,-«**@¤@## ##@¤@**«-,
,-««**@@¤¤ ¤¤@@**««-,
,-«««*@@¤# #¤@@*«««-,
,,--«*@¤@# #@¤@*«--,,
,,,,,,-*@¤ ¤@*-,,,,,,
,-«**¤@### 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. @¤@**-,,,,
,,,,--«*¤¤ ¤¤*«--,,,,
,-«**@¤### ###¤@**«-,
,,,,,«**@¤ ¤@**«,,,,,
,-«**@¤@## ##@¤@**«-,
,-«**@¤@## ##@¤@**«-,