¨.~;^%#¶## ##¶#%^;~.¨
¨¨.~;^%#¶# #¶#%^;~.¨¨
¨.~;^%#¶## ##¶#%^;~.¨
¨¨.~;^%#¶# #¶#%^;~.¨¨
¨.~;^%#¶## ##¶#%^;~.¨
¨¨.~;^%#¶# 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. #¶#%^;~.¨¨
¨.~;^%#¶## ##¶#%^;~.¨
¨¨.~;^%#¶# #¶#%^;~.¨¨
¨.~;^%#¶## ##¶#%^;~.¨
¨¨.~;^%#¶# #¶#%^;~.¨¨
¨.~;^%#¶## ##¶#%^;~.¨