¨¨,«^^£#@# #@#£^^«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«^^£#@ @#£^^«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^^£# #£^^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^^£ £^^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^^ ^^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,« «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^ ^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^^ ^^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨