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