#@¶#%*\~~¨ ¨~~\*%#¶@#
¶¶%*~~~~~¨ ¨~~~~~*%¶¶
##¶#%*\~~¨ ¨~~\*%#¶##
#%%\\~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~\\%%#
@#%\~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~\%#@
#@¶#%*\~~¨ 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. ¨~~\*%#¶@#
¶#%*~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~*%#¶
@¶%\~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~\%¶@
¶#***\~~¨¨ ¨¨~~\***#¶
##@#%*\~~¨ ¨~~\*%#@##
¶¶¶#%*\~~¨ ¨~~\*%#¶¶¶