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