#@#@$%†-:. .:-†%$@#@#
#@#@$%†-:. .:-†%$@#@#
#@#@$%†-:. .:-†%$@#@#
#@@$†-::.. ..::-†$@@#
##@@$%†-:. .:-†%$@@##
@$%†:..... Gray Skies, Swirling With Soot. Stony .....:†%$@
##@@$%†-:. Ground With No Hints Of Vegetation. .:-†%$@@##
@@%%%†--:. .:--†%%%@@
@@#@$%†-:. Below The Surface Are The Mines, .:-†%$@#@@
@#$††††-:. Spiraling Down Into The Crust. Small .:-††††$#@
#$$%%-.... Compared To The Caverns They Eventually ....-%%$$#
@%†::..... 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 - : : ....:-†%@@
##@#$%†-:. : : : Finally Binged On. : : : .:-†%$#@##
@@@@$%†-:. . . . . . . .:-†%$@@@@
@$%-::.... . . . The Engines Are Burning Hot, . . . ....::-%$@
##$%†:.... And The Ship Accelerates ....:†%$##
#$††-:.... Away. The Elves Have ....:-††$#
#@#@$%†-:. Strapped Themselves In, And .:-†%$@#@#
#$†-:::... Are Lying Completely Still, ...:::-†$#
@$$%-..... Like Corpses. .....-%$$@
#@#@$%†-:. .:-†%$@#@#
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#$$$%-:... ...:-%$$$#
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