#§†///.... ....///†§#
#§@††-.... ....-††@§#
§†/-...... ......-/†§
###§@†/-.. ..-/†@§###
§@†-...... ......-†@§
##@†/..... 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. ...../@@§#
#§†-...... ......-†§#
##@///--.. ..--///@##
####§@†/-. .-/†@§####
####§†/-.. ..-/†§####
§@†-...... ......-†@§