@@@¤@*;».¨ ¨.»;*@¤@@@
¤¤*;;..¨¨¨ ¨¨¨..;;*¤¤
#@¤**».¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.»**¤@#
@@@¤@*;».¨ ¨.»;*@¤@@@
¤¤¤¤@*;».¨ ¨.»;*@¤¤¤¤
¤¤*;.¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨.»;*@@@@@
#¤@**;».¨¨ ¨¨.»;**@¤#
@¤¤@@*;».¨ ¨.»;*@@¤¤@
#¤*»»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»»*¤#
##@¤@*;».¨ ¨.»;*@¤@##
@@;».¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.»;@@