####@%*~.¨ ¨.~*%@####
¤%%*~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~*%%¤
####@%*~.¨ ¨.~*%@####
¤¤@@@%*~.¨ ¨.~*%@@@¤¤
####¤@%*~. .~*%@¤####
¤@@%~¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨.~*%@¤###
##¤¤@%*~.¨ ¨.~*%@¤¤##
##@@%%*~.¨ ¨.~*%%@@##
##¤%%%*~.¨ ¨.~*%%%¤##
###¤@%*~.¨ ¨.~*%@¤###
#¤%%%%*~.¨ ¨.~*%%%%¤#