¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¨ ¤¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¨¤ ¤¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨ ¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨ ¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨ 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. ¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨ ¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨ ¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨ ¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨ ¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨ ¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¨¤