##§=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=§##
##¶#%§=~^¨ ¨^~=§%#¶##
#§=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=§#
##¶#%§=~^¨ ¨^~=§%#¶##
##¶#%§=~^¨ ¨^~=§%#¶##
#%§~^¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨^~=§%#¶##
##§=^^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^^=§##
¶¶%==~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~==%¶¶
##¶#%§=~^¨ ¨^~=§%#¶##
####%§=~^¨ ¨^~=§%####
#%==~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~==%#