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