,,,,,~-/^£ £^/-~,,,,,
,,,,,,~-/^ ^/-~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~-/ /-~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~- -~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~-/ /-~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~-/^ 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. §£^/-~,,,,
,,,~-/^£§@ @§£^/-~,,,
,,~-/^£§@# #@§£^/-~,,
,~-/^£§@## ##@§£^/-~,
,,~-/^£§@# #@§£^/-~,,
,,,~-/^£§@ @§£^/-~,,,