,,^~:†%&##                                          ##&%†:~^,,
,^~:†%&###                                          ###&%†:~^,
,,^~:†%&##                                          ##&%†:~^,,
,,,^~:†%&#                                          #&%†:~^,,,
,,,,^~:†%&                                          &%†:~^,,,,
,,,,,^~:†% 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.              ###&%†:~^,
,,^~:†%&##                                          ##&%†:~^,,
,,,^~:†%&#                                          #&%†:~^,,,
,,,,^~:†%&                                          &%†:~^,,,,
,,,,,^~:†%                                          %†:~^,,,,,
,,,,,,^~:†                                          †:~^,,,,,,