..-=\†$@@@ @@@$†\=-..
...-=\†$@@ @@$†\=-...
..-=\†$@@@ @@@$†\=-..
.-=\†$@@@# #@@@$†\=-.
..-=\†$@@@ @@@$†\=-..
...-=\†$@@ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony @@$†\=-...
..-=\†$@@@ ground with no hints of vegetation. @@@$†\=-..
.-=\†$@@@# #@@@$†\=-.
..-=\†$@@@ below the surface are the mines, @@@$†\=-..
...-=\†$@@ spiraling down into the crust. small @@$†\=-...
..-=\†$@@@ compared to the caverns they eventually @@@$†\=-..
.-=\†$@@@# reach and join with. the temperature is #@@@$†\=-.
..-=\†$@@@ higher down here, and the view is not @@@$†\=-..
...-=\†$@@ as monochrome: a green light beckons @@$†\=-...
..-=\†$@@@ from below. @@@$†\=-..
.-=\†$@@@# #@@@$†\=-.
..-=\†$@@@ long ago, there was a lifeform here. in @@@$†\=-..
...-=\†$@@ the center of the planetoid, something @@$†\=-...
..-=\†$@@@ dormant, waiting for a collision with @@@$†\=-..
.-=\†$@@@# another body. but no planet was #@@@$†\=-.
..-=\†$@@@ reached, and over time, the seedling @@@$†\=-..
...-=\†$@@ became a sludge. @@$†\=-...
..-=\†$@@@ @@@$†\=-..
.-=\†$@@@# and elves came as miners, and the #@@@$†\=-.
..-=\†$@@@ sludge was bottled. @@@$†\=-..
...-=\†$@@ @@$†\=-...
..-=\†$@@@ ######################################## @@@$†\=-..
.-=\†$@@@# # # #@@@$†\=-.
..-=\†$@@@ # #@#@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@#@# # @@@$†\=-..
...-=\†$@@ # @ @ # @@$†\=-...
..-=\†$@@@ @ @ @@@@†@††††††††††††††††††††@†@@@@ @ @ @@@$†\=-..
.-=\†$@@@# @ @ @ @ @ @ #@@@$†\=-.
..-=\†$@@@ @ @ @ the cargo ship is filled, @ @ @ @@@$†\=-..
...-=\†$@@ $ @ @ 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. @@$†\=-...
..-=\†$@@@ @@@$†\=-..
.-=\†$@@@# #@@@$†\=-.
..-=\†$@@@ @@@$†\=-..
...-=\†$@@ @@$†\=-...
..-=\†$@@@ @@@$†\=-..