¨^-=%@¤¤## ##¤¤@%=-^¨
¨^-=%@¤### ###¤@%=-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨--%¤# #¤%--¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=@## ##@=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-=====%¤ ¤%=====-^¨
¨^-=%%%@¤# 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. ###¤@%=-^¨
¨^-=%@@@¤# #¤@@@%=-^¨
¨^-=%@¤### ###¤@%=-^¨
¨^-=%@¤### ###¤@%=-^¨
¨¨¨¨^=@@¤# #¤@@=^¨¨¨¨
¨^-=%@¤### ###¤@%=-^¨