¨~-^†§¶### ###¶§†^-~¨
¨¨~-^†§¶## ##¶§†^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^†§¶# #¶§†^-~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-^†§¶ ¶§†^-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-^†§ §†^-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-^†§¶ 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. ##¶§†^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^†§¶# #¶§†^-~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-^†§¶ ¶§†^-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-^†§ §†^-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-^†§¶ ¶§†^-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~-^†§¶# #¶§†^-~¨¨¨