§**~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~**§
###§§*†~,¨ ¨,~†*§§###
##§§†,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,†§§##
@@#§§*†~,¨ ¨,~†*§§#@@
#§†,,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,,†§#
@§§§§*†~,¨ 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. ¨,~†*§§#@#
#@#§§*†~,¨ ¨,~†*§§#@#
§§§§§*†~,¨ ¨,~†*§§§§§
§§§†,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,†§§§
#§**†,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,†**§#
#@#§§*†~,¨ ¨,~†*§§#@#