,,,^«†£¤##                                          ##¤£†«^,,,
,^«*†£¤###                                          ###¤£†*«^,
,^«*†£¤###                                          ###¤£†*«^,
,,,,^*£¤¤#                                          #¤¤£*^,,,,
,^«*†£¤¤##                                          ##¤¤£†*«^,
,^^««††¤¤# 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.              ¤††††**«^,
,^«*†£¤###                                          ###¤£†*«^,
,,,,^«†£¤#                                          #¤£†«^,,,,
,^«†£¤####                                          ####¤£†«^,
,^«*†£¤###                                          ###¤£†*«^,
,^«*†£¤###                                          ###¤£†*«^,