\~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~\
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
\~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~\
%\~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
\~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~\
%\~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~\%
*%\~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~\%*