.¤...¤..¤. ¤¤...¤¤.¤¤
¤¤..¤¤.¤¤. .¤..¤.¤¤.¤
.¤.¤.¤¤.¤. ¤¤.¤¤¤.¤¤.
¤¤¤¤¤.¤¤¤¤ .¤¤..¤¤.¤.
....¤¤.... ¤.¤.¤.¤¤¤¤
...¤.¤...¤ 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. ...¤¤¤¤.¤.
.¤.¤..¤... ..¤...¤¤¤.
¤¤¤¤.¤¤..¤ .¤¤..¤..¤.
...¤¤.¤.¤. ¤.¤.¤¤.¤¤¤
..¤.¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤.¤¤..¤
.¤¤¤...... ...¤¤.¤.¤¤