;~.,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,.~;
~.,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,.~
.,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,.
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
.,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,.
~.,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,.~
;~.,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,.~;