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