##@#&=*~,¨ ¨,~*=&#@##
@##@&=*~,¨ ¨,~*=&@##@
@=**~~,,¨¨ ¨¨,,~~**=@
##@@&=*~,¨ ¨,~*=&@@##
#@#@&=*~,¨ ¨,~*=&@#@#
##@@&=*~,¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨,**&@
##@#@&*~,¨ ¨,~*&@#@##
@=~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~=@
#@=~~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~~=@#
@@#@&=*~,¨ ¨,~*=&@#@@
###@&=*~,¨ ¨,~*=&@###