@@¤@=†«-,, ,,-«†=@¤@@
#@@¤@=†«-, ,-«†=@¤@@#
@@¤@=†«-,, ,,-«†=@¤@@
@¤@=†«-,,, ,,,-«†=@¤@
¤@=†«-,,,, ,,,,-«†=@¤
@=†«-,,,,, 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. ,-«†=@¤@@#
@@¤@=†«-,, ,,-«†=@¤@@
@¤@=†«-,,, ,,,-«†=@¤@
¤@=†«-,,,, ,,,,-«†=@¤
@=†«-,,,,, ,,,,,-«†=@
¤@=†«-,,,, ,,,,-«†=@¤