###@%†:«~. .~«:†%@###
###@%†:«~. .~«:†%@###
###@%†:«~. .~«:†%@###
#@@%%†:«~. .~«:†%%@@#
###@%†:«~. .~«:†%@###
###@%†:«~. 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. .~«:†%@###
###@%†:«~. .~«:†%@###
##@%†::«~. .~«::†%@##
###@%†:«~. .~«:†%@###
@%%:~..... .....~:%%@
###@%†:«~. .~«:†%@###