&&*†~:,,,, ,,,,:~†*&&
&&%†~::,,, ,,,::~†%&&
&&&*~:,,,, ,,,,:~*&&&
£&**~,,,,, ,,,,,~**&£
£&&*†~,,,, ,,,,~†*&&£
£%††:::,,, 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. ,:~†*%%%&&
£%%*†~,,,, ,,,,~†*%%£
##£&%*†~:, ,:~†*%&£##
#£%†~:,,,, ,,,,:~†%£#
&%†††:,,,, ,,,,:†††%&
##£&%*†~:, ,:~†*%&£##