¨.~/§$#¶@# #@¶#$§/~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~§$$# #$$§~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~/§$#@## ##@#$§/~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.//$# #$//.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨../$$#@ @#$$/..¨¨¨
¨¨¨~//$$$# GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY #$$$//~¨¨¨
¨.~/§$#¶## GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ##¶#$§/~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨../§# #§/..¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~/§$#@## BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ##@#$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$¶@## SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ##@¶$§/~.¨
¨.~////$#¶ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¶#$////~.¨
¨.~/§$#¶¶@ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS @¶¶#$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#¶@@ HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT @@¶#$§/~.¨
¨¨¨../§$¶@ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS @¶$§/..¨¨¨
¨.~~~§$#¶¶ FROM BELOW. ¶¶#$§~~~.¨
¨.~/§$##¶@ @¶##$§/~.¨
¨.~/§§§$¶@ LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN @¶$§§§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#¶@# THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING #@¶#$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#¶## DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ##¶#$§/~.¨
¨¨¨¨./$##@ ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS @##$/.¨¨¨¨
¨.~/§$#¶@# REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING #@¶#$§/~.¨
¨¨¨.//§$$# BECAME A SLUDGE. #$$§//.¨¨¨
¨.~/§$¶@## ##@¶$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#¶@# AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE #@¶#$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#¶@# SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. #@¶#$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#¶@# #@¶#$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#@## ######################################## ##@#$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$¶@## # # ##@¶$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#@## # #@#@@@#@####################@#@@@#@# # ##@#$§/~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨./§# # @ @ # #§/.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨./$¶ @ @ @¶¶#§#§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§#§#¶¶@ @ @ ¶$/.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~/§$#¶@# ¶ @ @ @ @ ¶ #@¶#$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#¶@# ¶ @ @ THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, @ @ ¶ #@¶#$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#¶¶@ $ @ ¶ 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 ~ . . @¶¶#$§/~.¨
¨¨...//$$# . . . FINALLY BINGED ON. . . . #$$//...¨¨
¨.~/§$#¶@# ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ #@¶#$§/~.¨
¨¨¨¨.//$#@ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ @#$//.¨¨¨¨
¨.~/§$#@## AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ##@#$§/~.¨
¨./§$#¶@## AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ##@¶#$§/.¨
¨.~/§$$$$# STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND #$$$$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#¶## ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ##¶#$§/~.¨
¨.~/§§$##¶ LIKE CORPSES. ¶##$§§/~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~§# #§~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~§# #§~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨../§$#¶ ¶#$§/..¨¨¨
¨.~/§$#¶## ##¶#$§/~.¨
¨.~/§$#¶@# #@¶#$§/~.¨