#@@¤%=:-,¨ ¨,-:=%¤@@#
##@@¤%=-,¨ ¨,-=%¤@@##
@%:-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-:%@
##@@¤%=:,¨ ¨,:=%¤@@##
¤%:-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-:%¤
¤¤%%=::-,¨ 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. ¨,,-::==%¤
@@%===:-,¨ ¨,-:===%@@
¤=::-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-::=¤
@¤%%==:-,¨ ¨,-:==%%¤@
##@@%=:-,¨ ¨,-:=%@@##
#@@¤%=:-,¨ ¨,-:=%¤@@#