#@%;~~~,,, ,,,~~~;%@#
#@%%;~~,,, ,,,~~;%%@#
#%;-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-;%#
##%;-,,,,, ,,,,,-;%##
##@#%†;-~, ,~-;†%#@##
##@#%†;-~, 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. ,~-;†#@###
@%††††;-~, ,~-;††††%@
#††-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-††#
##@#%†;-~, ,~-;†%#@##
#†;~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~;†#
####%†;-~, ,~-;†%####