¤¤%^...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...^%¤¤
###¤@%^~.¨ ¨.~^%@¤###
###¤@%^~.¨ ¨.~^%@¤###
###¤@%^~.¨ ¨.~^%@¤###
##@@^..¨¨¨ ¨¨¨..^@@##
###¤@%^~.¨ 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. ¨.~^%@¤¤##
####¤@%~.¨ ¨.~%@¤####
###¤@%^~.¨ ¨.~^%@¤###
#@^.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.^@#
¤%^..¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨..^%¤
###¤@%^~.¨ ¨.~^%@¤###