¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¨ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¨ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤