¨.»/$%¤### ###¤%$/».¨
¨.»/$%¤### ###¤%$/».¨
¨.»/$%¤### ###¤%$/».¨
¨.»/$%¤### ###¤%$/».¨
¨.»/$%¤### ###¤%$/».¨
¨.»/$%¤### GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ###¤%$/».¨
¨.»/$%¤### GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ###¤%$/».¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨»$$¤ ¤$$»¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨..»$¤# BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, #¤$»..¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨./%# 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. . . . ##%%$$/».¨
¨.»/$%¤### ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ###¤%$/».¨
¨.»/$%%%¤¤ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¤¤%%%$/».¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨./%# AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES #%/.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.»/%# AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE #%/».¨¨¨¨¨
¨.»/$%¤### STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ###¤%$/».¨
¨...»$%%¤# ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, #¤%%$»...¨
¨.../$%%%# LIKE CORPSES. #%%%$/...¨
¨.»»/$%%¤¤ ¤¤%%$/»».¨
¨¨¨¨../$¤# #¤$/..¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨»$$%¤¤ ¤¤%$$»¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨./$$¤# #¤$$/.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨»»»/%¤ ¤%/»»»¨¨¨¨