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