##$^~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~^$##
###@$%^~,¨ ¨,~^%$@###
###@$%^~,¨ ¨,~^%$@###
###@$%^~,¨ ¨,~^%$@###
###@$%^~,¨ ¨,~^%$@###
@$^~¨¨¨¨¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨¨¨¨¨~^$@
###@$%^~,¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨,~^%$@###
###@$%^~,¨ ¨,~^%$@###
#@%~~¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨,~^%$@###
###@$%^~,¨ ¨,~^%$@###
#@@$^,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,^$@@#
####@$%^~, ,~^%$@####
###@$%^~,¨ ¨,~^%$@###
###@$%^~,¨ ¨,~^%$@###