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