..-/=§&### ###&§=/-..
..-/=§&### ###&§=/-..
..-/=§&### ###&§=/-..
..-/=§§§&# #&§§§=/-..
....-=§&&& &&&§=-....
......-=§# 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. &&§§/.....
..-/=§&&&# #&&&§=/-..
..-/=§&### ###&§=/-..
...--==§&& &&§==--...
..-/=§&### ###&§=/-..
..-/=§&### ###&§=/-..