###§$*^-~¨ ¨~-^*$§###
##§$*^-~¨¨ ¨¨~-^*$§##
#§$*^-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-^*$§#
§$*^-~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~-^*$§
$*^-~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~-^*$
*^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
*^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^*
$*^-~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~-^*$
§$*^-~¨¨¨¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨¨¨¨~-^*$§
#§$*^-~¨¨¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨¨¨~-^*$§#
##§$*^-~¨¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨¨~-^*$§##
###§$*^-~¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨~-^*$§###
##§$*^-~¨¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨¨~-^*$§##
#§$*^-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-^*$§#
§$*^-~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~-^*$§
$*^-~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~-^*$
*^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^*
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^