^~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~^
§^~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~^§
%§^~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~^§%
#%§^~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~^§%#
£#%§^~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~^§%#£
@£#%§^~^¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~^§
%§^~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~^§%
#%§^~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~^§%#
£#%§^~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~^§%#£
@£#%§^~^¨¨ ¨¨^~^§%#£@
#@£#%§^~^¨ ¨^~^§%#£@#