,:~^*¤£@## ##@£¤*^~:,
,:~^*¤£@@# #@@£¤*^~:,
,,,,,:~^¤£ £¤^~:,,,,,
,:~^*¤£@## ##@£¤*^~:,
,:~^*¤£@@# #@@£¤*^~:,
,:~^*¤@### 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. £*^::,,,,,
,:~^*¤£### ###£¤*^~:,
,:~^*¤£@## ##@£¤*^~:,
,,,,,:~**£ £**~:,,,,,
,:~^*¤£### ###£¤*^~:,
,:~^*¤£@## ##@£¤*^~:,