,,,,,,,,.= =.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.=\ \=.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.=\§ §\=.,,,,,,
,,,,,.=\§¤ ¤§\=.,,,,,
,,,,.=\§¤¤ ¤¤§\=.,,,,
,,,.=\§¤¤# 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. \=.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.=\§ §\=.,,,,,,
,,,,,.=\§¤ ¤§\=.,,,,,
,,,,.=\§¤¤ ¤¤§\=.,,,,
,,,.=\§¤¤# #¤¤§\=.,,,
,,.=\§¤¤## ##¤¤§\=.,,