¨&&&&&¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨&
¨¨&&&&¨&&¨ ¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨&&
¨&¨&&&¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨¨¨¨&¨&
¨&¨¨&&¨&&¨ ¨¨&¨¨¨&&¨&
¨&¨&¨&¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨¨&¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨&¨&&¨ 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. ¨¨&¨&&¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨&¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨¨&¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨&¨&&¨ ¨¨&¨&&¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨&¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨¨&¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨&¨&&¨ ¨¨&¨&&¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨&¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨¨&¨&¨&