.....:~;§% %§;~:.....
......:~;§ §;~:......
.....:~;§% %§;~:.....
....:~;§%& &%§;~:....
...:~;§%&¶ ¶&%§;~:...
..:~;§%&¶# 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. &%§;~:....
.....:~;§% %§;~:.....
......:~;§ §;~:......
.....:~;§% %§;~:.....
....:~;§%& &%§;~:....
...:~;§%&¶ ¶&%§;~:...