¤¤§§~,,,,, ,,,,,~§§¤¤
#@@¤§§\~,, ,,~\§§¤@@#
@¤¤§§§\~,, ,,~\§§§¤¤@
@@@¤§§\~,, ,,~\§§¤@@@
¤§§~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~§§¤
¤§\\\\\~,, 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. ,,,~~~§¤¤¤
##@@¤§\~,, ,,~\§¤@@##
@¤§~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~§¤@
¤¤¤§§§\~,, ,,~\§§§¤¤¤
##@¤§§\~,, ,,~\§§¤@##
#@@¤§§\~,, ,,~\§§¤@@#