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