###%$*-:¨¨ ¨¨:-*$%###
####%$*-:¨ ¨:-*$%####
###%$*-:¨¨ ¨¨:-*$%###
##%$*-:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:-*$%##
#%$*-:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:-*$%#
%$*-:¨¨¨¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨¨¨¨:-*$%
$*-:¨¨¨¨¨¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨¨¨¨¨¨:-*$
*-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-*
-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-*
$*-:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:-*$
%$*-:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:-*$%
#%$*-:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:-*$%#
##%$*-:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:-*$%##
###%$*-:¨¨ ¨¨:-*$%###