¨¨¨^^*††§§ §§††*^^¨¨¨
¨^-*†%%%§§ §§%%%†*-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨-*%@@ @@%*-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^***%§@ @§%***^¨¨¨
¨^-*†%§@## ##@§%†*-^¨
¨^-*†%§§§§ 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. ##@§%†*-^¨
¨¨¨^^-*%§§ §§%*-^^¨¨¨
¨^-*†%§@## ##@§%†*-^¨
¨^-*†%§@## ##@§%†*-^¨
¨¨¨¨^**†§# #§†**^¨¨¨¨
¨^-*†%§@## ##@§%†*-^¨