¨,~:*%@### ###@%*:~,¨
¨,~:*%@### ###@%*:~,¨
¨,~:*%@### ###@%*:~,¨
¨¨¨¨,~~~*@ @*~~~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,:***@@ @@***:,¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~:*%@# 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. #@@%*~,¨¨¨
¨,~:*%@### ###@%*:~,¨
¨,:*%@#### ####@%*:,¨
¨¨¨¨~:**%# #%**:~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~:**@@@ @@@**:~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,:**@ @**:,¨¨¨¨¨