£@@††=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=††@@£
##£@@†==~¨ ¨~==†@@£##
££@@=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=@@££
##£@@†==~¨ ¨~==†@@£##
##£@@†==~¨ ¨~==†@@£##
###£@@†=~¨ 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. ¨~==†@@£££
##£@@†==~¨ ¨~==†@@£##
£@†=~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~=†@£
@@††===~¨¨ ¨¨~===††@@
@@@†===~~¨ ¨~~===†@@@
###£@†==~¨ ¨~==†@£###