&@@@†††«.¨ ¨.«†††@@@&
##@&@*†«.¨ ¨.«†*@&@##
@@†..¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨..†@@
##@&@*†«.¨ ¨.«†*@&@##
&@*««..¨¨¨ ¨¨¨..««*@&
&&&@*††«.¨ 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. ¨.«†*@&@##
##@&@*†«.¨ ¨.«†*@&@##
##@&@*†«.¨ ¨.«†*@&@##
##@&@*†«.¨ ¨.«†*@&@##
&@**†««¨¨¨ ¨¨¨««†**@&
##@&@*†«.¨ ¨.«†*@&@##