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