,,,,,^**@¤ ¤@**^,,,,,
,^~*$@@@@# #@@@@$*~^,
,,,^^~~$¤¤ ¤¤$~~^^,,,
,^~*$@¤### ###¤@$*~^,
,^~*$@#### ####@$*~^,
,^~*$@¤### GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ###¤@$*~^,
^~*$@¤#### GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ####¤@$*~^
,^~*$¤#### ####¤$*~^,
,^~*$@¤### BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ###¤@$*~^,
,^~*$@¤### SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ###¤@$*~^,
,,^^~~**@¤ 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 #¤@*~^,,,,
,^~*$@¤### STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ###¤@$*~^,
,^~*$@¤### ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ###¤@$*~^,
,^~*$@¤### LIKE CORPSES. ###¤@$*~^,
,^~*@¤#### ####¤@*~^,
,,,~~$@¤¤# #¤¤@$~~,,,
,,,,,~~*@# #@*~~,,,,,
,,,,,~~*$¤ ¤$*~~,,,,,
,^~*$@¤### ###¤@$*~^,