Brassbug Dropship

393 AC - Sitting on my flying rock, I toss Marmo his bone to pass the time as we wait for the maintenance crew. It always seems to be delays and long waits when dealing with tech support. But this time, alone on my black rock veined with Aerolith, I'm furiously swearing at this broken-down drill, and it's not like there's anything else I can do. Why am I always saddled with the worst gear? My pup drops the toy on my leg and gives a playful yap. I throw it again and take a look around. We're definitely on a big vein here. It'd be a shame to miss out on a motherlode like this. The bone is returned, this time accompanied by a long string of drool on my pant leg. Thanks, fleabag. And just as I'm thinking I should take a closer look at the busted equipment, I hear the sound of a small engine...

The capsule drops from the sky, then activates its propellers to head over towards me. Ah, reinforcements at last. I stand up to welcome the mechanics. But when the dropship's hatch opens, it's not my colleagues who emerge from its belly, but a bunch of little Brassbugs. Huh. I don't know if I should feel outraged or not. They all roll out in single file, like it's a parade. For a fraction of a second, I wonder how much trouble I'd be in if I jumped into the capsule and left them to figure things out themselves. But no, I'd better stick around and prepare things for the mining teams. OK then, you little critters, let's get to it. We need to finish fixing up this ancient drill before the miners arrive.

SUBHASH