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