#¤¤†††^»,. .,»^†††¤¤#
@¤†»»,.... ....,»»†¤@
##@¤¤†^»,. .,»^†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†^»,. .,»^†¤¤@##
##@¤¤†^»,. .,»^†¤¤@##
#@¤¤††^»,. 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. .,»†¤¤@###
¤†»....... .......»†¤
@@¤†^»»,.. ..,»»^†¤@@
#¤¤^»»,... ...,»»^¤¤#
¤†»»,..... .....,»»†¤
#¤¤¤¤†^»,. .,»^†¤¤¤¤#