#@§$=»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»=$§@#
@§$=»:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:»=$§@
§$=»:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:»=$§
$=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=$
=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=
»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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, = : : ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=
$=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ : : » ENTERTAINED, AND THEN » : : ¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=$
§$=»:¨¨¨¨¨ : : : FINALLY BINGED ON. : : : ¨¨¨¨¨:»=$§
@§$=»:¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨:»=$§@
#@§$=»:¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨:»=$§@#
##@§$=»:¨¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨¨:»=$§@##
###@§$=»:¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨:»=$§@###
##@§$=»:¨¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨¨:»=$§@##
#@§$=»:¨¨¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨¨¨:»=$§@#
@§$=»:¨¨¨¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨¨¨¨:»=$§@
§$=»:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:»=$§
$=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=$
=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=
»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: