¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«
\«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«\
*\«-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-«\*
$*\«-¨¨¨¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨¨¨¨-«\*$
§$*\«-¨¨¨¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨¨¨¨-«\*$§
@§$*\«-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-«\*$§@
@@§$*\«-¨¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨¨-«\*$§@@
#@@§$*\«-¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨-«\*$§@@#
@@§$*\«-¨¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨¨-«\*$§@@
@§$*\«-¨¨¨ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨¨¨-«\*$§@
§$*\«-¨¨¨¨ HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ¨¨¨¨-«\*$§
$*\«-¨¨¨¨¨ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ¨¨¨¨¨-«\*$
*\«-¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«