,-~*†§¤### ###¤§†*~-,
,,-~*†§¤## ##¤§†*~-,,
,-~*†§¤### ###¤§†*~-,
,,-~*†§¤## ##¤§†*~-,,
,-~*†§¤### ###¤§†*~-,
,,-~*†§¤## 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. ##¤§†*~-,,
,-~*†§¤### ###¤§†*~-,
,,-~*†§¤## ##¤§†*~-,,
,-~*†§¤### ###¤§†*~-,
,,-~*†§¤## ##¤§†*~-,,
,-~*†§¤### ###¤§†*~-,