§^:=-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-=:^§
^:=-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-=:^
:=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=:
=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨-=:^
:=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=:
=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨