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