¨,~;%*@### ###@*%;~,¨
¨,~;%*@### ###@*%;~,¨
¨,~;%*@### ###@*%;~,¨
¨,~;%*@### ###@*%;~,¨
¨,~;%*@@@@ @@@@*%;~,¨
¨,~;%*@### 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. ####@*%;,¨
¨,~;%*@### ###@*%;~,¨
¨,~;%***@@ @@***%;~,¨
¨,~~~%%@@# #@@%%~~~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~%*## ##*%~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~;%%%@ @%%%;~,¨¨¨