#¤&&&$†«.. ..«†$&&&¤#
###¤&$†«.. ..«†$&¤###
####¤$†«.. ..«†$¤####
###¤&$†«.. ..«†$&¤###
####&$†«.. ..«†$&####
#&&$†††«.. GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ..«†††$&&#
#¤¤¤&$†«.. GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ..«†$&¤¤¤#
###¤&$†«.. ..«†$&¤###
###¤&$†«.. BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ..«†$&¤###
####¤&$†.. SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ..†$&¤####
##&$$$†«.. COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ..«†$$$&##
###¤&$†«.. REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ..«†$&¤###
#¤¤$†..... HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT .....†$¤¤#
¤$$††..... AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS .....††$$¤
###¤&$†«.. FROM BELOW. ..«†$&¤###
#¤&††††«.. ..«††††&¤#
#¤$††..... LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN .....††$¤#
#&$«...... THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ......«$&#
¤&$$$$†«.. DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ..«†$$$$&¤
###¤&$†«.. ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ..«†$&¤###
###¤&$†«.. REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ..«†$&¤###
###¤&$†«.. BECAME A SLUDGE. ..«†$&¤###
####&$†«.. ..«†$&####
#¤&&&$†«.. AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ..«†$&&&¤#
###¤&$†«.. SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ..«†$&¤###
###¤&$†«.. ..«†$&¤###
###¤&$†«.. ######################################## ..«†$&¤###
###¤&$†«.. # # ..«†$&¤###
#¤&&&$†«.. # ######¤#¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤#¤###### # ..«†$&&&¤#
##&†«..... # # # # .....«†&##
#¤¤&†..... # # ###¤$¤$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$¤$¤### # # .....†&¤¤#
¤$«....... # # # # # # .......«$¤
###¤&$†«.. # # # THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, # # # ..«†$&¤###
¤$«....... & # # PREPARED FOR LAUNCH, # # & .......«$¤
###¤&$†«.. $ # # IGNITION SEQUENCE STARTED # # $ ..«†$&¤###
#&$†««.... † ¤ # HOURS AGO. ELVES IN THE # ¤ † ....««†$&#
###¤&$†«.. † $ ¤ PASSENGER CABIN, NOT YET ¤ $ † ..«†$&¤###
¤$†††..... « † ¤ SEATED. BUT SOMETHING IS ¤ † « .....†††$¤
###¤&$†«.. « « & WRONG. THERE IS SOMETHING & « « ..«†$&¤###
####&$†«.. . . $ GREEN AROUND THEIR MOUTHS. $ . . ..«†$&####
###¤&$†«.. . . † THE SLUDGE HAS BEEN SAMPLED, † . . ..«†$&¤###
¤&&&†..... . . « ENTERTAINED, AND THEN « . . .....†&&&¤
###¤&$†«.. . . . FINALLY BINGED ON. . . . ..«†$&¤###
###¤&$†«.. . . . . . . ..«†$&¤###
¤&&&$†.... . . . THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, . . . ....†$&&&¤
¤&$††«««.. AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ..«««††$&¤
¤¤¤$«..... AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE .....«$¤¤¤
###¤&$†«.. STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ..«†$&¤###
###¤&$†«.. ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ..«†$&¤###
###¤&$†«.. LIKE CORPSES. ..«†$&¤###
###¤&$†«.. ..«†$&¤###
#¤&&†..... .....†&&¤#
#&$«...... ......«$&#
¤$$†...... ......†$$¤
##¤$†††«.. ..«†††$¤##