¨¨¨¨¨¨:^¤¤ ¤¤^:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:-^§¤¤@@# #@@¤¤§^-:¨
¨:-^§¤¤@@# #@@¤¤§^-:¨
¨:-^§¤¤@@@ @@@¤¤§^-:¨
¨:-^§¤¤@@# #@@¤¤§^-:¨
¨:-^§¤¤¤@@ 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. ¤¤¤^:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:-^§¤¤@@# #@@¤¤§^-:¨
¨:-^§¤¤@@@ @@@¤¤§^-:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:^§§¤ ¤§§^:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:-^§¤¤@## ##@¤¤§^-:¨
¨:-^§§§§¤¤ ¤¤§§§§^-:¨