...,~/=£#@ @#£=/~,...
....,~/=£# #£=/~,....
.....,~/=£ £=/~,.....
......,~/= =/~,......
.......,~/ /~,.......
........,~ 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. #£=/~,....
...,~/=£#@ @#£=/~,...
..,~/=£#@# #@#£=/~,..
.,~/=£#@## ##@#£=/~,.
..,~/=£#@# #@#£=/~,..
...,~/=£#@ @#£=/~,...