...^~\%%¤¶ ¶¤%%\~^...
....^~\%%¤ ¤%%\~^....
.....^~\%% %%\~^.....
......^~\% %\~^......
.......^~\ \~^.......
........^~ 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. ~^........
.......^~\ \~^.......
......^~\% %\~^......
.....^~\%% %%\~^.....
....^~\%%¤ ¤%%\~^....
...^~\%%¤¶ ¶¤%%\~^...