,^»*^$¤#@# #@#¤$^*»^,
,^»*^$¤#@# #@#¤$^*»^,
,^»*^$¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤$^*»^,
,^^»**^¤¤# #¤¤^**»^^,
,^»*^$¤#@@ @@#¤$^*»^,
,,,,^»»^^¤ 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 @¤¤^*»,,,,
,^»*^$#@## away. the elves have ##@#$^*»^,
,^»*^$¤### strapped themselves in, and ###¤$^*»^,
,,,,^»*$¤# are lying completely still, #¤$*»^,,,,
,^»*^$¤### like corpses. ###¤$^*»^,
,^»*^^^¤## ##¤^^^*»^,
,,,,,^»^^¤ ¤^^»^,,,,,
,,,,^^^*$# #$*^^^,,,,
,,,,,»»*^¤ ¤^*»»,,,,,
,,^»»*^$$¤ ¤$$^*»»^,,