###¤**/»^¨ ¨^»/**¤###
###¤**/»^¨ ¨^»/**¤###
##¤¤**/»^¨ ¨^»/**¤¤##
###¤**/»^¨ ¨^»/**¤###
¤¤¤¤**/»^¨ ¨^»/**¤¤¤¤
#*****/»^¨ 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. ¨^»/**¤###
¤***»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»***¤
###¤**/»^¨ ¨^»/**¤###
¤*//^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^//*¤
#*//»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»//*#
#***»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»***#