¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨