@@¤@%/~:.. ..:~/%@¤@@
@¤@%/~:... ...:~/%@¤@
@@¤@%/~:.. ..:~/%@¤@@
#@@¤@%/~:. .:~/%@¤@@#
@@¤@%/~:.. ..:~/%@¤@@
@¤@%/~:... 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. ...:~/%@¤@
@@¤@%/~:.. ..:~/%@¤@@
#@@¤@%/~:. .:~/%@¤@@#
@@¤@%/~:.. ..:~/%@¤@@
@¤@%/~:... ...:~/%@¤@
@@¤@%/~:.. ..:~/%@¤@@