#@@@%%†~^. .^~†%%@@@#
#%%~...... ......~%%#
####%%†~^. .^~†%%####
#@%%†^.... ....^†%%@#
##%%%†^... ...^†%%%##
#%†^...... 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. .^~†%%%%@#
###@%%†~^. .^~†%%@###
###@%%†~^. .^~†%%@###
###@%%†~^. .^~†%%@###
@%%†^^.... ....^^†%%@
@%††^^^... ...^^^††%@