,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=*^
$^*=,¨¨¨¨¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨¨¨¨¨,=*^$
¤$^*=,¨¨¨¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨¨¨¨,=*^$¤
¶¤$^*=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=*^$¤¶
#¶¤$^*=,¨¨ ¨¨,=*^$¤¶#
##¶¤$^*=,¨ ¨,=*^$¤¶##
#¶¤$^*=,¨¨ ¨¨,=*^$¤¶#
¶¤$^*=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=*^$¤¶