¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨
¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¨ ¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨
¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¤¨ ¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤
¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤
¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤
¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ 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. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤