¨~-=%*&### ###&*%=-~¨
¨¨¨¨¨--%&# #&%--¨¨¨¨¨
¨~---=**## ##**=---~¨
¨¨¨~=%*&&# #&&*%=~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*# #*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~-=%*&### 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. ##*=-~¨¨¨¨
¨~-=%*&### ###&*%=-~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-%&# #&%-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-=**&# #&**=-¨¨¨¨
¨~-=%&#### ####&%=-~¨
¨~-=%*&### ###&*%=-~¨