##%^†~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~†^%##
###%^†~~¨¨ ¨¨~~†^%###
####%^†~~¨ ¨~~†^%####
###%^†~~¨¨ ¨¨~~†^%###
##%^†~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~†^%##
#%^†~~¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨~~†^%###
####%^†~~¨ ¨~~†^%####
###%^†~~¨¨ ¨¨~~†^%###
##%^†~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~†^%##
#%^†~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~†^%#
%^†~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~†^%