#@¶¤¤**~~. .~~**¤¤¶@#
@¶¤¤**~~.. ..~~**¤¤¶@
¶¤¤**~~... ...~~**¤¤¶
@¶¤¤**~~.. ..~~**¤¤¶@
#@¶¤¤**~~. .~~**¤¤¶@#
@¶¤¤**~~.. 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. ..~~**¤¤¶@
¶¤¤**~~... ...~~**¤¤¶
@¶¤¤**~~.. ..~~**¤¤¶@
#@¶¤¤**~~. .~~**¤¤¶@#
@¶¤¤**~~.. ..~~**¤¤¶@
¶¤¤**~~... ...~~**¤¤¶