@@#¤**^~.¨ ¨.~^**¤#@@
#@#¤**^~.¨ ¨.~^**¤#@#
¤*~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~*¤
#@#¤**^~.¨ ¨.~^**¤#@#
¤*~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~*¤
#¤¤**^^~.¨ 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. ¨.~^**¤@##
#@#¤**^~.¨ ¨.~^**¤#@#
#**^^.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.^^**#
¤*~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~*¤
##*^..¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨..^*##
##@#¤*^~.¨ ¨.~^*¤#@##