@@#&^=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=^&#@@
#@@#&^=,¨¨ ¨¨,=^&#@@#
##@@#&^=,¨ ¨,=^&#@@##
#@@#&^=,¨¨ ¨¨,=^&#@@#
@@#&^=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=^&#@@
@#&^=,¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
^=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=^
&^=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=^&
#&^=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=^&#
@#&^=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=^&#@
@@#&^=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=^&#@@