§$$=~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~=$$§
§&=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=&§
##@§&$==~¨ ¨~==$&§@##
§&&==¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨==&&§
§$$==~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~==$$§
§§$$$$==~¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨~==$$$$§§
##@§&$==~¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨~==$&§@##
##@§&$==~¨ ¨~==$&§@##
@§§$$==~¨¨ 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, ¨¨¨¨¨~~=&@
##@§&$==~¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨~==$&§@##
#§§$====~¨ ¨~====$§§#
###@§$==~¨ ¨~==$§@###
###@§&==~¨ ¨~==&§@###
##@§&$==~¨ ¨~==$&§@##
@@@§&$==~¨ ¨~==$&§@@@