¨,~/%%@### ###@%%/~,¨
¨,~/%@#### ####@%/~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~/%## ##%/~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~/%%@### ###@%%/~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~/%@ @%/~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~/%@@ 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. ###@%%/~,¨
¨,~/%%@### ###@%%/~,¨
¨,~///%%## ##%%///~,¨
¨¨¨¨~%%@## ##@%%~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,/%@## ##@%/,¨¨¨¨
¨,~/%%@### ###@%%/~,¨