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