§^=«~..... .....~«=^§
¤§^=«~.... ....~«=^§¤
#¤§^=«~... ...~«=^§¤#
##¤§^=«~.. ..~«=^§¤##
###¤§^=«~. .~«=^§¤###
##¤§^=«~.. 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. ......~«=^
§^=«~..... .....~«=^§
¤§^=«~.... ....~«=^§¤
#¤§^=«~... ...~«=^§¤#
##¤§^=«~.. ..~«=^§¤##
###¤§^=«~. .~«=^§¤###