¤§§;~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~;§§¤
¤%-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-%¤
@@§%%-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-%%§@@
¤¤§§§%;-~¨ ¨~-;%§§§¤¤
##@¤§%;-~¨ ¨~-;%§¤@##
@¤%;~~¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨---;§¤
#@¤¤§%;-~¨ ¨~-;%§¤¤@#
@@§§%;~~~¨ ¨~~~;%§§@@
#¤§;~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~;§¤#
##@¤§%;-~¨ ¨~-;%§¤@##
##@¤§%;-~¨ ¨~-;%§¤@##