¨~~†*%@#@# #@#@%*†~~¨
¨¨~~†*%@#@ @#@%*†~~¨¨
¨¨¨~~†*%@# #@%*†~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~†*%@ @%*†~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~†*% %*†~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†* 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~† †~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨