¨¨¨¨¨~==^£ £^==~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~==^ ^==~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~== ==~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~= =~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ^==~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~== ==~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~= =~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨