,,,,=:^&§¶ ¶§&^:=,,,,
,,,,,=:^&§ §&^:=,,,,,
,,,,=:^&§¶ ¶§&^:=,,,,
,,,=:^&§¶@ @¶§&^:=,,,
,,=:^&§¶@# #@¶§&^:=,,
,,,=:^&§¶@ 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. §&^:=,,,,,
,,,,=:^&§¶ ¶§&^:=,,,,
,,,=:^&§¶@ @¶§&^:=,,,
,,=:^&§¶@# #@¶§&^:=,,
,,,=:^&§¶@ @¶§&^:=,,,
,,,,=:^&§¶ ¶§&^:=,,,,