###§§;-^.. ..^-;§§###
####§§;-^. .^-;§§####
###§§;-^.. ..^-;§§###
##§§;-^... ...^-;§§##
###§§;-^.. ..^-;§§###
####§§;-^. 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. .^-;§§####
###§§;-^.. ..^-;§§###
##§§;-^... ...^-;§§##
###§§;-^.. ..^-;§§###
####§§;-^. .^-;§§####
###§§;-^.. ..^-;§§###