,-=/=¤¤@## ##@¤¤=/=-,
,-=/=¤¤@## ##@¤¤=/=-,
,-/=¤¤@### ###@¤¤=/-,
,-=/=¤¤@## ##@¤¤=/=-,
,-=/=¤¤@## ##@¤¤=/=-,
,,,,-==/¤¤ 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. #¤¤¤¤=/=-,
,-=/=¤¤@## ##@¤¤=/=-,
,,,,,-/=¤@ @¤=/-,,,,,
,-=/=¤¤@## ##@¤¤=/=-,
,-=/=¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤=/=-,
,,,,,-//¤@ @¤//-,,,,,