&*^~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~^*&
£&*^~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~^*&£
@£&*^~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~^*&£@
#@£&*^~.¨¨ ¨¨.~^*&£@#
##@£&*^~.¨ ¨.~^*&£@##
#@£&*^~.¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨.~^*&£
&*^~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~^*&
*^~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~^*
^~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~^
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
^~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~^