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