,,,~=^$¤££ ££¤$^=~,,,
,,~=^$¤££# #££¤$^=~,,
,~=^$¤££## ##££¤$^=~,
,,~=^$¤££# #££¤$^=~,,
,,,~=^$¤££ ££¤$^=~,,,
,,,,~=^$¤£ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY £¤$^=~,,,,
,,,,,~=^$¤ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¤$^=~,,,,,
,,,,,,~=^$ $^=~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~=^ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ^=~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~= SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL =~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ FROM BELOW. ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~= =~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~=^ LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ^=~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~=^$ 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. =~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,