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