¨&&¨&¨&&&¨ ¨¨¨¨&&¨&&¨
&¨&&&&¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨&¨&&¨&¨
&&¨¨¨&¨&&¨ ¨¨&&&¨&&&&
¨&¨¨&&&¨&& ¨&¨¨&&¨¨¨¨
&&¨&¨¨&&¨& &&¨&¨&¨¨¨¨
¨&&&¨&¨&&& 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. ¨&¨&&&&&&&
&¨¨&&&¨¨&& &&&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
&¨&¨¨&¨&¨¨ ######################################## ¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨&
&&&¨&&&&¨¨ # # ¨&&¨¨¨¨¨&¨
¨¨&&¨¨¨&¨¨ # #@#@@@&@&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&@&@@@#@# # &¨&¨¨¨¨&&&
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&&&&¨&¨&&¨ @ @ @¶¶&*&********************&*&¶¶@ @ @ ¨¨&¨¨&&¨&&
¨¨¨&&&&¨&& ¶ @ @ @ @ ¶ ¨&&¨&¨&&¨¨
¨¨&¨¨¨&&¨¨ ¶ @ @ 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. &¨¨¨¨¨&&&&
¨&¨&&¨¨&¨& &¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨&
&&&¨&¨&&&& &¨¨¨&&¨¨&&
¨¨&&&&¨¨¨& &¨¨&¨&¨&¨¨
¨&¨¨¨&¨¨&& &¨&&&&&&¨¨
&&¨¨&&¨&¨& &&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨