*-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-*
-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-
*-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-*
^*-^¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-
*-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-*
^*-^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^-*^
%^*-^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^-*^%