¨¨¨¨.\\%@# #@%\\.¨¨¨¨
¨.~~\\%%## ##%%\\~~.¨
¨.~\§%@### ###@%§\~.¨
¨.~\§%%@@# #@@%%§\~.¨
¨.~\§§%%@@ @@%%§§\~.¨
¨.~~~§%%%# 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. ##%\~~.¨¨¨
¨.~\§%@@## ##@@%§\~.¨
¨.~\§%@### ###@%§\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~~§@ @§~~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~\§%@### ###@%§\~.¨
¨.~\§%@### ###@%§\~.¨