&$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
$/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/$
&$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
¤&$/~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~/$&¤
@¤&$/~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~/$&¤@
@@¤&$/~,¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨,~/$&¤@@
#@@¤&$/~,¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨,~/$&¤@@#
@@¤&$/~,¨¨ ¨¨,~/$&¤@@
@¤&$/~,¨¨¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨¨¨,~/$&¤@
¤&$/~,¨¨¨¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨¨¨¨,~/$&¤
&$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
$/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/$
&$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
¤&$/~,¨¨¨¨ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ¨¨¨¨,~/$&¤
@¤&$/~,¨¨¨ FROM BELOW. ¨¨¨,~/$&¤@
@@¤&$/~,¨¨ ¨¨,~/$&¤@@
#@@¤&$/~,¨ LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ¨,~/$&¤@@#
@@¤&$/~,¨¨ THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ¨¨,~/$&¤@@
@¤&$/~,¨¨¨ DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ¨¨¨,~/$&¤@
¤&$/~,¨¨¨¨ ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ¨¨¨¨,~/$&¤
&$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
$/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ BECAME A SLUDGE. ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/$
&$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
¤&$/~,¨¨¨¨ AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ¨¨¨¨,~/$&¤
@¤&$/~,¨¨¨ SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ¨¨¨,~/$&¤@
@@¤&$/~,¨¨ ¨¨,~/$&¤@@
#@@¤&$/~,¨ ######################################## ¨,~/$&¤@@#
@@¤&$/~,¨¨ # # ¨¨,~/$&¤@@
@¤&$/~,¨¨¨ # #@#@@@¤@¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤@¤@@@#@# # ¨¨¨,~/$&¤@
¤&$/~,¨¨¨¨ # @ @ # ¨¨¨¨,~/$&¤
&$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ @ @ @@@¤$¤$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$¤$¤@@@ @ @ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
$/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ @ @ @ @ @ @ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/$
&$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ @ @ @ THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, @ @ @ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
¤&$/~,¨¨¨¨ & @ @ PREPARED FOR LAUNCH, @ @ & ¨¨¨¨,~/$&¤
@¤&$/~,¨¨¨ $ @ @ 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, / , , ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
$/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ , , ~ ENTERTAINED, AND THEN ~ , , ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/$
&$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ , , , FINALLY BINGED ON. , , , ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
¤&$/~,¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨,~/$&¤
@¤&$/~,¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨,~/$&¤@
@@¤&$/~,¨¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨¨,~/$&¤@@
#@@¤&$/~,¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨,~/$&¤@@#
@@¤&$/~,¨¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨¨,~/$&¤@@
@¤&$/~,¨¨¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨¨¨,~/$&¤@
¤&$/~,¨¨¨¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨¨¨¨,~/$&¤
&$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
$/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/$
&$/~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/$&
¤&$/~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~/$&¤
@¤&$/~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~/$&¤@