.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
^......... .........^
-^........ ........^-
\-^....... 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. ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........