust lay scattered along the trenches.

Akaru engineers stood several meters away from the hovering figures. They studied their flight paths and monitored their operation on slim tablets.

The Shackelton Expanse locals were built tall with robust, muscular figures. They featured wide-set eyes that reflected light in soft gold, green and gray hues. Their ears curved upward in long, elegant arcs that bent back toward their skulls more than the pointy ears of Vulcans and Romulans. Bronze to golden-brown skin tones caught the harsh planet’s asteroid-speckled daylight warmly. Hair ranged from dusty brown to honey blond, with texture often close to straw. Many Akaru men and women wore it long and braided close to the head or tied back in functional knots.

Varesh, the lead Akaru engineer, stepped forward. His robes were layered with flexible amber plates that shimmered faintly as he moved. He lifted one long-fingered hand toward the hovering drones.

“Welcome to sonic threshing, ladies and gentlemen” Varesh said calmly. “You Klingons strip the land. We gently persuade it to release what lies beneath.”

Melvar stood with arms crossed, thick brow ridges lowered in skepticism. His dark eyes tracked the drones with barely concealed irritation. The Klingon la’ furrowed his brows in a way that made his facial features appear even more ridged. Sub-Commander Nirrot stood opposite of him alongside a small team of Romulan observers. Her posture was rigid. Her steely-eyed gaze was sharp and unblinking.

Commander Marlon Smythe watched from a few paces back. He kept his stance relaxed but alert. His posture and attitude were full of his normal military bearing. Counselor Ikastrul Zaa stood beside him, hands clasped into fists and held on each of her hips. Lieutenant Commander Moon Ji-hee crouched near one of the trenches. Her purple hair was cut into a sharp bob that brushed along her the edges of her jawline as she looked up to the equipment.

A low hum rolled across the clearing as one of the drones approached a nearby cut of exposed mineral veins.

Bands of invisible pressure rippled downward into the dirt runs. The sound did not roar. It resonated. A deep, layered vibration pressed through the ground as it vibrated the bones of each onlooker along with the planet’s surface. Dust lifted gently. Fine material was not thrown, but coaxed upward into a tugging glide. Within seconds, glittering flecks rose from the soil and slid along the trench as if guided by unseen currents.

Gold shimmered first. Then dull indigo specks of dilithium were sucked through the funnel. The crystalline flecks caught light in sharp prismatic flashes that danced as they sparkled.

These drones seemed to pull material almost effortlessly through the use of sonic waves. The Klingons had been using specially calibrated disruptor blasts and micro-torpedos to fracture the stone, before using excavator shuttles to cut through and sift the ore.

Melvar’s jaw tightened as the Akaru drones showed up old tried and true Klingon methods.

The drones adjusted the pitch with their rumble increasing as the vibrations shifted. Stones heavier than the target materials settled back into place untouched. The ground shifted slightly under each person’s feet. Walls of a trench sat under the left half of the drone as it passed overhead. The walls remained intact despite the overwhelming rumble. No collapse followed, nor was the stone scorched. No shattered strata were left in the wake of the Akaru machinery.

Varesh turned slightly. “We tune harvest frequency by material density,” he said. “Extraction lattice response is driven by the harmonic signature of each target material. The land tells us what it holds. We listen.”

Lt. Cmdr. Moon rose to her feet. “Your emitters adjust in real time,” she said. “My tricorder shows a feedback loop based on resistance and resonance.” She glanced at the nearest drone. “Elegant design. Though I wouldn’t exactly call it beautiful.”

One of the Klingon engineers scoffed. “You insult Akaru craft.”

Moon shot him a look. “I insult nothing. I compliment function. I criticize housing. Klingons respect honesty, yes?”

The tan, ridged KDF engineer grunted but said nothing further.

Nirrot stepped forward. Dust caked the Romulan’s black and silver uniform as she walked towards the Akaru. “And relics?” she asked Varesh. “You claim these methods avoid buried structures.”

Varesh nodded. “Relics sing differently. Their density is much more complex than that of simple ore. Their harmonic profile resists our frequencies. The drones adjust away from them. They stand out like a comet’s tail at night when it reflects the light of three suns.”

Melvar snorted. “Songs and whispers, Akaru man.”

Varesh met his gaze without flinching. “Your energy drills torture the landscape,” he replied. “They wake the ancients that favor sleep.”

The air felt thick with tension between the Klingons, Romulans and Akaru.

Nirrot took another step closer to Melvar. “Do you hear that, Klingon?” she said coolly. “Even the Akaru notice how loudly you blunder.” The pair had been bickering back and forth throughout the demonstration.

Melvar leaned down towards the diminutive lady, teeth bared in a sharp grin. “Careful, Romulan. Your tongue cuts above your height.”

“Try me,” Nirrot replied. “Your tactics betray fear. You drill because you lack patience.”

A murmur rippled through the Klingon onlookers.

Melvar hissed. “I carve worlds to give my people a better chance at survival.”

Nirrot’s eyes burned. “You scar them because you refuse to learn.”

They stood inches apart. “We are learning now”, Melvar snorted aggressively.

Smythe shifted his weight. “Counselor,” he said quietly. “Fix this.”

Zaa touched his arm lightly. “Let this unfold,” she replied. There was a look of warmth behind her gaze as if she sensed something between the pair.

Melvar’s hand clenched into a fist. Nirrot lifted her chin in challenge. For a heartbeat, violence seemed inevitable.

Then Melvar laughed.

It burst from him sharp and sudden. He leaned closer, breath warm against Nirrot’s cheek. “You argue like a warrior.”

Nirrot’s lips curved. “You sure posture like one.” Their eyes locked.

The 5’3 Romulan woman leaned up to grab the back of Melvar’s head and tugged him down to her. Her square, thin lips pressed against his in a sudden, tugging kiss. Melvar passionately fell to her advances, lips locking with hers to open and close with kiss after kiss.

The reaction rippled outward like a shockwave. Klingons barked calls of surprise. Romulans stiffened in visible shock. Nirrot froze for half a second before she grabbed Melvar by the collar and pulled him closer.

When they broke apart, her eyes flashed. “Do not mistake this,” she said quietly. “I still disagree with you.”

Melvar’s grin widened. “Good.”

Varesh cleared his throat. The Akaru was focused on nothing but his work.

He gestured toward another Akaru technician, who carried a coiled bundle of shimmering fibers. They unfurled across the ground like metallic vines. Each strand pulsed faintly with internal light.

“This is harmonic fiber,” Varesh explained. “We seed it into rock faces. It emits guided sonic pulses. The pulses loosen target materials at the molecular boundary. The fibers absorb them.”

Moon crouched again, eyes alight. “Selective extraction without fracturing the host stone,” she said. “You could harvest deep veins without collapsing the surroundings.”

“Yes,” Varesh replied. “The fibers avoid areas flagged as sensitive. Relics. Faults. Living substrates. Our sonic sensors can see deep under the surface below.”

A Klingon miner scowled. “These strands look weak.”

Moon straightened. “Those fibers outperform your phaser drills by efficiency ratio alone. Also, it does not shatter the crust and destabilize half a system.”

Melvar opened his mouth.

Commander Smythe tapped his commbadge and spoke. “Captain Raku,” he said into his commbadge. “You should see this.”

Raku’s voice answered a moment later, steady and thoughtful. “We see the feed on the viewscreen up here. Keep up the great work XO.”

K’Vel watched silently as the fibers sank into stone and began their work. Within minutes, they retracted heavy with harvested material. The rock face remained smooth, intact and almost untouched.

“This method scales collection with manageable collections,” Varesh said. “You may harvest for decades without collapse.”

K’Vel nodded slowly. “You ask us to change everything we know for technology we do not yet trust.”

Varesh inclined his head. “We ask you to endure and adapt for the sake of several star systems.”

Silence followed.

Wind passed through the conifers. Rivers murmured along stone.

Finally, K’Vel spoke. “We will test and potentially implement these methods,” he said. “We will not completely abandon our ways. But we will give your equipment an earnest chance. Perhaps your methods will prove their efficacy.”

Nirrot glanced at Melvar. “Slow progress,” she said almost teasingly dryly.

Melvar huffed. “Do not grow smug.”

She smiled in spite of his attitude.

Above them, the closest drone drifted higher as it moved to new grounds. The land rested unscarred beneath its flying shadow.