......./¤¶ ¶¤/.......
..«/%¤¶@## ##@¶¤%/«..
..«/%¤¤¶@# #@¶¤¤%/«..
....////%¤ ¤%////....
..«/%¤¤¶¶¶ ¶¶¶¤¤%/«..
..«/%¤¤¤¤@ 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. #@¶¤¤%/«..
.......«%¤ ¤%«.......
..«/%¤¤¤¶¶ ¶¶¤¤¤%/«..
..«/%¤¤¶@@ @@¶¤¤%/«..
......«%%¤ ¤%%«......
......«/¤¤ ¤¤/«......