¨:=^^§£### ###£§^^=:¨
¨¨¨¨¨=^§£# #£§^=¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨==^£ £^==¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:::^^^^^£ £^^^^^:::¨
¨:=^^§£### ###£§^^=:¨
¨::::^^§£# 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. ##§§^=¨¨¨¨
¨¨:::=^§## ##§^=:::¨¨
¨¨¨:=^^§£# #£§^^=:¨¨¨
¨:=^^§£### ###£§^^=:¨
¨:=^^§£££# #£££§^^=:¨
¨:=^^§£### ###£§^^=:¨