@*:~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~:*@
###@$*:~:¨ ¨:~:*$@###
#@$$:::::¨ ¨:::::$$@#
###@$*:~:¨ ¨:~:*$@###
#$$$$*:~:¨ ¨:~:*$$$$#
#$*:::::¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨:::::*$#
###@$*:~:¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨:~:*$@###
###@$*:~:¨ ¨:~:*$@###
##@$*:~¨¨¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨¨¨~:*$@##
@*::¨¨¨¨¨¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨¨¨¨¨¨::*@
@@$$$*:~:¨ 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, ¨:~:*$$$##
###@$*:~:¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨:~:*$@###
###@$*:~:¨ ¨:~:*$@###
###@$*:~:¨ ¨:~:*$@###
@*:~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~:*@
###@$*:~:¨ ¨:~:*$@###
#@@$::¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨::$@@#