...:~*§&@# #@&§*~:...
..:~*§&@## ##@&§*~:..
.:~*§&@### ###@&§*~:.
..:~*§&@## ##@&§*~:..
...:~*§&@# #@&§*~:...
....:~*§&@ 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. @&§*~:....
...:~*§&@# #@&§*~:...
..:~*§&@## ##@&§*~:..
.:~*§&@### ###@&§*~:.
..:~*§&@## ##@&§*~:..
...:~*§&@# #@&§*~:...