¨~«†^$@¶¶¶ ¶¶¶@$^†«~¨
¨~«†^$$$@@ @@$$$^†«~¨
¨~«†^$@¶## ##¶@$^†«~¨
¨¨¨¨~~«^^@ @^^«~~¨¨¨¨
¨~«†^$@¶## ##¶@$^†«~¨
¨~«†^$@¶¶¶ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¶¶¶@$^†«~¨
¨¨¨¨¨«†^@# 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 @^†~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~«†^$@¶## STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ##¶@$^†«~¨
¨~«†^$@¶## ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ##¶@$^†«~¨
¨~«†^$@¶## LIKE CORPSES. ##¶@$^†«~¨
¨¨¨¨~†$$$@ @$$$†~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨«^$@@# #@@$^«¨¨¨¨
¨~«†^@¶### ###¶@^†«~¨
¨~«†^$@¶## ##¶@$^†«~¨
¨~«†^$@¶## ##¶@$^†«~¨