§§*^^--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--^^*§§
§$*~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*$§
###§$*^~-¨ ¨-~^*$§###
#§$^-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-^$§#
###§$*^~-¨ ¨-~^*$§###
###§$*^~-¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨-~^*$§###
###§$*^~-¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨-~^*$§###
###§$*^~-¨ ¨-~^*$§###
###§$*^~-¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨-~^*$§###
###§$*^~-¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨-~^*$§###
###§$*^~-¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨-~^*$§###
§§§§$*^~-¨ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨-~^*$§§§§
§$$^-¨¨¨¨¨ HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ¨¨¨¨¨-^$$§
#§*~-¨¨¨¨¨ 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. * - - ¨¨¨~^^**§§
§$$^-¨¨¨¨¨ - - ^ THE SLUDGE HAS BEEN SAMPLED, ^ - - ¨¨¨¨¨-^$$§
###§$*^~-¨ - - ~ ENTERTAINED, AND THEN ~ - - ¨-~^*$§###
###§$*^~-¨ - - - FINALLY BINGED ON. - - - ¨-~^*$§###
§$$*^^^~-¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨-~^^^*$$§
###§$*^~-¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨-~^*$§###
##$^---¨¨¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨¨¨---^$##
###§$*^~-¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨-~^*$§###
###§$*^~-¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨-~^*$§###
###§$*^~-¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨-~^*$§###
#§$*~¨¨¨¨¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨¨¨¨¨~*$§#
#§§***^~-¨ ¨-~^***§§#
###§$*^~-¨ ¨-~^*$§###
§§§$$*^~-¨ ¨-~^*$$§§§
###§$*^~-¨ ¨-~^*$§###
####§$*^~- -~^*$§####