.¤¤....... ..........
....¤¤¤¤¤. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
.¤¤..¤¤¤.. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤.
......¤... ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤..
¤¤¤¤¤...¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤..¤
¤¤¤¤..¤..¤ 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. ..¤¤....¤¤
¤¤¤..¤¤... ¤....¤¤..¤
¤¤......¤¤ ..¤¤......
...¤¤¤¤... .....¤¤¤¤.
¤¤..¤¤..¤¤ ¤¤¤¤..¤¤..
.......... .¤¤.......