Downtown Skaoi

Ah, Downtown Skaoi! I've been here so long, I'm starting to feel at home. Above me, the luminescent, effervescent inner surface of Skaoi IV. Around me, the variously-lit satellite biomes, bustling with life. Below me, the lightless, chthonic gullet from which nothing comes save the screams of the damned. From our orbit through the middle of the planet, we have a great view of the interactions of the local fauna. Some of them even interact with us! The first time a spiderdragon attacked, it carried away one of the brass section and we were helpless to watch as it fed her to its children. We were smarter the second time around, though, and caught one in a net made from our string instruments. Now we've found a use for every part of the arachnowyrm.

Sadly, one of the percussionists joked that we might now be classified as an invasive species, and we were forced to execute him as per the Humorless Dictum. We found a use for every part of his body, too. I've read a few papers on Galactic Jape necromancy, so I think we can be back up to headcount once we capture a little more biomass to hold the hybrid spiderdragon-mine skeleton together. And don't worry, Director, there's no need for standard Jape first-response procedure. We'll use the ghouls as counterweights to get to a higher orbit when it's time to leave, which should send them into the black hole as per standard containment procedures.