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