.-»:†%¤### ###¤%†:»-.
.-»:†%¤### ###¤%†:»-.
.....-:††¤ ¤††:-.....
.-»:†%¤### ###¤%†:»-.
...--»:%## ##%:»--...
.-»:†%¤### 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. ###¤%†:»-.
....-:†%%# #%%†:-....
....-:†%¤# #¤%†:-....
....-:†¤¤# #¤¤†:-....
.-»:†%¤### ###¤%†:»-.
....--:%## ##%:--....