##¤¤*†«,¨¨ ¨¨,«†*¤¤##
#¤¤*†«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«†*¤¤#
¤¤*†«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«†*¤¤
¤*†«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«†*¤
*†«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«†*
†«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨,«†*¤
¤¤*†«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«†*¤¤
#¤¤*†«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«†*¤¤#
##¤¤*†«,¨¨ ¨¨,«†*¤¤##
###¤¤*†«,¨ ¨,«†*¤¤###
##¤¤*†«,¨¨ ¨¨,«†*¤¤##