,,~†$%¤@## ##@¤%$†~,,
,,,,,,,~$¤ ¤$~,,,,,,,
,,,,,~†%%# #%%†~,,,,,
,,,,,††%¤@ @¤%††,,,,,
,,~†$%¤### ###¤%$†~,,
,,~†$%¤#@# GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY #@#¤%$†~,,
,,~†$%¤### GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ###¤%$†~,,
,,~†$%¤### ###¤%$†~,,
,,~†$%¤#@# BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, #@#¤%$†~,,
,,~†$%¤#@# SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL #@#¤%$†~,,
,,~†$%¤#@# COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY #@#¤%$†~,,
,,~†$%¤#@@ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS @@#¤%$†~,,
,,,,,,~†%¤ 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. ##@¤%$†~,,
,,~†††$%#@ @#%$†††~,,
,,,,,,~$%¤ ¤%$~,,,,,,
,,~†$%¤#@# #@#¤%$†~,,
,,,,,,~$%¤ ¤%$~,,,,,,
,,~†$%¤#@@ @@#¤%$†~,,