¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
\~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨