@##¤*†»^¨¨ ¨¨^»†*¤##@
#@##¤*†»^¨ ¨^»†*¤##@#
@##¤*†»^¨¨ ¨¨^»†*¤##@
##¤*†»^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^»†*¤##
#¤*†»^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^»†*¤#
##¤*†»^¨¨¨ 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. ¨^»†*¤##@#
@##¤*†»^¨¨ ¨¨^»†*¤##@
##¤*†»^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^»†*¤##
#¤*†»^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^»†*¤#
##¤*†»^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^»†*¤##
@##¤*†»^¨¨ ¨¨^»†*¤##@