¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¤
¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¨
¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¨¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨¨
¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤ ¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¤¤¤
¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¤ 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. ¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨ ¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤
¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤
¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¤ ¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¤
¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨