#@@#%^;».. ..»;^%#@@#
##^;»..... .....»;^##
###%%^;».. ..»;^%%###
@##%%^;».. ..»;^%%##@
##@#%^;».. ..»;^%#@##
#@@#%^;».. 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. ..»;^%#@@@
#^;;;;;».. ..»;;;;;^#
#@@#%^;».. ..»;^%#@@#
@@#%^».... ....»^%#@@
#@@#%^;».. ..»;^%#@@#
@#%%^^;».. ..»;^^%%#@