#@@*%~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~%*@@#
@@%~~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~~%@@
#@@%~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~%@@#
##@@*%*~~¨ ¨~~*%*@@##
@@@%~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~%@@@
##@@*%*~~¨ 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. ¨~~*%*@@@#
#@%***~~~¨ ¨~~~***%@#
@@@*%%*~~¨ ¨~~*%%*@@@
##@@*%*~~¨ ¨~~*%*@@##
#@@%*~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~*%@@#
@@%~~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~~%@@