¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§§                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§
§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨ 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.            §§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨
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¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§ # # #   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  £ » » §¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨
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¨§§§¨¨¨§¨§ ¨ ¨ ¨                              ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨§ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ §¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨§         AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES         ¨§¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨           AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE           ¨¨§¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨       STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND        ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨       ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL,        ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨¨§§§              LIKE CORPSES.               ¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨¨§¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨                                          §§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨