¤§%*=^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^=*%§¤
@¤§%*=^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^=*%§¤@
#@¤§%*=^¨¨ ¨¨^=*%§¤@#
##@¤§%*=^¨ ¨^=*%§¤@##
#@¤§%*=^¨¨ ¨¨^=*%§¤@#
@¤§%*=^¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨^=*%§
¤§%*=^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^=*%§¤
@¤§%*=^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^=*%§¤@
#@¤§%*=^¨¨ ¨¨^=*%§¤@#
##@¤§%*=^¨ ¨^=*%§¤@##
#@¤§%*=^¨¨ ¨¨^=*%§¤@#