¨,~\§&§§§# #§§§&§\~,¨
¨,~\§&§@## ##@§&§\~,¨
¨,~\§&§#@@ @@#§&§\~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,\§&# #&§\,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~§§§ §§§~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~\§&§#@# 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. #§&&§§\~,¨
¨,~\§&§#@# #@#§&§\~,¨
¨,~\§&§#@# #@#§&§\~,¨
¨,~\§&§#@# #@#§&§\~,¨
¨¨¨,~\\&§@ @§&\\~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,,\&§@ @§&\,,¨¨¨¨