..-^%@£@@# #@@£@%^-..
..-^%@£@@# #@@£@%^-..
..-^%%%%@@ @@%%%%^-..
..-^%@£@@# #@@£@%^-..
.......-%£ £%-.......
....^^^@@@ 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. #@@£@%^-..
..-^%@@@## ##@@@%^-..
...-^^^@£@ @£@^^^-...
..-^%@£@## ##@£@%^-..
..-^%@£@@@ @@@£@%^-..
..-^%@£@@@ @@@£@%^-..