¨¨¨^~;$%@@ @@%$;~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~;$%@ @%$;~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~;$% %$;~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;$ $;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~; ;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~; FROM BELOW. ;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;$ $;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~;$% 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. ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨