@@@#%%:«^¨ ¨^«:%%#@@@
@%%%««^^¨¨ ¨¨^^««%%%@
@@##%%:«^¨ ¨^«:%%##@@
@@@#%%:«^¨ ¨^«:%%#@@@
#@@#%%:«^¨ ¨^«:%%#@@#
@##%%«^^^¨ 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. ¨^«:%%%%%#
#@@#%%:«^¨ ¨^«:%%#@@#
#@@#%%:«^¨ ¨^«:%%#@@#
##@#%%:«^¨ ¨^«:%%#@##
@%%«¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨«%%@
#@@#%%:«^¨ ¨^«:%%#@@#