¨¨¨¨~††§§@ @§§††~¨¨¨¨
¨:~;†§§@## ##@§§†;~:¨
¨:~;†§§@## ##@§§†;~:¨
¨¨¨¨:;†§§§ §§§†;:¨¨¨¨
¨:~;†§§@## ##@§§†;~:¨
¨¨:~~;;;†§ 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. ##@§§†;~:¨
¨:~;†§§@## ##@§§†;~:¨
¨:~;†§§@## ##@§§†;~:¨
¨:~;†§§@## ##@§§†;~:¨
¨¨¨¨~;§§§§ §§§§;~¨¨¨¨
¨:~;†§§@## ##@§§†;~:¨