###@@%\~^¨ ¨^~\%@@###
##@@%\~^¨¨ ¨¨^~\%@@##
#@@%\~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~\%@@#
@@%\~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~\%@@
@%\~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~\%@
@@%\~^¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨^~\%@@##
#@@%\~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~\%@@#
@@%\~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~\%@@
@%\~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~\%@
@@%\~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~\%@@
#@@%\~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~\%@@#