..&&.....& &.&&&&....
..&.&....& &&&...&...
..&&&&...& ...&..&&..
..&...&..& ...&&.&.&.
..&&..&&.& &..&.&&&&&
&.&.&.&.&& 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. .&.&...&&&
.&&&..&.&. .&&&&..&..
.&..&.&&&& .&...&.&&.
.&&.&&&... .&&..&&&.&
&&.&&..&.. .&.&.&..&&
..&&.&.&&. .&&&&&&.&.