@#¤%^/-.,, ,,.-/^%¤#@
#¤%^/-.,,, ,,,.-/^%¤#
¤%^/-.,,,, ,,,,.-/^%¤
%^/-.,,,,, ,,,,,.-/^%
¤%^/-.,,,, ,,,,.-/^%¤
#¤%^/-.,,, 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. ,,,.-/^%¤#
¤%^/-.,,,, ,,,,.-/^%¤
%^/-.,,,,, ,,,,,.-/^%
¤%^/-.,,,, ,,,,.-/^%¤
#¤%^/-.,,, ,,,.-/^%¤#
@#¤%^/-.,, ,,.-/^%¤#@