#@#@%^-~¨¨ ¨¨~-^%@#@#
@#@%^-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-^%@#@
#@#@%^-~¨¨ ¨¨~-^%@#@#
##@#@%^-~¨ ¨~-^%@#@##
#@#@%^-~¨¨ ¨¨~-^%@#@#
@#@%^-~¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨~-^%@#@
#@#@%^-~¨¨ ¨¨~-^%@#@#
##@#@%^-~¨ ¨~-^%@#@##
#@#@%^-~¨¨ ¨¨~-^%@#@#
@#@%^-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-^%@#@
#@#@%^-~¨¨ ¨¨~-^%@#@#