¤*/=,,,,,, ,,,,,,=/*¤
#@@¤*^/=., ,.=/^*¤@@#
¤*^/=,,,,, ,,,,,=/^*¤
#@@¤*^/=., ,.=/^*¤@@#
##@@¤^/=., ,.=/^¤@@##
#@@¤*^/=., 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. ,.===/*¤¤@
@*^^^/=,,, ,,,=/^^^*@
@@@¤*^/=., ,.=/^*¤@@@
@@*/.,,,,, ,,,,,./*@@
@@¤¤*^/=., ,.=/^*¤¤@@
@*^/=...., ,....=/^*@