,-=†$%&¶¶# #¶¶&%$†=-,
,-==†††%&& &&%†††==-,
,-=†$%¶### ###¶%$†=-,
,-=†$%&### ###&%$†=-,
,,,,,=††%& &%††=,,,,,
,,,,,,-†%¶ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¶%†-,,,,,,
,,--††%%&¶ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¶&%%††--,,
,,,,,==$&& &&$==,,,,,
,-=†$%&¶## BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ##¶&%$†=-,
,,,,--=$%¶ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¶%$=--,,,,
,-=†$%&¶## HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$$%%%¶ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ¶%%%$$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## FROM BELOW. ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶¶# #¶¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%%%%¶ LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ¶%%%%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ##¶&%$†=-,
,,-=†$$&¶¶ DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ¶¶&$$†=-,,
,,,,--=$$& ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS &$$=--,,,,
,,,,,,-=$& REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING &$=-,,,,,,
,-=†$%&¶## BECAME A SLUDGE. ##¶&%$†=-,
,,,,,-†%&¶ ¶&%†-,,,,,
,-=†$%&¶## AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶¶¶ ¶¶¶&%$†=-,
,,,,,,-=$& ######################################## &$=-,,,,,,
,-=†$%&¶## # # ##¶&%$†=-,
,,,--=$%%& # ######&#&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&#&###### # &%%$=--,,,
,-=†$&¶### # # # # ###¶&$†=-,
,,,,,--†%& # # #¶¶&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&$&¶¶# # # &%†--,,,,,
,-=†$%%&&# ¶ # # # # ¶ #&&%%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## ¶ # # THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, # # ¶ ##¶&%$†=-,
,,,,-==†%& % # ¶ PREPARED FOR LAUNCH, ¶ # % &%†==-,,,,
,-=†$%&¶## $ ¶ ¶ IGNITION SEQUENCE STARTED ¶ ¶ $ ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## † & ¶ HOURS AGO. ELVES IN THE ¶ & † ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## † $ & PASSENGER CABIN, NOT YET & $ † ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## = † & SEATED. BUT SOMETHING IS & † = ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## = = % WRONG. THERE IS SOMETHING % = = ##¶&%$†=-,
,,,,,,=†%& - - $ GREEN AROUND THEIR MOUTHS. $ - - &%†=,,,,,,
,-=†$%&¶## - - † THE SLUDGE HAS BEEN SAMPLED, † - - ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## - - = ENTERTAINED, AND THEN = - - ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## - - - FINALLY BINGED ON. - - - ##¶&%$†=-,
,,,,=$$&¶# , , , , , , #¶&$$=,,,,
,,,--†$%%¶ , , , THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, , , , ¶%%$†--,,,
,-=†$%%%¶# AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES #¶%%%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ##¶&%$†=-,
,,,,,==$&& STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND &&$==,,,,,
,,-==††%&¶ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¶&%††==-,,
,-=†$%&¶## LIKE CORPSES. ##¶&%$†=-,
,,,,,=$%%& &%%$=,,,,,
,,,,=$$&¶¶ ¶¶&$$=,,,,
,-----†%%& &%%†-----,
,-=†$%&¶## ##¶&%$†=-,
,-=†$%&¶## ##¶&%$†=-,