*/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/*
/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/
*/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/*
¤*/~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/*¤
@¤*/~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~/*¤@
@@¤*/~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~/*¤@@
#@@¤*/~,¨¨ ¨¨,~/*¤@@#