#@@@*\»~¨¨ ¨¨~»\*@@@#
##@@@*\»~¨ ¨~»\*@@@##
#@@@*\»~¨¨ ¨¨~»\*@@@#
@@@*\»~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~»\*@@@
@@*\»~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~»\*@@
@*\»~¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨~»\*@@@
#@@@*\»~¨¨ ¨¨~»\*@@@#
##@@@*\»~¨ ¨~»\*@@@##
#@@@*\»~¨¨ ¨¨~»\*@@@#
@@@*\»~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~»\*@@@
@@*\»~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~»\*@@