,,,,~/¤¤£¶                                          ¶£¤¤/~,,,,
,,~/*¤£¶##                                          ##¶£¤*/~,,
,,~/*¤£¶##                                          ##¶£¤*/~,,
,,~/*¤£¶##                                          ##¶£¤*/~,,
,,,~//**£¶                                          ¶£**//~,,,
,,~/*¤£¶## 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.              ¶¶££¤*/~,,
,,~/*¤££¶#                                          #¶££¤*/~,,
,,~/*¤¤¤¶¶                                          ¶¶¤¤¤*/~,,
,,~/*¤£¶##                                          ##¶£¤*/~,,
,,~/*¤£¶##                                          ##¶£¤*/~,,
,,,,,~*£££                                          £££*~,,,,,