¨.«==%¤&&& &&&¤%==«.¨
¨.«=%¤&¶## ##¶&¤%=«.¨
¨¨¨¨«%%¤¶¶ ¶¶¤%%«¨¨¨¨
¨.«=%¤&¶## ##¶&¤%=«.¨
¨.«=%¤&¶## ##¶&¤%=«.¨
¨.«==%¤¤¤& 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. ##¶&¤%=«.¨
¨¨¨¨.«%¤¶¶ ¶¶¤%«.¨¨¨¨
¨.«=%¤&### ###&¤%=«.¨
¨.«=%¤&¶## ##¶&¤%=«.¨
¨¨¨.=%%¤¶# #¶¤%%=.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨«%¤¤¤& &¤¤¤%«¨¨¨¨