#@@¤%^/-., ,.-/^%¤@@#
#@@¤%^/-., ,.-/^%¤@@#
@@@¤%^/-., ,.-/^%¤@@@
#@@¤%^/-., ,.-/^%¤@@#
@¤%^/-.,,, ,,,.-/^%¤@
#@@¤%^/-., 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. ,.-/^%¤@@#
#@@¤%^/-., ,.-/^%¤@@#
##@¤%^/-., ,.-/^%¤@##
@%%%^^/-., ,.-/^^%%%@
##@¤%^/-., ,.-/^%¤@##
@@@¤%^/-., ,.-/^%¤@@@