#space mining

This dwarven miner follows the trend of customizing his work spacesuits with fantasy helmets and armour. Who says you can't explore the oxygenless asteroids with style?

Aside from miners, dwarves are also considered great, though not particularly responsible, mechanics. Using the minerals they mine to build and repair the tools used to mine even more minerals.

These mates from different clans are partaking in the holy ritual of "having a cold one with the boys" to celebrate the ginger fella having given birth to his hairy baby, and therefore, being able to finally have a cold one with the boys again.

With no sane people around to stop them, the baby's name is Direwolf Steepcliffson of Clan Copperbeard (co-op).

I caved (pun intended), I put fantasy dwarves in my SF universe... I just love them so much...

Like most of my music, this was done with Suno. I started with a section of lyrics from Suno's AI. This is often a first step for me, because I suck at meter. So I'll tend to generate something with a structure I find appealing, and use a syllable counter to carry the meter over to new, human created lyrics.

This time, however, what I got first out gave me an idea.

In the vast expanse of the starry night We sail through space With hearts so light Seeking fortunes on celestial shores Asteroid mining Forevermore Beneath the moon's gaze we toil and sweat Our hands in the soil Our dreams all set With pickaxe and shovel We dig so deep Searching for treasure A promise to keep Yo ho! Yo ho! The cosmic gold we seek Through the Milky Way Our song does speak Yo ho! Yo ho! With hearts true and bold We'll strike it rich!

I had assumed when I asked for lyrics for a space miner's shanty I'd get something a bit less sunny.

But the idea of using that as the start of a story was appealing. So my own verses to follow build on the concept:

Beneath the moon's gaze we toil and sweat Our hands in the soil, Our dreams all set bound in mecha iron We dig so deep to plunder dark matter for the boss to keep Yo ho! Yo ho! With hearts true and bold We'll strike it rich on the-

And from there, things just... take a turn.

Bound in mecha iron, We dig so deep To plunder dark matter, For the boss to keep The cosmic rays are creeping in Our lead shielding is really tin Ten years for nothin', Not even greed. The pink slips were sent budget light speed! The company went belly up, Butchered for penny stocks. Asked when do we fly back? The boss said: Go eat rocks.

Go eat rocks? Go eat rocks! The cosmic gold - We'll starve to death in the black and cold!

And the song becomes a broadcast home.