§§==:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:==§§
§==:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:==§
==:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:==
=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: