,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
:,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,: