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