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