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