@@@$$::«^¨ ¨^«::$$@@@
#@@$:^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^:$@@#
##@@¤$:«^¨ ¨^«:$¤@@##
##@@¤$:«^¨ ¨^«:$¤@@##
#@@@¤$:«^¨ ¨^«:$¤@@@#
##@@¤$:«^¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨^«:$¤@@##
##@@¤$:«^¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨^«:$¤@@##
##@@¤$:«^¨ ¨^«:$¤@@##
@¤::««¨¨¨¨ 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, : ^ ^ ¨^«:$$¤@@#
##@@¤$:«^¨ ^ ^ « ENTERTAINED, AND THEN « ^ ^ ¨^«:$¤@@##
##@@¤$:«^¨ ^ ^ ^ FINALLY BINGED ON. ^ ^ ^ ¨^«:$¤@@##
##@@¤$:«^¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨^«:$¤@@##
##@@¤$:«^¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨^«:$¤@@##
#@@@¤$:«^¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨^«:$¤@@@#
@¤$:::^^^¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨^^^:::$¤@
##@@¤$:«^¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨^«:$¤@@##
##@@¤$:«^¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨^«:$¤@@##
@@@@¤$:«^¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨^«:$¤@@@@
@¤::««^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^««::¤@
#@$«¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨«$@#
@¤:::^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^:::¤@
#@@@¤$:«^¨ ¨^«:$¤@@@#
##@@¤$:«^¨ ¨^«:$¤@@##