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