¨¨¨¨¨.~^¤@ @¤^~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.^$&& &&$^.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.^¤@ @¤^.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~~$¤&& &&¤$~~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~~~^¤& &¤^~~~.¨¨¨
¨.~^$¤@### GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ###@¤$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨~^$&@@ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. @@&$^~¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$¤&@## ##@&¤$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$&# BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, #&$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$¤&@## SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ##@&¤$^~.¨
¨.~^$¤&@## COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ##@&¤$^~.¨
¨.~^^^^¤@@ 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 &¤$$^^~¨¨¨
¨.~^$¤¤¤&# STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND #&¤¤¤$^~.¨
¨.~^$¤&@## ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ##@&¤$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨..~$& LIKE CORPSES. &$~..¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$¤&&&& &&&&¤$^~.¨
¨.~^$¤@### ###@¤$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.^$& &$^.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~^$&@### ###@&$^~.¨
¨¨¨¨~^¤¤&# #&¤¤^~¨¨¨¨