@**:^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^:**@
@%%:^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^:%%@
##@**%:~^¨ ¨^~:%**@##
###@*%:~^¨ ¨^~:%*@###
###@*%:~^¨ ¨^~:%*@###
###@*%:~^¨ 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. ¨^~::%**##
###@*%:~^¨ ¨^~:%*@###
###@*%:~^¨ ¨^~:%*@###
####@*:~^¨ ¨^~:*@####
###@*%:~^¨ ¨^~:%*@###
###@*%:~^¨ ¨^~:%*@###