¨,«^†$#### ####$†^«,¨
¨,«^†$@### ###@$†^«,¨
¨¨¨,,^^††@ @††^^,,¨¨¨
¨,«^†$@### ###@$†^«,¨
¨,«^†$@### ###@$†^«,¨
¨,«^†$@### GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ###@$†^«,¨
¨¨,«««†@@@ 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. , , , ###@$†^«,¨
¨,«^^†$$## ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ##$$†^^«,¨
¨¨¨¨,^†$$@ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ @$$†^,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«†$## AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ##$†«,¨¨¨¨
¨,«^†$@### AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ###@$†^«,¨
¨¨¨,,««†$# STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND #$†««,,¨¨¨
¨,«^†$@### ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ###@$†^«,¨
¨,«^†$@### LIKE CORPSES. ###@$†^«,¨
¨¨,,,,«^†@ @†^«,,,,¨¨
¨,«^†$@### ###@$†^«,¨
¨,«^†$@### ###@$†^«,¨
¨¨¨«^^†@@# #@@†^^«¨¨¨
¨,«^†$@### ###@$†^«,¨