#@£==-.,,, ,,,.-==£@#
@£==-.,,,, ,,,,.-==£@
£==-.,,,,, ,,,,,.-==£
==-.,,,,,, ,,,,,,.-==
=-.,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,.-=
-.,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,.-==£@
£==-.,,,,, ,,,,,.-==£
==-.,,,,,, ,,,,,,.-==
=-.,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,.-=
-.,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,.-
.,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,.