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