†:~^...... ......^~:†
@†:~^..... .....^~:†@
§@†:~^.... ....^~:†@§
@§@†:~^... ...^~:†@§@
#@§@†:~^.. ..^~:†@§@#
##@§@†:~^. 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. .....^~:†@
§@†:~^.... ....^~:†@§
@§@†:~^... ...^~:†@§@
#@§@†:~^.. ..^~:†@§@#
##@§@†:~^. .^~:†@§@##
#@§@†:~^.. ..^~:†@§@#