¨§¨¨§§¨¨§§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§
§§§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§§¨¨¨¨§§§
¨¨¨§§§§§§§                                          ¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§§§§¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          §§¨¨¨§¨§¨§
§¨¨§¨§¨¨¨¨ GRAY SKIES,  SWIRLING WITH  SOOT.  STONY ¨¨§¨¨§§§§§
¨§¨§§§§¨¨¨ GROUND  WITH  NO  HINTS  OF  VEGETATION. §¨§§¨§¨¨¨¨
¨§§§¨¨¨§¨¨                                          §§§¨§§§¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨¨§§¨ BELOW  THE   SURFACE   ARE  THE   MINES, §¨¨§§¨¨§¨¨
¨§§¨§§¨§¨§ SPIRALING  DOWN  INTO  THE  CRUST. SMALL §§¨§¨§¨§§¨
¨§¨§§¨§§§§ COMPARED  TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY §¨§§§§§§¨§
§§§§¨§§¨¨¨ REACH AND JOIN  WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§§
¨¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨ HIGHER DOWN  HERE, AND  THE  VIEW IS NOT §§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨§¨§§§¨ AS  MONOCHROME:  A  GREEN LIGHT  BECKONS ¨¨§§§¨¨¨§§
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨§                FROM BELOW.               §¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
§§¨¨§¨¨§¨§                                          ¨§§§¨§§¨§§
¨¨§¨§§¨§§§ LONG AGO, THERE  WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN §§¨¨§§¨§§¨
¨¨§§§¨§§¨¨ THE CENTER OF  THE  PLANETOID, SOMETHING §¨§¨§¨§§¨§
§¨§¨¨§§¨§¨ DORMANT, WAITING FOR  A  COLLISION  WITH ¨§§§§§§¨§§
¨§§§¨§¨§§§ ANOTHER   BODY.   BUT  NO   PLANET   WAS ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§¨
¨§¨¨§§§§¨¨ REACHED,  AND  OVER TIME,  THE  SEEDLING ¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨§
§§§¨§¨¨¨§¨             BECAME A SLUDGE.             §§¨§¨¨¨§§§
¨¨¨§§§¨¨§§                                          ¨¨§§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§¨ AND  ELVES   CAME  AS  MINERS,  AND  THE ¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨§§¨§§§§           SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED.            ¨¨§§¨§§§¨§
§¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨                                          §¨§¨§§¨¨§§
¨§¨§§§¨§¨¨ ######################################## ¨§§§§¨§¨§¨
¨§§§¨¨§§§¨ #                                      # §§¨¨¨§§§§§
§§¨¨§¨§¨¨§ # ######§#§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§#§###### # ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
§¨§¨§§§§¨§ # #                                  # # ¨¨§§¨§§¨¨¨
§§§§§¨¨¨§§ # # ###§$§$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$§$§### # # §¨§¨§§¨§¨¨
§¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨ # # #                              # # # §§§§§¨§§§¨
§§¨¨¨§§¨§§ # # #   THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED,  # # # §¨¨¨¨§§¨¨§
¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ * # #      PREPARED FOR LAUNCH,    # # * ¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨§
§¨§§¨§§§¨§ $ # #   IGNITION SEQUENCE STARTED  # # $ ¨§§¨¨§§§§§
¨§§¨§§¨¨§§ \ § #    HOURS AGO. ELVES IN THE   # § \ ¨§¨§¨§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨§¨§¨ \ $ §   PASSENGER CABIN, NOT YET   § $ \ ¨§§§§§§¨¨¨
¨§§§¨§§§§§ ~ \ §   SEATED. BUT SOMETHING IS   § \ ~ ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨¨§§¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ *   WRONG. THERE IS SOMETHING  * ~ ~ ¨§§¨¨¨¨§§¨
¨§§¨§¨§¨¨¨ , , $   GREEN AROUND THEIR MOUTHS. $ , , ¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨§§§§§¨¨ , , \ THE SLUDGE HAS BEEN SAMPLED, \ , , ¨§§§§¨¨§§§
¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨ , , ~     ENTERTAINED, AND THEN    ~ , , ¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§§ , , ,      FINALLY BINGED ON.      , , , ¨§§¨¨§§§§¨
¨¨§§§§¨¨§¨ ¨ ¨ ¨                              ¨ ¨ ¨ §§¨§¨§¨¨¨§
§¨§¨¨¨§¨§§ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ §¨§§§§§¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨§§§¨         AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES         ¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨§¨§¨¨§           AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE           ¨§¨§¨¨¨§§§
¨¨§¨§§§§¨§        STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND       ¨§§§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨§§        ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL,       §§¨¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨               LIKE CORPSES.              ¨¨§¨¨§§§¨§
§¨§§¨§§¨§§                                          §¨§§¨§¨¨§§
¨§§¨§§¨§§¨                                          ¨§§¨§§§¨§¨
¨§¨§§¨§§¨§                                          ¨§¨§§¨¨§§§
§§§§¨§§¨§§                                          §§§§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨¨¨§§¨§§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§§§§¨