@¤%%*:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:*%%¤@
@@£*=¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨=*£@@
@@¤¤£%*=:¨ ¨:=*%£¤¤@@
¤¤%*==:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:==*%¤¤
#@@¤£%*=:¨ ¨:=*%£¤@@#
##@¤£%*=:¨ 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. ¨:=*%£@@##
#@@¤£%*=:¨ ¨:=*%£¤@@#
¤¤¤¤£%*=:¨ ¨:=*%£¤¤¤¤
¤%=::¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨::=%¤
@@¤¤£%*=:¨ ¨:=*%£¤¤@@
#@@¤£%*=:¨ ¨:=*%£¤@@#