.:~;*%@¶## ##¶@%*;~:.
....:;%%%¶ ¶%%%;:....
.:~;*%@### ###@%*;~:.
.:~;*%@¶## ##¶@%*;~:.
.:~;*%@¶## ##¶@%*;~:.
.:~;*%@¶## 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. ¶¶%*;:::..
..:::;;;%¶ ¶%;;;:::..
...:::;;*@ ######################################## @*;;:::...
.:~;**%%@¶ # # ¶@%%**;~:.
.:;*%@¶### # ######@#@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@#@###### # ###¶@%*;:.
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.:~;*%@¶## # # #¶¶@*@********************@*@¶¶# # # ##¶@%*;~:.
.:~;*%%@@¶ ¶ # # # # ¶ ¶@@%%*;~:.
...::;%@@@ ¶ # # 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. ##¶@%*;~:.
.:~;*%@¶## ##¶@%*;~:.
.:~;%@¶### ###¶@%;~:.
.:~;*%@### ###@%*;~:.
.:~;;;;*@# #@*;;;;~:.
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