Oil in the Desert

[Sorehl 0]

Vendarite.

 

    Captain Sorehl adjusted the display of the crude tricorder he’d been offered, considering the implications of this mineral’s presence on Cardassia IV.

 

    With applications ranging from quantum cybernetics to the production of biomimetic gel, the intrinsic value of vendarite could not be understated.   Indeed, the Vulcan recalled, a group of renegade Ferengi had once been so driven by dreams of avarice that they’d attempted to seize a Galaxy-class starship to mine deposits on Ligos VII.

 

    And vendarite was not the only substance noted by his scans.  A vein of several remarkable ores - mizainite, ladarium, and nitrium among them - extended in a web-like lattice several kilometers below them into the mantle, beyond the range of his tiny sensor.

 

    He looked up into the face of Gul Dergo, whose growing smile was almost unnerving.  “It must be as good as they said,” the Cardassian officer insisted. “You’re speechless!”

 

    Sorehl straightened, pursing his lips.  He’d never been accused of that before.  “Merely postulating,” the captain offered.  “This is an historic find, one that might not have been made otherwise.  Clearly, the kelbonite deposits in the upper strata masked the existence of this,” he paused, considering, “impressive concentration of minerals from previous orbital surveys.  This ecological catastrophe has unearthed a serendipitous treasure, quite literally.”

 

    “I take it back,” Gul Dergo waved dismissively, his smile less broad.  “Vulcans are never speechless.  Still, you’ve confirmed what my scientists have been telling me.”  He gestured to one of his junior officers, who nodded smartly and scurried away from the rocky overhang and descended further into the Gorge.  Dergo returned his attention to Sorehl.  “A treasure, buried in our own backyard.”

 

    Sorehl cycled the datalink on the tricorder.  “According to records, none of these minerals has ever been discovered in the Cardassian system.”  He pulled up previous surveys of the Okrand Plateau.  “The geologic history appears inconsistent with the metamorphic processes necessary to create such deposits.”  He paused, adjusting his scan.  “However, there is some discontinuity between the igneous and metamorphic rock formations below us.  The degree of stratified folding suggests these deposits could be the result of an ancient asteroidal impact, the magnitude of which…”

 

    “What matters is that it’s here,” Dergo interrupted, then added, “and it’s been here all along.  If we’d only known.  Maybe we could have avoided Bajor.  Or overextending ourselves into that cursed stretch near Minos Korva.  We were easy targets for the Klingons… and the Dominion.”

 

    Sorehl glanced up.  While he agreed with the sentiment that Cardassian expansionism had been its downfall, he opted not to point out that his own role had been to command StarFleet activities along that “cursed stretch” during the war.  “It is unlikely these resources could have tilted the balance in your defense.  Other than ladarium, none of these minerals has intrinsic military value.”

 

    “No,” Dergo shook his head, “but their industrial value might have kept us from needing to make unwise gains through conquest.”  He dislodged a rock from the clay-like edge, turning it over in his hand.

 

    Sorehl blinked.  “It strikes me as naïve to think these resources could have turned your society away from acquiring territory and technology through violence.  Vendarite is a precious industrial commodity, but it has a multi-dimensional matrix that requires a complex and expensive extraction process.  Transporter technology disrupts its structure, making it impossible to beam or otherwise replicate.”  Which, he considered, would mean the alien invaders would not find evidence of it in the less-valuable kelindide ore they’d stolen.  “It would have required a significant influx of capital to exploit this resource,” he noted.  “In fact, that is still the case.”  Obviously, there had been some impact from his time with Drankum and the other Ferengi at Sky Harbor Aegis.  The logic of the statement “It takes money to make money,” assured it must be a Rule of Acquisition somewhere.

 

    “Well,” Dergo mused, bouncing the rock in one hand, “the Ghemor government and the beaurucrats can figure out how to best tap this motherlode.  I’ve ordered my men to establish a permanent guard over this location until then.”  Behind him, the officer he had sent away earlier returned, datapad in hand.  Dergo glanced over his shoulder and accepted the device.  “My orders, on the other hand, concern you.”  He offered the pad to Sorehl.

 

    “But there is still work here,” the Vulcan objected.  “We have yet to ascertain the identity of the invaders.  And this finding could mean a new source of wealth for your world that could…”

 

    Dergo stuck his chin out toward the pad, flexing the protruding muscles of his neck.  “Not for you, Captain.  I’ve been ordered to return you to the Trivas system, back to your command on Empok Nor."  He tossed the rock to Sorehl, who caught it in front of his chest.  "It’s time for you to leave Cardassia to the Cardassians.”