¶&¤%^=-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-=^%¤&¶
@¶&¤%^=-¨¨ ¨¨-=^%¤&¶@
#@¶&¤%^=-¨ ¨-=^%¤&¶@#
@¶&¤%^=-¨¨ ¨¨-=^%¤&¶@
¶&¤%^=-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-=^%¤&¶
&¤%^=-¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨-=^%¤&
¤%^=-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-=^%¤
%^=-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-=^%
^=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=^
=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-