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