¨§§§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨¨§¨§§¨ 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.               §¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          §§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨