##¶&%*:~^¨ ¨^~:*%&¶##
##¶&%*:~^¨ ¨^~:*%&¶##
¶%:~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~:%¶
##¶&%*:~^¨ ¨^~:*%&¶##
¶%%*~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~*%%¶
&&&&%*:~^¨ 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. ¨^~:*%&¶¶¶
¶&&**~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~**&&¶
##¶&%*:~^¨ ¨^~:*%&¶##
&**~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~**&
¶¶&&%*:~^¨ ¨^~:*%&&¶¶
¶%:^^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^^:%¶