.^~~**§¤## ##¤§**~~^.
^~*§$¤#### ####¤$§*~^
.^~*§$¤### ###¤$§*~^.
.^~*§§§$¤# #¤$§§§*~^.
.^~*$¤#### ####¤$*~^.
^~*§$¤#### GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ####¤$§*~^
....^^*$¤# GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. #¤$*^^....
.^~*§§$$$# #$$$§§*~^.
.^~*§$¤### BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ###¤$§*~^.
..^^~~~*$¤ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¤$*~~~^^..
.^~*§$¤### COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ###¤$§*~^.
.^~*§$¤### REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ###¤$§*~^.
.^~*§$$¤¤# HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT #¤¤$$§*~^.
.^~*§$¤### AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ###¤$§*~^.
....^**$¤# FROM BELOW. #¤$**^....
.^~*§$¤### ###¤$§*~^.
.^*§$¤#### LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ####¤$§*^.
...~~**$¤# THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING #¤$**~~...
.^~*§$¤### DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ###¤$§*~^.
.^~*§§$$¤# ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS #¤$$§§*~^.
.^~****$$¤ REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ¤$$****~^.
....~~~§¤¤ 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 ###¤$§*~^.
....^~§$$¤ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¤$$§~^....
.^~*§$¤### STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ###¤$§*~^.
......^*$¤ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¤$*^......
...~**§$$¤ LIKE CORPSES. ¤$$§**~...
...~~*$$¤¤ ¤¤$$*~~...
...~~~§§$# #$§§~~~...
....^**§$# #$§**^....
.^~*§$¤### ###¤$§*~^.
.^~*§$¤### ###¤$§*~^.