#§*%=~~,,, ,,,~~=%*§#
@#§*%=~~,, ,,~~=%*§#@
#@#§*%=~~, ,~~=%*§#@#
@#§*%=~~,, ,,~~=%*§#@
#§*%=~~,,, ,,,~~=%*§#
§*%=~~,,,, 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. ,,,,~~=%*§
#§*%=~~,,, ,,,~~=%*§#
@#§*%=~~,, ,,~~=%*§#@
#@#§*%=~~, ,~~=%*§#@#
@#§*%=~~,, ,,~~=%*§#@
#§*%=~~,,, ,,,~~=%*§#