¨¨&&¨¨¨¨&¨ ¨&¨¨&¨&&¨¨
¨&¨&¨¨¨&&¨ &&¨&&¨¨&¨¨
&&¨&¨¨&¨&¨ ¨&¨¨&¨&&¨¨
¨&¨&¨&&¨&¨ &&¨&&¨¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨¨&¨&¨ ¨&¨¨&¨&&¨&
¨&¨&¨&&¨&¨ 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. &&¨&&¨¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨¨&¨&¨ ¨&¨¨&¨&&¨&
¨&¨&¨&&¨&¨ &&¨&&¨¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨¨&¨&¨ ¨&¨¨&¨&&¨&
¨&¨&¨&&¨&¨ &&¨&&¨¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨¨&¨&¨ ¨&¨¨&¨&&¨&