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