.@@...@@@. @.@@....@.
.@@@..@.@@ ..@@@....@
.@.@@...@@ ..@.@@....
...@@@..@. @...@@@...
...@.@@... @@..@.@@..
.....@@@.. 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. ..@.@@..@.
..@....... @...@@@..@
@..@...... @@..@.@@..
.@..@..... .@@...@@@.
..@..@.... .@@@..@.@@
@..@..@... .@.@@...@@