:=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:
£:=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:£
§£:=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=:£§
@§£:=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=:£§@
#@§£:=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=:£§@#
##@§£:=,¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
:=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:
£:=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:£
§£:=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=:£§