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