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