,,,,:«†§¶¶ ¶¶§†«:,,,,
,:«†^§§¶## ##¶§§^†«:,
,:«††^§§¶# #¶§§^††«:,
,,,,:«^§§§ §§§^«:,,,,
,:«†^§§¶## ##¶§§^†«:,
,:«†^^§§§§ 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. ##¶§§^†«:,
,:«†^§§¶## ##¶§§^†«:,
,:::«††§§# #§§††«:::,
,:«†^§§¶## ##¶§§^†«:,
,,,,,:†§§¶ ¶§§†:,,,,,
,:«††^§§¶# #¶§§^††«:,