¨,=†§$§¶## ##¶§$§†=,¨
¨,=†§$§¶## ##¶§$§†=,¨
¨,=†§$§¶## ##¶§$§†=,¨
¨,=†§$§¶## ##¶§$§†=,¨
¨¨¨¨,†§$§¶ ¶§$§†,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨=§§ 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. #¶$$$§†=,¨
¨,=†§$§¶## ##¶§$§†=,¨
¨,=†§$§¶## ##¶§$§†=,¨
¨,=†§$§¶## ##¶§$§†=,¨
¨,=†§$§### ###§$§†=,¨
¨¨¨¨,,,=§§ §§=,,,¨¨¨¨