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