¨¨¨¨^~:^¤# #¤^:~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~:^¤ ¤^:~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~:^ ^:~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~: :~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ 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. ¤^:~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~:^ ^:~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~: :~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨