*†*~^,,,,, ,,,,,^~*†*
¤*†*~^,,,, ,,,,^~*†*¤
#¤*†*~^,,, ,,,^~*†*¤#
@#¤*†*~^,, ,,^~*†*¤#@
#@#¤*†*~^, ,^~*†*¤#@#
@#¤*†*~^,, 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. ,,,,^~*†*¤
*†*~^,,,,, ,,,,,^~*†*
†*~^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^~*†
*~^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^~*
~^,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,^~
*~^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^~*