Merahtite

Basic Info
Fancy red metal that weighs almost nothing given it's fantastic strength. It is far lighter than foamed durasteel and almost twice as strong. The only known source of this metal is the planet Marcadia. There, it was mined by The Dharma and used to build buildings, art, cable cars and cables, and most other things.

Recently discovered by explorers from Imperial space, this metal is now being harvested by the Zydel Corporation for use in Imperial ships. Some rumors indicate that a new class of advanced starfighter will be enabled by this material; other rumors claim that previously impossible megastructures are now being built using this material as their core structure.

Mines
The mines where merahtite could be mined have not yet been discovered, due to the logistical and technical difficulty of searching beneath kilometers of tangled vegetation. The metal is also difficult to detect remotely, possibly due to it's low density, but starfighter designers would hardly complain about a sctuctural material that is hard to detect.

Characteristics
Described as "rusty copper" by many, merahtite is a reddish, stiff metal. It makes a high pitched "tink" if handled, rather than a "dong" or even a "ping." Very difficult to machine or work, but welds extremely well. It takes an extremely (scary) sharp edge, but won't keep it for very long.