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