#¤¤%%%^~~, ,~~^%%%¤¤#
###¤$%^~~, ,~~^%$¤###
##¤%%^~,,, ,,,~^%%¤##
#¤%^~~~,,, ,,,~~~^%¤#
#¤$%%^^~~, ,~~^^%%$¤#
###¤$%^~~, GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ,~~^%$¤###
###¤$%^~~, GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ,~~^%$¤###
#¤¤¤$%^~~, ,~~^%$¤¤¤#
###¤$%^~~, BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ,~~^%$¤###
####¤$^~~, SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ,~~^$¤####
¤%~~,,,,,, 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. % ~ ~ ,~~^%$¤###
#$$%~~,,,, ~ ~ ^ THE SLUDGE HAS BEEN SAMPLED, ^ ~ ~ ,,,,~~%$$#
¤¤$$^~~,,, ~ ~ ~ ENTERTAINED, AND THEN ~ ~ ~ ,,,~~^$$¤¤
####$%^~~, ~ ~ ~ FINALLY BINGED ON. ~ ~ ~ ,~~^%$####
###¤$%^~~, , , , , , , ,~~^%$¤###
###¤$%^~~, , , , THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, , , , ,~~^%$¤###
###¤$%^~~, AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ,~~^%$¤###
###¤$%^~~, AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ,~~^%$¤###
###¤$%^~~, STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ,~~^%$¤###
###¤$%^~~, ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ,~~^%$¤###
#¤¤¤$%^~~, LIKE CORPSES. ,~~^%$¤¤¤#
¤%~~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~~%¤
###¤$%^~~, ,~~^%$¤###
¤$^^^^^~~, ,~~^^^^^$¤
#$$$^~,,,, ,,,,~^$$$#
¤¤¤%~~~,,, ,,,~~~%¤¤¤