¨,~=^%¤@## ##@¤%^=~,¨
¨,~=^¤@### ###@¤^=~,¨
¨¨¨¨,=%%@@ @@%%=,¨¨¨¨
¨,~=^%¤@## ##@¤%^=~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,==%@ @%==,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~=^%¤@@@ 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. ##@¤%^=~,¨
¨,~=^%¤@## ##@¤%^=~,¨
¨,~=^%¤### ###¤%^=~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=%@@ @@%=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~=^%¤@## ##@¤%^=~,¨
¨¨¨,==%¤¤@ @¤¤%==,¨¨¨