§$$†~~,... ...,~~†$$§
####§&$†~, ,~†$&§####
###§&$†~,. .,~†$&§###
###§&$†~,. .,~†$&§###
##§§&$†~,. .,~†$&§§##
#&†~...... 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, ..,,††$$$§
###§&$†~,. LIKE CORPSES. .,~†$&§###
#§&$$$†~,. .,~†$$$&§#
§§&&†††~,. .,~†††&&§§
###§&$†~,. .,~†$&§###
###§&$†~,. .,~†$&§###
##&&&$†~,. .,~†$&&&##