¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-;
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨