##@#$§^~., ,.~^§$#@##
@$$§^.,,,, ,,,,.^§$$@
#$^~.,,,,, ,,,,,.~^$#
#§§~~.,,,, ,,,,.~~§§#
#$^^.,,,,, ,,,,,.^^$#
@@##$§^~., gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ,.~^§$##@@
##@#$§^~., ground with no hints of vegetation. ,.~^§$#@##
##@#$§^~., ,.~^§$#@##
##@#$§^~., below the surface are the mines, ,.~^§$#@##
##@#$§^~., spiraling down into the crust. small ,.~^§$#@##
##@#$§^~., compared to the caverns they eventually ,.~^§$#@##
##@#$§^~., reach and join with. the temperature is ,.~^§$#@##
@@$$$§^~., higher down here, and the view is not ,.~^§$$$@@
##$§^^..,, as monochrome: a green light beckons ,,..^^§$##
##@#$§^~., from below. ,.~^§$#@##
##@#$§^~., ,.~^§$#@##
###@$§^~., long ago, there was a lifeform here. in ,.~^§$@###
##§§~.,,,, 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. ,.~^§$#@##
##@#$§^~., ,.~^§$#@##
###@#$^~., ,.~^$#@###
@@@#$§^~., ,.~^§$#@@@
@#§§^^^~., ,.~^^^§§#@
#$$$§^^~., ,.~^^§$$$#