#§@†=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=†@§#
@#§@†=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=†@§#@
#@#§@†=,¨¨ ¨¨,=†@§#@#
##@#§@†=,¨ ¨,=†@§#@##
#@#§@†=,¨¨ ¨¨,=†@§#@#
@#§@†=,¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨,=†@§#@
#@#§@†=,¨¨ ¨¨,=†@§#@#
##@#§@†=,¨ ¨,=†@§#@##
#@#§@†=,¨¨ ¨¨,=†@§#@#
@#§@†=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=†@§#@
#§@†=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=†@§#