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