#¤§**«~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~«**§¤#
##¤§**«~¨¨ ¨¨~«**§¤##
###¤§**«~¨ ¨~«**§¤###
##¤§**«~¨¨ ¨¨~«**§¤##
#¤§**«~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~«**§¤#
¤§**«~¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨~«**§¤
#¤§**«~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~«**§¤#
##¤§**«~¨¨ ¨¨~«**§¤##
###¤§**«~¨ ¨~«**§¤###
##¤§**«~¨¨ ¨¨~«**§¤##
#¤§**«~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~«**§¤#