@@§====~^¨ ¨^~====§@@
##@@§==~^¨ ¨^~==§@@##
@@@@§==~^¨ ¨^~==§@@@@
#@=~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~=@#
@@§=~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~=§@@
#@@@§==~^¨ 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. ¨^~==§@@@#
##@@§==~^¨ ¨^~==§@@##
@§=^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=§@
@§=~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~=§@
##@@§==~^¨ ¨^~==§@@##
@@@====~^¨ ¨^~====@@@