##&£^/-^.. ..^-/^£&##
###&£^/-^. .^-/^£&###
##&£^/-^.. ..^-/^£&##
#&£^/-^... ...^-/^£&#
&£^/-^.... ....^-/^£&
£^/-^..... 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. .........^
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
^......... .........^
-^........ ........^-