#@@§$$:~,¨ ¨,~:$$§@@#
##@@§$$:~, ,~:$$§@@##
§$$$$~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~$$$$§
#@@§$$:~,¨ ¨,~:$$§@@#
@@§$$$:~,¨ ¨,~:$$$§@@
@§§$~,,¨¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨¨,,~$§§@
##@@§$$~,¨ 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 @ @ $ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,:$§
#@@§$$:~,¨ : § @ HOURS AGO. ELVES IN THE @ § : ¨,~:$$§@@#
@§$$$~~~,¨ : $ § PASSENGER CABIN, NOT YET § $ : ¨,~~~$$$§@
§$$:~,¨¨¨¨ ~ : § SEATED. BUT SOMETHING IS § : ~ ¨¨¨¨,~:$$§
@@§$$::~,¨ ~ ~ $ WRONG. THERE IS SOMETHING $ ~ ~ ¨,~::$$§@@
@@@§$$:~,¨ , , $ GREEN AROUND THEIR MOUTHS. $ , , ¨,~:$$§@@@
#@@§$$:~,¨ , , : THE SLUDGE HAS BEEN SAMPLED, : , , ¨,~:$$§@@#
#@@§$$:~,¨ , , ~ ENTERTAINED, AND THEN ~ , , ¨,~:$$§@@#
##@§$$:~,¨ , , , FINALLY BINGED ON. , , , ¨,~:$$§@##
#@@§$$:~,¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨,~:$$§@@#
§$~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~$§
#@@§$$:~,¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨,~:$$§@@#
#@@§$$:~,¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨,~:$$§@@#
#@@§$$:~,¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨,~:$$§@@#
@@@§$$:~,¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨,~:$$§@@@
§§$~~,¨¨¨¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨¨¨¨,~~$§§
@@@§$$:~,¨ ¨,~:$$§@@@
@@@§$$:~,¨ ¨,~:$$§@@@
§$:,,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,,:$§
##@§$$:~,¨ ¨,~:$$§@##
@§$$:::~,¨ ¨,~:::$$§@