.-«^$%@### ###@%$^«-.
.-«^$%@@@# #@@@%$^«-.
.-«^$%@@## ##@@%$^«-.
....-^$@@@ @@@$^-....
.-«^$%@@@@ @@@@%$^«-.
...«««^%%@ 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 @ @ $ #@@%^-....
.-«^$%@@## ^ @ @ hours ago. elves in the @ @ ^ ##@@%$^«-.
....««$$%@ ^ $ @ passenger cabin, not yet @ $ ^ @%$$««....
.-««^$$$$@ « ^ @ seated. but something is @ ^ « @$$$$^««-.
.-«^$%@@## « « % wrong. there is something % « « ##@@%$^«-.
....-^^$%@ - - $ green around their mouths. $ - - @%$^^-....
.-«^^^^$%@ - - ^ the sludge has been sampled, ^ - - @%$^^^^«-.
.-«^$%@@## - - « entertained, and then « - - ##@@%$^«-.
.-«^$%@@## - - - finally binged on. - - - ##@@%$^«-.
.-«^$%@### . . . . . . ###@%$^«-.
.-«^$%@@## . . . the engines are burning hot, . . . ##@@%$^«-.
.-«^$%@@## and the ship accelerates ##@@%$^«-.
.-«^$%%%@@ away. the elves have @@%%%$^«-.
.---«$%@@# strapped themselves in, and #@@%$«---.
.-«^$%@@## are lying completely still, ##@@%$^«-.
...-«^%%@# like corpses. #@%%^«-...
.....-^%%@ @%%^-.....
.-«^$$$$@@ @@$$$$^«-.
...--««^%@ @%^««--...
.-«^$%@@## ##@@%$^«-.
.-«^$%@@## ##@@%$^«-.