###@§*†~^. .^~†*§@###
###@§*†~^. .^~†*§@###
#@**~^^... ...^^~**@#
@**††††~^. .^~††††**@
@@@*~^.... ....^~*@@@
#@§*††^... 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. .^~†*§@###
@***~^.... ....^~***@
###@§*†~^. .^~†*§@###
@§§§§*†~^. .^~†*§§§§@
###@§*†~^. .^~†*§@###
@@@§*††~^. .^~††*§@@@