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