#@**;=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=;**@#
@**;=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=;**@
**;=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=;**
*;=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=;*
**;=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=;**
@**;=,¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨,=;**@##
#@**;=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=;**@#
@**;=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=;**@
**;=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=;**
*;=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=;*
**;=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=;**