##@£%*†~~, ,~~†*%£@##
@%**~~,,,, ,,,,~~**%@
£*~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~*£
££%*†~~~~, ,~~~~†*%££
@%%*~~,,,, ,,,,~~*%%@
#@££%*†~~, 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. ,~~†*%£@##
#@£*†~,,,, ,,,,~†*£@#
#@@£%*†~~, ,~~†*%£@@#
##@£%*†~~, ,~~†*%£@##
@£%*††~~,, ,,~~††*%£@
##@£%*†~~, ,~~†*%£@##