¨,«*§§§*@# #@*§§§*«,¨
¨¨¨«««§§*@ @*§§«««¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«§¤ ¤§«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,**@ @**,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,*§¤¤# #¤¤§*,¨¨¨¨
¨,«*§*¤@## 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. ¤*§*««¨¨¨¨
¨,«*§*¤### ###¤*§*«,¨
¨,«*§*¤@## ##@¤*§*«,¨
¨,«***§**@ @**§***«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,***@ @***,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«*§*¤@## ##@¤*§*«,¨