##@&£^^--. .--^^£&@##
##@&£^^--. .--^^£&@##
##@&£^^--. .--^^£&@##
#&&£^^^--. .--^^^£&&#
#@£^-..... .....-^£@#
&^^^^^--.. 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. .....--^£&
@@&&£^^--. .--^^£&&@@
##@&£^^--. .--^^£&@##
##@&£^^--. .--^^£&@##
@&£^---... ...---^£&@
##@&£^^--. .--^^£&@##