.....,,~§# #§~,,.....
.,~\\§§§§£ £§§§§\\~,.
.,~\§§#£@# #@£#§§\~,.
...,,\§§§£ £§§§\,,...
.,~\§§#£## ##£#§§\~,.
.....,\\§# 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. ##@£#§\~,.
.,~\§§#££@ @££#§§\~,.
.,~\§§#£## ##£#§§\~,.
.,,~\§§#£@ @£#§§\~,,.
.,~\§§##££ ££##§§\~,.
.,~\§§#### ####§§\~,.