¨§§§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§¨
¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨§¨§§§
§§§¨¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨§§§¨¨
§¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨                                          §§§¨¨§¨¨§¨
§§¨§§§§§§¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨§§¨§§
¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§ 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.              §§¨§§§§¨§¨
§¨¨¨§¨§§¨§                                          ¨¨§§¨¨¨§§§
¨§¨¨§§§¨§§                                          §¨§¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨§§¨§¨¨§§¨                                          ¨§§§§§¨§§¨
¨§¨§§§¨§¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§§¨§
§§§§¨¨§§§§                                          ¨§§¨¨¨§¨§§