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