$§\~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~\§$
#$§\~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~\§$#
##$§\~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~\§$##
###$§\~,¨¨ ¨¨,~\§$###
####$§\~,¨ ¨,~\§$####
###$§\~,¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨,~\§$###
##$§\~,¨¨¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨¨¨,~\§$##
#$§\~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~\§$#
$§\~,¨¨¨¨¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨¨¨¨¨,~\§$
§\~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~\§
$§\~,¨¨¨¨¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨¨¨¨¨,~\§$
#$§\~,¨¨¨¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨¨¨¨,~\§$#
##$§\~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~\§$##
###$§\~,¨¨ ¨¨,~\§$###
####$§\~,¨ ¨,~\§$####
###$§\~,¨¨ ¨¨,~\§$###
##$§\~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~\§$##