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