@@†«,,,,,, ,,,,,,«†@@
#@$$$$†«,, ,,«†$$$$@#
##@@@$†«,, ,,«†$@@@##
@@$$†«,,,, ,,,,«†$$@@
@@†««,,,,, ,,,,,««†@@
@@@$$†«,,, 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. ,,«†$@@@##
##@@@$†«,, ,,«†$@@@##
##@@@$†«,, ,,«†$@@@##
#@@@@$†«,, ,,«†$@@@@#
@@†,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,†@@
##@@@$†«,, ,,«†$@@@##