¨.»;=¤#### ####¤=;».¨
¨.»;=@#### ####@=;».¨
¨.»;=¤@@## ##@@¤=;».¨
¨.»;=¤@### ###@¤=;».¨
¨¨¨¨»»;=@# #@=;»»¨¨¨¨
¨.»;=¤@### 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. #@=»¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.»;==¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤==;».¨
¨.»;=¤@### ###@¤=;».¨
¨.»;=¤@### ###@¤=;».¨
¨¨...»==@# #@==»...¨¨
¨.»;=¤@### ###@¤=;».¨