##$$%==«~. .~«==%$$##
#%=«~..... .....~«=%#
####$%=«~. .~«=%$####
#$$%«..... .....«%$$#
#$=«...... ......«=$#
####$%=«~. Gray Skies, Swirling With Soot. Stony .~«=%$####
#$%«««««~. Ground With No Hints Of Vegetation. .~«««««%$#
####$%=«~. .~«=%$####
####$%=«~. Below The Surface Are The Mines, .~«=%$####
####$%=«~. Spiraling Down Into The Crust. Small .~«=%$####
###%«~.... 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. ~ ~ ~ .~«=%$####
#$$%««.... . . . . . . ....««%$$#
####$%=«~. . . . The Engines Are Burning Hot, . . . .~«=%$####
#$==~~.... And The Ship Accelerates ....~~==$#
###$%%=«~. Away. The Elves Have .~«=%%$###
####$%=«~. Strapped Themselves In, And .~«=%$####
#$==~~~... Are Lying Completely Still, ...~~~==$#
####$%=«~. Like Corpses. .~«=%$####
##%%«..... .....«%%##
#$%%«..... .....«%%$#
#$$$===«~. .~«===$$$#
#%=«~..... .....~«=%#
####$%=«~. .~«=%$####