Hoxxes IV

Hoxxes IV. 40 kilometers above the planet's crust. DRG corporation space rig №17.

****CLANG****

- For Gold!

- For Karl!

- For Rock and Stone!

- For our continued survival!

*short silence*

- - - - YEAH, RIGHT! HA-HA-HA!!

Four dwarves were cheering and drinking their troubles away along with their fresh paycheck, at some point even breaking into a dance.

*DZHH-PSHH-PSHH*

A speaker suddenly spoke out.

- You boys are better miners than you are dancers.

- Aww SHADDAP!

- Anyways, team, we got a weird scanner signature from within Hoxxes. The signature is similar in nature to those formed from the rivals' warping, except this one is a lot stronger. We managed to capture a set of specific coordinates. It's a rather bare-bones cave when it comes to resources, but we DID also locate a dreadnought cocoon down there, so guys better prepare well before this insertion. Once you get down there everything is, as always up to you. Oh right, you don't have to worry about the Rock Pox this time, everything seems to be clear on this front. In any case, the coordinates are already set, and the droppod is ready to launch at any time. Good luck miners.

*tsheun-"

- Aww, shucks. That was just the third round!

- I was JUST getting warmed up!

- Mission control sure has a cozy job.

- Crap... Lloyd! A round of them Oily Oafs for everyone. And here's a tip. You deserve this.

- Here's mine as well!

- Here, Lloyd! You are the best bartender in the whole galaxy!

- Haha, here! Don't spend it all on nuts and bolts!

- - - - Ha-ha-ha!

The little charming charming floating robot bartender raised his tiny hat with one of his manipulators and gave a weird squeekly cheer.

- Yeef-fego!

Immediately afterwards four mugs rose up from the previously closed chutes in the counter, following which, Lloyd gracefully and methodically filled all four of them with a cold, foamy brew.

- Teamwork and beer will keep us together!

- For teamwork!

- Stone and Rock!.. no wait...

- Rock. *burr* And. *burr* Stone!

*CLANG*

. . .

Just before the scanners detected the strange signature.

Beneath the crust of Hoxxes IV. Depth of ~1 kilometer. Salt pits.

*WSHOOM~~OOSHH*

*THUD*x9

- OOPHhh..

- Agh..

- OOMPHH..

- Urgh..

- UH..

- Eek-h..

- Augh..

- Uf..

And so, the story properly starts...

. . .