##£#$$\~~¨ ¨~~\$$#£##
##£#$$\~~¨ ¨~~\$$#£##
#££#$$\~~¨ ¨~~\$$#££#
##£#$$\~~¨ ¨~~\$$#£##
##£#$$\~~¨ ¨~~\$$#£##
##$\~~~¨¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨¨~~~\$##
###£#$\~~¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨~~\$#£###
#££#$$\~~¨ ¨~~\$$#££#
#$~~~¨¨¨¨¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨¨¨¨¨~~~$#
##£#$$\~~¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨~~\$$#£##
#$~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~$#
##£#$$\~~¨ 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. ¨~~\$$#£##
##£#$$\~~¨ ¨~~\$$#£##
£$\\~~~~~¨ ¨~~~~~\\$£
###£#$$\~~ ~~\$$#£###
££##$$\~~¨ ¨~~\$$##££
££$$\~~~~¨ ¨~~~~\$$££