#......... ..........
..#######. #########.
#..#####.. ########..
....###... #######...
###..#..## .#####..##
##.......# 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. ..##......
..####.... #....####.
#..##..##. ..##..##..
.......... ..........
########## ##########
########## ##########