##§:::::¨¨ ¨¨:::::§##
#@#&§§:»:¨ ¨:»:§§&#@#
#@#&§§:»:¨ ¨:»:§§&#@#
#§§::¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨::§§#
#@#&§§:»:¨ ¨:»:§§&#@#
#@#&§§:»:¨ 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. ¨¨¨»»:§§&#
#@#&§§:»:¨ ¨:»:§§&#@#
##@&§§:»:¨ ¨:»:§§&@##
@&§:»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»:§&@
@&&&§§:»:¨ ¨:»:§§&&&@
#@#&§§:»:¨ ¨:»:§§&#@#