#..#....#.                                          ..#.......
.#..#.....                                          ...#......
..#..#....                                          ....#.....
...#..#...                                          .....#....
....#..#..                                          ......#...
.....#..#. 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.              ..#.##...#
.##.......                                          ....###..#
.###......                                          ....#.##..
.#.##.....                                          #.....###.
...###....                                          .#....#.##
#..#.##...                                          ..#.....##