£%//~,,,,, ,,,,,~//%£
@£$$$%/~~, ,~~/%$$$£@
@@@£$%/~~, ,~~/%$£@@@
#@@£$%/~~, ,~~/%$£@@#
@£££$%/~~, ,~~/%$£££@
#@@£$%/~~, gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ,~~/%$£@@#
@@@£$%/~~, ground with no hints of vegetation. ,~~/%$£@@@
££££$%/~~, ,~~/%$££££
#@@£$%/~~, below the surface are the mines, ,~~/%$£@@#
##@@£%/~~, 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 ,,,,,~/%££
@£$$$%/~~, are lying completely still, ,~~/%$$$£@
#@@£$%/~~, like corpses. ,~~/%$£@@#
@£%/~~,,,, ,,,,~~/%£@
£££%~,,,,, ,,,,,~%£££
@@$%//~,,, ,,,~//%$@@
#@@£$%/~~, ,~~/%$£@@#
£$%~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~%$£