###§$%;~,. .,~;%$§###
##§$%;~,.. ..,~;%$§##
#§$%;~,... ...,~;%$§#
§$%;~,.... ....,~;%$§
$%;~,..... .....,~;%$
%;~,...... 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 ......,~;%
$%;~,..... away. the elves have .....,~;%$
§$%;~,.... strapped themselves in, and ....,~;%$§
#§$%;~,... are lying completely still, ...,~;%$§#
##§$%;~,.. like corpses. ..,~;%$§##
###§$%;~,. .,~;%$§###
##§$%;~,.. ..,~;%$§##
#§$%;~,... ...,~;%$§#
§$%;~,.... ....,~;%$§
$%;~,..... .....,~;%$