¤¤¤£::,,,, ,,,,::£¤¤¤
¤††::~::,, ,,::~::††¤
@@£¤£†:~:, ,:~:†£¤£@@
#@£¤£†:~:, ,:~:†£¤£@#
##@¤£†:~:, ,:~:†£¤@##
¤£££::,,,, 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. ,,,,:~::£¤
¤£†~~~:,,, ,,,:~~~†£¤
@£¤¤£†:~:, ,:~:†£¤¤£@
##@£¤£†:~: :~:†£¤£@##
##@¤£†:~:, ,:~:†£¤@##
#@£¤£†:~:, ,:~:†£¤£@#