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