¨¨¨¨¨,-/%£ £%/-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-/% %/-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-/ /-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨