&&¤:~,,,,, ,,,,,~:¤&&
&¤†~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~†¤&
#&&¤†:~,,, ,,,~:†¤&&#
##¤†~,,,,, ,,,,,~†¤##
###&¤†:~,, ,,~:†¤&###
&¤††~,,,,, 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. ,,,,~†¤&&&
#&††~~~,,, ,,,~~~††&#
###&¤†:~,, ,,~:†¤&###
###&¤†:~,, ,,~:†¤&###
###&¤†:~,, ,,~:†¤&###
###&¤†:~,, ,,~:†¤&###