*;=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=;*
;=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=;
=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=;
*;=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=;*
&*;=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=;*&
¤&*;=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=;*&¤
#¤&*;=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=;*&¤#
##¤&*;=,¨¨ ¨¨,=;*&¤##