&=«....... .......«=&
###&@=;«.. ..«;=@&###
&&=«...... ......«=&&
#&===;.... ....;===&#
####@=;«.. ..«;=@####
###&@=;«.. 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. ....«=@@&#
###&@=;«.. ..«;=@&###
&=;««..... .....««;=&
#@=«...... ......«=@#
#&@==««... ...««==@&#
#&&&@=;«.. ..«;=@&&&#