*=~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~=*
$*=~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~=*$
§$*=~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~=*$§
#§$*=~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~=*$§#
##§$*=~,¨¨ ¨¨,~=*$§##
###§$*=~,¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨,~=*$§###
##§$*=~,¨¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨¨,~=*$§##
#§$*=~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~=*$§#
§$*=~,¨¨¨¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨¨¨¨,~=*$§
$*=~,¨¨¨¨¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨¨¨¨¨,~=*$
*=~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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, ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~=*
$*=~,¨¨¨¨¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨¨¨¨¨,~=*$
§$*=~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~=*$§
#§$*=~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~=*$§#
##§$*=~,¨¨ ¨¨,~=*$§##
###§$*=~,¨ ¨,~=*$§###
##§$*=~,¨¨ ¨¨,~=*$§##