¨,«*^¤£@@# #@@£¤^*«,¨
¨,«*^¤£@@# #@@£¤^*«,¨
¨¨¨¨,**^^£ £^^**,¨¨¨¨
¨,«*^¤£@## ##@£¤^*«,¨
¨,«*^¤£@@# #@@£¤^*«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨«**^£ 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. ##@£¤^*«,¨
¨,«*^¤£@@# #@@£¤^*«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^¤@ @¤^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«*^¤£@@# #@@£¤^*«,¨
¨,«*^¤£@@# #@@£¤^*«,¨
¨¨¨¨,«^££@ @££^«,¨¨¨¨