#@@¤&%†-~¨ ¨~-†%&¤@@#
#@@¤&%†-~¨ ¨~-†%&¤@@#
¤¤%%††-~¨¨ ¨¨~-††%%¤¤
@&†-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-†&@
#@@¤&%†-~¨ ¨~-†%&¤@@#
#@@¤&%†-~¨ 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. ¨~-†%&¤@##
##@@&%†-~¨ ¨~-†%&@@##
@@¤&&%†-~¨ ¨~-†%&&¤@@
@@&†--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--†&@@
##@@¤%†-~¨ ¨~-†%¤@@##
¤&&%%-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-%%&&¤