##@¤¤$^--¨ ¨--^$¤¤@##
@@¤$$--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--$$¤@@
@@¤^^---¨¨ ¨¨---^^¤@@
#@¤¤$-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-$¤¤@#
##@¤¤$^--¨ ¨--^$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$^--¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨--^$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$^--¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨--^$¤¤@##
¤¤¤¤¤$^--¨ ¨--^$¤¤¤¤¤
#@@¤¤$^--¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨--^$¤¤@@#
##@¤¤$^--¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨--^$¤¤@##
#@¤¤¤$^--¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨--^$¤¤¤@#
###@¤$^--¨ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨--^$¤@###
@¤^^^^-¨¨¨ 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, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨--^^$$¤@@
##@¤¤$^--¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨--^$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$^--¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨--^$¤¤@##
¤¤¤$---¨¨¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨¨¨---$¤¤¤
¤¤¤$-¨¨¨¨¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨¨¨¨¨-$¤¤¤
#¤¤$---¨¨¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨¨¨---$¤¤#
##@¤¤$^--¨ ¨--^$¤¤@##
@@@¤¤$^--¨ ¨--^$¤¤@@@
##@¤¤$^--¨ ¨--^$¤¤@##
##@¤¤$^--¨ ¨--^$¤¤@##
¤¤^--¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨--^¤¤