##@¤%%^-~¨ ¨~-^%%¤@##
##@¤%%^-~¨ ¨~-^%%¤@##
##@¤%%^-~¨ ¨~-^%%¤@##
##@¤%%^-~¨ ¨~-^%%¤@##
#¤%%%--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--%%%¤#
##@¤%%^-~¨ 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. ¨~-^%%¤@##
¤%^-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-^%¤
##@¤%%^-~¨ ¨~-^%%¤@##
##@¤%%^-~¨ ¨~-^%%¤@##
@%%^--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--^%%@
¤%%^^-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-^^%%¤