##¶¤&†/«.¨ ¨.«/†&¤¶##
##¶¤&†/«.¨ ¨.«/†&¤¶##
¶¤¤†«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«†¤¤¶
##¶¤&†/«.¨ ¨.«/†&¤¶##
##¶¤&†/«.¨ ¨.«/†&¤¶##
#¤†††««¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨.///†&¶
##¶¤&†/«.¨ ¨.«/†&¤¶##
##¶¤&†/«.¨ ¨.«/†&¤¶##
¤†««..¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨..««†¤
¤¤††††/«.¨ ¨.«/††††¤¤
##¶¤&†/«.¨ ¨.«/†&¤¶##