The suns were just poking over the horizon setting the sky in a blaze of blues, pinks, oranges, and yellows.  The sparse desert was still bathed in shadows in the pre-dawn hour. 

As hot as it was in the day, it was just as cold at night, and Torin’s breath came out in puffs of frozen clouds.   Huge flood lights illuminated the mining area revealing half loaded crates and equipment scattered about. Officers grunted as they swung mining picks, or used phasers to break the dilithium apart.

Torin shivered and cradled his cup of coffee in his hands as he watched his people toil.  Despite the chill they were sweating under the hard Graft.

“Commander,” Washington greeted.

“How’s it going?”

Washington glanced back at the workers, “We’ve already extracted two metric tonns of ore.”

“They’re making quick work of this,” Torin observed. 

“They are indeed,” Washington replied. “John has something he wants to show you.”

John Rolfson was a civilian dilithium miner by trade and the Crazy Horse had brought him along for his expertise on the subject.   John was a short stocky man with a bushy brown beard sporting tobacco stains on account of his chewing addiction.  

“Mr. Rolfson,” Torin greeted.

The miner nodded to the Commander, “Mornin’.”

“Mr. Washington says you have something you want to show me?”

The miner nodded and lead the Starfleet officers to a crate, “We got some good news and I guess depending your perspective bad news.”

Torin took in a deep breath, “Okay, let’s get the bad news out of the way.”

The miner nodded, “There’s much less blood dilithium on this planet than we thought. Half as much, maybe.”

“I don’t understand,” Torin replied confused.  “I saw those scans myself.”

“That’s because this place is lousy with dilithium, just not blood dilithium.” The miner dug out a chunk of the ore in demonstration.  Milk white crystals were embedded in compacted substrate.

“That’s not blood dilithium,” Torin replied surprised.

“It isn’t.  This might be the most significant dilithium discovery in the past ten years.  We need to establish this planet as a permanent colony.”

Torin ran his fingers through his hair, “That’s above my pay grade sir, but I will send it up the chain of command and we can go from there.  Keep up the good work Mr. Rolfson.”

Torin walked to the edge of the ridge where the settlement’s mining operations were being conducted with Marcus at his side.  The suns were just breaking over the horizon bathing the barren landscape in yellow. Mountains off in the far distance were still black.   It was a harsh land, but there was a beauty in its own right.

“It’s beautiful,” Marcus said echoing Torin’s own thoughts.

“Yeah… yeah it is.  Marcus why are we, Starfleet that is, rushing to get our hands on this blood dilithium? Most of our crews are integrated with at least some telepaths. It’s useless to us unless we plan on using it as a trade commodity.”

Marcus thought for a moment and then shrugged, “I don’t know.  Perhaps they are thinking they can remove the problematic aspects the stuff.  But you are right it is odd sir.”

“Well keep me posted,” Torin said.  “I better continue my rounds… and apparently I have one hell of a report to write.”

“See you around Commander.”

Torin nodded to Marcus and turned and started down the path occasionally stumbling over loose rocks which clattered down the hill.