¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨