¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=^ ^=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,=^% %^=,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=^%§ §%^=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=^%§& &§%^=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=^%§&# #&§%^=,¨¨¨
¨¨,=^%§&## 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. %^=,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=^%§ §%^=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=^%§& &§%^=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=^%§&# #&§%^=,¨¨¨
¨¨,=^%§&## ##&§%^=,¨¨
¨,=^%§&### ###&§%^=,¨