##§^~~.... ....~~^§##
&§††,..... .....,††§&
#§^^†~,,,. .,,,~†^^§#
#&^^†,.... ....,†^^&#
#@#&§^†~,. .,~†^§&#@#
&§^†,..... 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. ...~†^§&&&
#&&§§^†~,. .,~†^§§&&#
#@#&§^†~,. .,~†^§&#@#
#@#&§^†~,. .,~†^§&#@#
##@#&^†~,. .,~†^&#@##
&^~,,,.... ....,,,~^&