&&&&.&&&.. ...&.&.&..
...&&..&.. ..&&&&&&.&
..&.&.&&.. .&.....&&&
.&&&&&.&.& &&....&..&
&....&&&&. .&...&&.&&
&...&...&. 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. ....&&&&..
&&&&.&.&.& ...&...&..
...&&&&&&& ..&&..&&.&
..&....... .&.&.&.&&&
.&&......& &&&&&&&..&
&.&.....&. ......&.&&