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