,^»*$*@¶## ##¶@*$*»^,
,,^»*$*@¶# #¶@*$*»^,,
,,,^»*$*@¶ ¶@*$*»^,,,
,,,,^»*$*@ @*$*»^,,,,
,,,,,^»*$* *$*»^,,,,,
,,,,,,^»*$ 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. #¶@*$*»^,,
,,,^»*$*@¶ ¶@*$*»^,,,
,,,,^»*$*@ @*$*»^,,,,
,,,,,^»*$* *$*»^,,,,,
,,,,,,^»*$ $*»^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^»* *»^,,,,,,,