¨¨::::=$@# #@$=::::¨¨
¨:=/$@@### ###@@$/=:¨
¨¨¨¨:/@@@@ @@@@/:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨===$@# #@$===¨¨¨¨
¨:::=/$@@# #@@$/=:::¨
¨:====/@@# 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 ##@$$==¨¨¨
¨:=/$@@### ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ###@@$/=:¨
¨¨¨¨===$@# LIKE CORPSES. #@$===¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=$$@@@ @@@$$=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨==/@@## ##@@/==¨¨¨
¨:=/@@#### ####@@/=:¨
¨¨¨::/$@@# #@@$/::¨¨¨
¨:=/$@@### ###@@$/=:¨