##@#%%^«,¨ ¨,«^%%#@##
###%%%^«,¨ ¨,«^%%%###
@##%^^^«,¨ ¨,«^^^%##@
##@#%%^«,¨ ¨,«^%%#@##
@#%%%%^«,¨ ¨,«^%%%%#@
#@##%%^«,¨ 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. ¨,«^%%#@##
@###%%^«,¨ ¨,«^%%###@
##@#%%^«,¨ ¨,«^%%#@##
##%%%%^«,¨ ¨,«^%%%%##
##@#%%^«,¨ ¨,«^%%#@##
##@#%%^«,¨ ¨,«^%%#@##