,,####,,,, ,,,#,,,,#,
#,,##,,### ##,,,##,,,
,,,,,,,,#, #,,#,,,,#,
#######,,, ,,,,,##,,,
,#####,,#, ,###,,,,#,
,,###,,,,, 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. ,#,,,,##,,
#,,,,,,,,# ,,,##,,,,#
,,######,, ##,,,,##,,
#,,####,,# #,,##,,,,#
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###,,,,### ,####,,,,#