&*††-.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.-††*&
##@&§*†-.¨ ¨.-†*§&@##
&*-.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.-*&
#&*----¨¨¨ ¨¨¨----*&#
##@&§*†-.¨ ¨.-†*§&@##
##@&§*†-.¨ 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. ¨.-†*§&###
#&§§†††-.¨ ¨.-†††§§&#
@&&&§*†-.¨ ¨.-†*§&&&@
&**†.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.†**&
##@&§*†-.¨ ¨.-†*§&@##
##@&§*†-.¨ ¨.-†*§&@##