¤¤¤.¤¤..¤¤ ....¤¤..¤¤
..¤¤.¤.¤.. ...¤.¤.¤..
.¤.¤¤¤¤¤.. ..¤¤¤¤¤¤..
¤¤¤....¤.¤ .¤.....¤..
..¤...¤¤¤¤ ¤¤....¤¤.¤
.¤¤..¤...¤ 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. .¤.¤¤..¤¤.
¤.¤¤¤...¤. ¤¤¤.¤.¤.¤.
¤¤..¤..¤¤¤ ..¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
.¤.¤¤.¤... .¤........
¤¤¤.¤¤¤..¤ ¤¤........
..¤¤..¤.¤¤ .¤.......¤