&†«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«†&
#@#&$†*«:¨ ¨:«*†$&#@#
##@#&$*«:¨ ¨:«*$&#@##
#@#&$†*«:¨ ¨:«*†$&#@#
&†«::¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨::«†&
@#&††*«:¨¨ 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, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨:«*†$&&&#
#&&$$†*«:¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨:«*†$$&&#
#&$**:¨¨¨¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨¨¨¨:**$&#
#@#&$†*«:¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨:«*†$&#@#
#$*:::::¨¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨¨:::::*$#
#@#&$†*«:¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨:«*†$&#@#
&&&†††*«:¨ ¨:«*†††&&&
@@#&$†*«:¨ ¨:«*†$&#@@
@@#&$†*«:¨ ¨:«*†$&#@@
###&$†*«:¨ ¨:«*†$&###
##@#&†*«:¨ ¨:«*†&#@##