¨¨¨¨:~\%*§ §*%\~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~\%* *%\~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~\% %\~:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~\ \~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~ ~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: 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. *%\~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~\% %\~:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~\ \~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~ ~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~ ~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨