#@£§$%=»^¨ ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ FROM BELOW. ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ BECAME A SLUDGE. ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ ######################################## ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ # # ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ # #@#@@@§@§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§@§@@@#@# # ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ # @ @ # ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ @ @ @££§%§%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%§%§££@ @ @ ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ £ @ @ @ @ £ ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ £ @ @ THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, @ @ £ ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ $ @ £ 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. ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ ¨^»=%$§£@#
@£§$%=»^¨¨ ¨¨^»=%$§£@
#@£§$%=»^¨ ¨^»=%$§£@#