@¤^^^\\~.¨ ¨.~\\^^^¤@
#@#¤$^\~.¨ ¨.~\^$¤#@#
@@#¤$^\~.¨ ¨.~\^$¤#@@
##¤¤$^\~.¨ ¨.~\^$¤¤##
#@#¤$^\~.¨ ¨.~\^$¤#@#
¤^~...¨¨¨¨ 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 ~ . . ¨¨..~~\^¤#
#@#¤$^\~.¨ . . . FINALLY BINGED ON. . . . ¨.~\^$¤#@#
#$^^~~¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨~~^^$#
#@#¤$^\~.¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨.~\^$¤#@#
¤$$\.¨¨¨¨¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨¨¨¨¨.\$$¤
#@#¤$^\~.¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨.~\^$¤#@#
@@#¤$^\~.¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨.~\^$¤#@@
##@¤$^\~.¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨.~\^$¤@##
###¤$^\~.¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨.~\^$¤###
#@#¤$^\~.¨ ¨.~\^$¤#@#
¤^^~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~^^¤
¤$$$\\\~.¨ ¨.~\\\$$$¤
#$^\\~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~\\^$#
#@#¤$^\~.¨ ¨.~\^$¤#@#