##¶@$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ FROM BELOW. ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ BECAME A SLUDGE. ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ######################################## ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ # # ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ # ######@#@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@#@###### # ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ # # # # ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ # # #¶¶@$@$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$@$@¶¶# # # ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ¶ # # # # ¶ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ¶ # # THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, # # ¶ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ $ # ¶ PREPARED FOR LAUNCH, ¶ # $ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ $ ¶ ¶ IGNITION SEQUENCE STARTED ¶ ¶ $ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ * @ ¶ HOURS AGO. ELVES IN THE ¶ @ * ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ * $ @ PASSENGER CABIN, NOT YET @ $ * ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ~ * @ SEATED. BUT SOMETHING IS @ * ~ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ~ ~ $ WRONG. THERE IS SOMETHING $ ~ ~ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ~ ~ $ GREEN AROUND THEIR MOUTHS. $ ~ ~ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ~ ~ * THE SLUDGE HAS BEEN SAMPLED, * ~ ~ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ENTERTAINED, AND THEN ~ ~ ~ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ~ ~ ~ FINALLY BINGED ON. ~ ~ ~ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$@¶##
#¶@$$*~~¨¨ ¨¨~~*$$@¶#
##¶@$$*~~¨ ¨~~*$$@¶##