,~~^$§¶### ###¶§$^~~,
,,~~^$§¶## ##¶§$^~~,,
,,,~~^$§¶# #¶§$^~~,,,
,,~~^$§¶## ##¶§$^~~,,
,~~^$§¶### ###¶§$^~~,
,,~~^$§¶## GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ##¶§$^~~,,
,,,~~^$§¶# GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. #¶§$^~~,,,
,,~~^$§¶## ##¶§$^~~,,
,~~^$§¶### BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ###¶§$^~~,
,,~~^$§¶## SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ##¶§$^~~,,
,,,~~^$§¶# COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY #¶§$^~~,,,
,,~~^$§¶## REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ##¶§$^~~,,
,~~^$§¶### HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ###¶§$^~~,
,,~~^$§¶## AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ##¶§$^~~,,
,,,~~^$§¶# FROM BELOW. #¶§$^~~,,,
,,~~^$§¶## ##¶§$^~~,,
,~~^$§¶### LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ###¶§$^~~,
,,~~^$§¶## THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ##¶§$^~~,,
,,,~~^$§¶# DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH #¶§$^~~,,,
,,~~^$§¶## ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ##¶§$^~~,,
,~~^$§¶### REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ###¶§$^~~,
,,~~^$§¶## BECAME A SLUDGE. ##¶§$^~~,,
,,,~~^$§¶# #¶§$^~~,,,
,,~~^$§¶## AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ##¶§$^~~,,
,~~^$§¶### SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ###¶§$^~~,
,,~~^$§¶## ##¶§$^~~,,
,,,~~^$§¶# ######################################## #¶§$^~~,,,
,,~~^$§¶## # # ##¶§$^~~,,
,~~^$§¶### # ######§#§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§#§###### # ###¶§$^~~,
,,~~^$§¶## # # # # ##¶§$^~~,,
,,,~~^$§¶# # # #¶¶§^§^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^§^§¶¶# # # #¶§$^~~,,,
,,~~^$§¶## ¶ # # # # ¶ ##¶§$^~~,,
,~~^$§¶### ¶ # # THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, # # ¶ ###¶§$^~~,
,,~~^$§¶## $ # ¶ 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. ##¶§$^~~,,
,,,~~^$§¶# #¶§$^~~,,,
,,~~^$§¶## ##¶§$^~~,,
,~~^$§¶### ###¶§$^~~,
,,~~^$§¶## ##¶§$^~~,,
,,,~~^$§¶# #¶§$^~~,,,