¤$%»¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨»%$¤
#@#¤$%^»-¨ ¨-»^%$¤#@#
¤%^»»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»»^%¤
##$%%^--¨¨ ¨¨--^%%$##
##@#¤%^»-¨ ¨-»^%¤#@##
#@#¤$%^»-¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨-»^%$¤#@#
##¤¤$%^»-¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨-»^%$¤¤##
@¤%^-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-^%¤@
#¤%»¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨-»^$$¤
@¤%%^^^»-¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨-»^^^%%¤@
#@#¤$%^»-¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨-»^%$¤#@#
@##¤$%^»-¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨-»^%$¤##@
##¤%%^»--¨ ¨--»^%%¤##
¤%»¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»%¤
@#¤¤$%^»-¨ ¨-»^%$¤¤#@
#¤¤$$%^»-¨ ¨-»^%$$¤¤#
#@#¤$%^»-¨ ¨-»^%$¤#@#