@¶#@§*»-¨¨ ¨¨-»*§@#¶@
¶#@§*»-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-»*§@#¶
@¶#@§*»-¨¨ ¨¨-»*§@#¶@
#@¶#@§*»-¨ ¨-»*§@#¶@#
@¶#@§*»-¨¨ ¨¨-»*§@#¶@
¶#@§*»-¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨-»*§@#¶
@¶#@§*»-¨¨ ¨¨-»*§@#¶@
#@¶#@§*»-¨ ¨-»*§@#¶@#
@¶#@§*»-¨¨ ¨¨-»*§@#¶@
¶#@§*»-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-»*§@#¶
@¶#@§*»-¨¨ ¨¨-»*§@#¶@