^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
*^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^*
&*^-~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~-^*&
&&*^-~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~-^*&&
@&&*^-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-^*&&@
#@&&*^-~¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨~-^*&&
&*^-~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~-^*&
*^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^*
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~