#@#&$†*=~¨ ¨~=*†$&#@#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
&$†*=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=*†$&
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#@#&$†*=~¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨~=*†$&#@#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
&$†*=~¨¨¨¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨¨¨¨~=*†$&
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#@#&$†*=~¨ HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ¨~=*†$&#@#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ FROM BELOW. ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
&$†*=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=*†$&
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#@#&$†*=~¨ DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ¨~=*†$&#@#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
&$†*=~¨¨¨¨ BECAME A SLUDGE. ¨¨¨¨~=*†$&
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#@#&$†*=~¨ SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ¨~=*†$&#@#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ ######################################## ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
&$†*=~¨¨¨¨ # # ¨¨¨¨~=*†$&
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ # #@#@@@&@&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&@&@@@#@# # ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ # @ @ # ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#@#&$†*=~¨ @ @ @##&†&††††††††††††††††††††&†&##@ @ @ ¨~=*†$&#@#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ # @ @ @ @ # ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ # @ @ THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, @ @ # ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
&$†*=~¨¨¨¨ $ @ # 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. ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
&$†*=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=*†$&
#&$†*=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=*†$&#
@#&$†*=~¨¨ ¨¨~=*†$&#@
#@#&$†*=~¨ ¨~=*†$&#@#