#&$^*~.,,, ,,,.~*^$&#
&$^*~.,,,, ,,,,.~*^$&
$^*~.,,,,, ,,,,,.~*^$
&$^*~.,,,, ,,,,.~*^$&
#&$^*~.,,, ,,,.~*^$&#
##&$^*~.,, GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ,,.~*^$&##
###&$^*~., GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ,.~*^$&###
##&$^*~.,, ,,.~*^$&##
#&$^*~.,,, BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ,,,.~*^$&#
&$^*~.,,,, SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ,,,,.~*^$&
$^*~.,,,,, COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ,,,,,.~*^$
&$^*~.,,,, REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ,,,,.~*^$&
#&$^*~.,,, HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ,,,.~*^$&#
##&$^*~.,, AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ,,.~*^$&##
###&$^*~., FROM BELOW. ,.~*^$&###
##&$^*~.,, ,,.~*^$&##
#&$^*~.,,, LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ,,,.~*^$&#
&$^*~.,,,, THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ,,,,.~*^$&
$^*~.,,,,, DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ,,,,,.~*^$
&$^*~.,,,, ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ,,,,.~*^$&
#&$^*~.,,, REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ,,,.~*^$&#
##&$^*~.,, BECAME A SLUDGE. ,,.~*^$&##
###&$^*~., ,.~*^$&###
##&$^*~.,, AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ,,.~*^$&##
#&$^*~.,,, SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ,,,.~*^$&#
&$^*~.,,,, ,,,,.~*^$&
$^*~.,,,,, ######################################## ,,,,,.~*^$
&$^*~.,,,, # # ,,,,.~*^$&
#&$^*~.,,, # ######&#&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&#&###### # ,,,.~*^$&#
##&$^*~.,, # # # # ,,.~*^$&##
###&$^*~., # # ###&^&^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^&^&### # # ,.~*^$&###
##&$^*~.,, # # # # # # ,,.~*^$&##
#&$^*~.,,, # # # THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, # # # ,,,.~*^$&#
&$^*~.,,,, $ # # 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 ~ . . ,,,,.~*^$&
$^*~.,,,,, . . . FINALLY BINGED ON. . . . ,,,,,.~*^$
&$^*~.,,,, , , , , , , ,,,,.~*^$&
#&$^*~.,,, , , , THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, , , , ,,,.~*^$&#
##&$^*~.,, AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ,,.~*^$&##
###&$^*~., AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ,.~*^$&###
##&$^*~.,, STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ,,.~*^$&##
#&$^*~.,,, ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ,,,.~*^$&#
&$^*~.,,,, LIKE CORPSES. ,,,,.~*^$&
$^*~.,,,,, ,,,,,.~*^$
&$^*~.,,,, ,,,,.~*^$&
#&$^*~.,,, ,,,.~*^$&#
##&$^*~.,, ,,.~*^$&##
###&$^*~., ,.~*^$&###