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