#@#@£*=-:¨ ¨:-=*£@#@#
@@@£*-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-*£@@@
#@#@£*=-:¨ ¨:-=*£@#@#
@£=:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:=£@
@@#@£*=-:¨ ¨:-=*£@#@@
#@#@£*=-:¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-*@
#@#@£*=-:¨ ¨:-=*£@#@#
@@£*==--:¨ ¨:--==*£@@
#@#@£*=-:¨ ¨:-=*£@#@#
@@£*==:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:==*£@@
#@#@£*=-:¨ ¨:-=*£@#@#