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