#@#@$†=-^¨ ¨^-=†$@#@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@$†=-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-=†$@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@#@$†=-^¨ ¨^-=†$@#@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@$†=-^¨¨¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨¨¨^-=†$@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@#@$†=-^¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨^-=†$@#@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@$†=-^¨¨¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨¨¨^-=†$@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@#@$†=-^¨ HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ¨^-=†$@#@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@$†=-^¨¨¨ FROM BELOW. ¨¨¨^-=†$@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@#@$†=-^¨ LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ¨^-=†$@#@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@$†=-^¨¨¨ DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ¨¨¨^-=†$@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@#@$†=-^¨ REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ¨^-=†$@#@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ BECAME A SLUDGE. ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@$†=-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-=†$@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@#@$†=-^¨ SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ¨^-=†$@#@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@$†=-^¨¨¨ ######################################## ¨¨¨^-=†$@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ # # ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@#@$†=-^¨ # #@#@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@#@# # ¨^-=†$@#@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ # @ @ # ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@$†=-^¨¨¨ @ @ @##@†@††††††††††††††††††††@†@##@ @ @ ¨¨¨^-=†$@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ # @ @ @ @ # ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@#@$†=-^¨ # @ @ THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, @ @ # ¨^-=†$@#@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ $ @ # 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. ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@$†=-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-=†$@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@#@$†=-^¨ ¨^-=†$@#@#
@#@$†=-^¨¨ ¨¨^-=†$@#@
#@$†=-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-=†$@#