##£@$$\«:, ,:«\$$@£##
##£@$$\«:, ,:«\$$@£##
###£@$\«:, ,:«\$@£###
##£@$$\«:, ,:«\$$@£##
££@@$$\«:, ,:«\$$@@££
#@$$$$\«:, gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ,:«\$$$$@#
@$\\::::,, ground with no hints of vegetation. ,,::::\\$@
£££@$$\«:, ,:«\$$@£££
#£$$\\\«:, 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 ,:«\$$@###
#£$$$«,,,, are lying completely still, ,,,,«$$$£#
##£@$$\«:, like corpses. ,:«\$$@£##
##£@$$\«:, ,:«\$$@£##
@$$«,,,,,, ,,,,,,«$$@
##£@$$\«:, ,:«\$$@£##
£@@$««:::, ,:::««$@@£
#@@@$$\«:, ,:«\$$@@@#