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