#¤&&&=†~:. .:~†=&&&¤#
##&=†~.... ....~†=&##
####¤=†~:. .:~†=¤####
##¤=†:.... ....:†=¤##
###¤&=†~:. .:~†=&¤###
###¤&=†~:. 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. .....:~~=¤
###¤&=†~:. .:~†=&¤###
#¤=††††~:. .:~††††=¤#
####¤&†~:. .:~†&¤####
###¤&=†~:. .:~†=&¤###
#&&&==†~:. .:~†==&&&#