##¶@*†/=,¨ ¨,=/†*@¶##
##¶@*†/=,¨ ¨,=/†*@¶##
¶¶¶@*†/=,¨ ¨,=/†*@¶¶¶
##¶@*†/=,¨ ¨,=/†*@¶##
#@†/==¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨==/†@#
###¶*†/=,¨ 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. ¨,=/†*@¶##
###¶*†/=,¨ ¨,=/†*¶###
##¶@*†/=,¨ ¨,=/†*@¶##
##¶@*†/=,¨ ¨,=/†*@¶##
¶@†=,,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,,=†@¶
##¶@*†/=,¨ ¨,=/†*@¶##