@@===~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~===@@
@======~^¨ ¨^~======@
@@@@&==~^¨ ¨^~==&@@@@
@&====~^^¨ ¨^^~====&@
#&&=^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^=&&#
@@@@&==~^¨ 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. ¨^~==&@@##
###@&==~^¨ ¨^~==&@###
@&=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=&@
###@&==~^¨ ¨^~==&@###
###@&==~^¨ ¨^~==&@###
###@&==~^¨ ¨^~==&@###