,,,~«:%$¤#                                          #¤$%:«~,,,
,,,,~«:%$¤                                          ¤$%:«~,,,,
,,,,,~«:%$                                          $%:«~,,,,,
,,,,~«:%$¤                                          ¤$%:«~,,,,
,,,~«:%$¤#                                          #¤$%:«~,,,
,,~«:%$¤## 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.               ¤$%:«~,,,,
,,,,,~«:%$                                          $%:«~,,,,,
,,,,~«:%$¤                                          ¤$%:«~,,,,
,,,~«:%$¤#                                          #¤$%:«~,,,
,,~«:%$¤##                                          ##¤$%:«~,,
,~«:%$¤###                                          ###¤$%:«~,