¨¨¨¨¨¨,-=% %=-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-=%@ @%=-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-=%@& &@%=-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,-=%@&¶ ¶&@%=-,¨¨¨
¨¨,-=%@&¶# #¶&@%=-,¨¨
¨,-=%@&¶## 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. @%=-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-=% %=-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-= =-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨