Lt. Hanson and crew soon learn that the buoy contains a bomb set to 
go off in a few seconds. Canon calls for Red Alert, and Hanson, 
Gabe, and Tanari have engineering cleared in case they are unable to 
disarm it. 

Ensign Lister informs the `bomb squad' that the red wire was 
connected to a proximity sensor and advises against cutting it.

The crew realizes they must isolate the area and put of force fields 
to shield the blast. Lt. Gabriel Pelgrims proved once again that he 
is indeed a miracle-worker as he disarms the bomb, a bomb Gabe does 
not think could be manufactured by the Gethi or Partans.

Ensign Meredith Tanari aided Gabriel in conducting research on the 
Loten system after they successfully defused the bomb. Hanson went 
to speak with the CO. Captain Canon proceeded to ream out his 
officers until he found the underlying cause of the bomb incident. 
Lister, Tanari, and Pelgrims explained themselves. As a result, 
Canon decided to meet with the two sides in a neutral location - the 
USS NIGHTINGALE.

Hanson and the others get ready for the meeting with the dignitaries 
and don their dress whites. Ensign Lister, however, had duties to 
perform. From his bridge station, he discovered an incoming missile 
headed straight for the Gale. He raised the shields and took evasive 
maneuvers in response. Hanson orders the next missile debris beamed 
into a cargo bay for analysis.

Ensign Lister destroys one of the next incoming nuclear devices and 
brings in the remains to a shuttle bay for Gabe to inspect.

Hanson gives over the command chair to Lt. Syllis and joins Captain 
Canon and company in the shuttle bay. They soon find that the 
missile is not nuclear in nature, but actually contains a dying 
Bajoran Federation ambassador. They could not save her, so the Gale 
crew gained a murder mystery on their hands. The Nightingale's XO 
Dennis Hanson directed officer's Patton, Lister, and Tanari to begin 
an investigation.

Hanson, Patton, Tanari, Pelgrims, and Lister meet later at a 
busy `Swamp' to discuss their findings. At this time they are also 
joined by Peligrims and Marcol Narai at their table. Post mortem 
examination by lt. Patton shows that the Ambassadors body is 
saturated with a unknown substance which is identified by ensign 
Lister as being a Mineral Solvent used in Dilithium mining when 
phaser bores are impractical to use.

The discovery of the Mineral Solvent leads to another hint to the 
Ambassadors death. But will it be a useful one or is it just a blank?

As the discussion continues at the Swamp the dangers of the Mineral 
Dissolvent comes to light. Patton, who was send to the colony Deadwood to 
evacuate the colony, saw at first hand what the waste materials of the 
dissolvent could do to humanoid live.

The greed of a mining conglomerate there turned a peaceful world in dead 
trap were human live could only be sustained for 16 hours tops when 
unprotected. Even so the conglomerate was only fined and some lower 
functionaries were fired at the end.

The only thing positive out of the story was that the dissolvent was banned 
by Federation Regulations.

Ensign Nim Lister who has a lot of experience with mining then explains that 
the material is called Nadrixium and needs to be synthesized before use. And 
could only be activated by a chemical called N-34. Both chemicals can only 
be made in a controlled environment of a production facility/

This leads to the conclusion that there must be either shipments going to 
the planet or a productions facility on site. But why do they need this 
hazardous mining material? To find something in a hurry?

Ensign Lister offers to find out and so the discussion seems to be getting 
to an end as a course of action seems to be found.