...¤¤¤.¤¤¤ ¤...¤..¤¤.
...¤..¤¤.. ¤¤..¤¤.¤.¤
¤..¤¤.¤.¤. ¤.¤.¤.¤¤¤¤
.¤.¤.¤¤¤¤¤ .¤¤¤¤¤¤...
.¤¤¤¤¤.... ¤¤.....¤..
.¤....¤... 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. ..¤..¤¤¤..
.¤...¤¤.¤¤ ¤.¤¤.¤..¤.
.¤¤..¤.¤¤. ¤¤¤.¤¤¤.¤¤
¤¤.¤.¤¤¤.¤ ...¤¤..¤¤.
¤.¤¤¤¤..¤¤ ¤..¤.¤.¤.¤
.¤¤...¤.¤. .¤.¤¤¤¤¤¤¤