¤.¤¤¤.¤¤.¤ .¤...¤..¤¤
¤¤..¤¤.¤¤. ¤¤..¤¤.¤..
.¤.¤.¤¤.¤¤ .¤.¤.¤¤¤.¤
¤¤¤¤¤.¤¤.. ¤¤¤¤¤..¤¤¤
....¤¤.¤.. ....¤.¤...
...¤.¤¤¤.¤ 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. ¤.¤..¤¤...
...¤..¤¤¤. ¤¤¤.¤.¤..¤
..¤¤.¤..¤. ..¤¤¤¤¤.¤¤
.¤.¤¤¤.¤¤. .¤....¤¤.¤
¤¤¤..¤¤.¤. ¤¤...¤.¤¤¤
..¤.¤.¤¤¤. .¤..¤¤¤...