¨:«****&## ##&****«:¨
¨:«**&¤### ###¤&**«:¨
¨:«**&¤### ###¤&**«:¨
¨:«**&¤### ###¤&**«:¨
¨:«****&## ##&****«:¨
¨:«**&¤### 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. ¤*«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨«**¤# #¤**«¨¨¨¨¨
¨:«**&¤### ###¤&**«:¨
¨:«**&¤### ###¤&**«:¨
¨:«**&¤### ###¤&**«:¨
¨:«**&¤### ###¤&**«:¨