/«~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~«/
†/«~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~«/†
¤†/«~,,,,, ,,,,,~«/†¤
&¤†/«~,,,, ,,,,~«/†¤&
¶&¤†/«~,,, ,,,~«/†¤&¶
#¶&¤†/«~,, 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. ,,,,,,,,~«
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
~,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,~
«~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~«
/«~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~«/