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