¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨