^=~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~=^
=~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~=
^=~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~=^
¤^=~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~=^¤
§¤^=~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~=^¤§
#§¤^=~:¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~=
^=~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~=^
¤^=~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~=^¤
§¤^=~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~=^¤§
#§¤^=~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~=^¤§#
##§¤^=~:¨¨ ¨¨:~=^¤§##