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