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