Keeping one paw on the capsule's step, Captain Nibbles eases out and breathes the planet's faint, sweet air. The dandelion-seed creatures float closer, their translucent wings chiming like tiny bells. They aren't hostile — more curious, circling Nibbles and brushing his whiskers with gossamer feelers.

Nibbles offers a crumb salvaged from the food pack. One of the creatures gently takes it, and suddenly the others begin to spin, weaving strands of silvery spore-fiber between them. The fiber is sticky and surprisingly strong. From where the thruster hisses, Nibbles notices a hairline crack in a fuel conduit — small enough that the creatures' silk might seal it if applied carefully.