###§£%;«-¨ ¨-«;%£§###
#§%«-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-«%§#
###§£%;«-¨ ¨-«;%£§###
###§£%;«-¨ ¨-«;%£§###
§§§%%;;«-¨ ¨-«;;%%§§§
###§£%;«-¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨«%§#
###§£%;«-¨ ¨-«;%£§###
###§£%;«-¨ ¨-«;%£§###
##§%«-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-«%§##
###§£%;«-¨ ¨-«;%£§###
###§£%;«-¨ ¨-«;%£§###