#¤%--,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,--%¤#
#¤&%-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-%&¤#
#@@¤&%†-,¨ ¨,-†%&¤@@#
##@¤&%†-,¨ ¨,-†%&¤@##
##@¤&%†-,¨ ¨,-†%&¤@##
##@¤&%†-,¨ 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. ¨,-†%&¤###
#¤%†,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,†%¤#
##@¤&%†-,¨ ¨,-†%&¤@##
##@¤&%†-,¨ ¨,-†%&¤@##
##@¤&%†-,¨ ¨,-†%&¤@##
¤%%%†,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,†%%%¤