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