#@#@§==~,¨ ¨,~==§@#@#
@@#@§==~,¨ ¨,~==§@#@@
@===~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~===@
@==~~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~~==@
##@@§==~,¨ ¨,~==§@@##
##@#§==~,¨ 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. ¨,~==§@@@#
@@@@§==~,¨ ¨,~==§@@@@
@@=====~,¨ ¨,~=====@@
#§=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=§#
#@#@§==~,¨ ¨,~==§@#@#
#@#@§==~,¨ ¨,~==§@#@#