#@¶#%^*«-¨ ¨-«*^%#¶@#
#@¶#%^*«-¨ ¨-«*^%#¶@#
¶#^*-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-*^#¶
#^**-----¨ ¨-----**^#
¶%^«««-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-«««^%¶
¶¶¶#%^*«-¨ 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. ¨-«*%#¶@##
¶%^^^*-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-*^^^%¶
##@¶#%*«-¨ ¨-«*%#¶@##
@¶%%^*«-¨¨ ¨¨-«*^%%¶@
#^^^***«-¨ ¨-«***^^^#
#@¶#%^*«-¨ ¨-«*^%#¶@#