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