¨¨§¨¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§¨§§¨                                          §¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§                                          ¨§¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§ 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.               ¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§